GCI - September 2008

Nutricosmentics

Eat & Drink Your Skin Care

As consumers continue to incorporate appearance into their overall concept of wellness, nutricosmetics may prove to be a financially advantageous new frontier for the beauty industry.

When Horst Rechelbacher founded the Aveda Corporation in 1978 to produce botanically based salon hair care products, he couldn’t have fathomed selling his company 19 years later to The Estee Lauder Companies for $300 million. However, the acquisition allowed him to pursue a new allowed to pursue a new entrepreneurial path- founding Intelligent Nutrients, a company utilizing 100% food-based, organically certified ingredients. Launching 24 SKUs, that include and antioxidant-infused chocolate bar, a whole foods bar, and liquid and tablet-sized dietary supplements, in june 2008 to North American medical spas, salons and boutique retailers, Intelligent Nutrients is just one of hundreds of companies around the globe expanding from topical beauty care into the nutricosmetics market.

Points Of Entry

Organic food bars and supplements aren’t the only point of entry into nutricosmetics. Like its French competitior, Danone Essensis- the vitamin-fortified skin care yogurt-Russia’s Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods launched the yogurt of its region in 2007. The Neo beaty line-formulated with aloe vera, andtioxidants, minerals and vitamins-claims to improve the overall health of skin, nails and hair. “by the end of this year, we hope to have 100 million sales,” says Marina Kagan, head of public affairs, Wimm-Bill-Dann.

Similarly, in 2007, Nestle Hong Kong introduced Day & Night collagen yogurt drinks to improve skin moisturization and elasticity. Firmer skin and other popular marketing claims have elevated collagen as one main ingredient in Asian beverages. Japan’s Nippon Milk Community’s Kiparuru Lactic Acid Bactetia Drink claims to firm skin with 1,000 mg of collagen per pack, as does Toki, a lemon-flavored powdered collagen supplement introduced to the U.S. by way of Japan in 2002.

“In Japan, oral cosmeceuticals such as collagen, hyaluronic acid and ceramide are the most popular ingredients for this category,” says Yoichiro Sugimura, senior director of scientific affairs and business development, Kyowa Hakko USA. “historically, many herbs have been thought of and used for optimal health. In japan, there is a saying that ‘food is the best medicine,’ so people are willing to think that certain foods are good for health, including skin health.”