Ingestible Skincare Going Mainstream, Consumer Study Shows

03 May 2017 --- Ingestible skincare is on its way into the mainstream, with millennials particularly likely to embrace the category, research by global carotenoid supplier Lycored has shown. Two-thirds of the surveyed consumers say they see the concept of taking a supplement for skincare as normal. Moreover, millennials are more likely to have used an ingestible skincare product than older age groups, indicating a shift in attitudes over time.

Lycored’s supplement-ready carotenoid blend Lycoderm, which promotes healthy, resilient skin, will be showcased at Vitafoods Europe next week. Ahead of the event, the company surveyed 480 British and French consumers. Two-thirds (66%) agreed with the statement “The idea of taking a supplement for skin health or beauty is normal.” Only 14% said the idea was “not normal.” Over four in ten (43%) consumers in the millennial age group (18-35) said they had used an oral product to benefit their skin health at some point. This compared with 39% of 36-49 year olds, 23% of those aged between 50 and 69, and 14% of those aged 70 or over.

The survey, carried out in March 2017, included 480 consumers (240 in France and 240 in the UK) who had purchased a skincare product (e.g. moisturizer, cream, lotion, pill or supplement for beauty or skin health) over the past 12 months. 

Lycored also explored barriers to the category. Among respondents who had never taken a pill or supplement for skincare, 46% said the main reason was that “It seems to make more sense to apply a product to my skin.” The second most commonly cited reason was “I wasn’t aware I could achieve the same skincare benefits by taking a pill or capsule” (32%). These barriers were least likely to be cited by the millennials who were surveyed, suggesting that awareness of the potential of ingestible skincare is highest among younger consumers.

In related news, the findings of a skin health study, funded by Lycored, support the increasing evidence of photo-protection by oral supplementation with carotenoids. The findings build upon a growing body of research explaining the role antioxidants play in human skin health and overall protection against solar radiation. Specifically, the paper sheds light on a particular niche within this field of research: how Lycopene-Rich Tomato Nutrition Complex (TNC) and lutein can protect against UVA/B- and UVA1 radiation at a molecular level.

The study was conducted by the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, and published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

"Lycored prides itself in securing clinically-backed findings on the efficacy of ingredients that go into each of our formulations, and this study supports this core value; demonstrating the vital skin co-protection benefits of natural lycopene from lycopene-rich tomatoes and lutein from Marigold flowers," says Golan Raz, Vice President of Health and Nutrition at Lycored.

The article, titled: “Molecular evidence that oral supplementation with lycopene or lutein protects human skin against ultraviolet radiation: Results from a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, cross-over study,” can be accessed online at British Journal of Dermatology.

Zev Ziegler, Head of Global Brand & Marketing Health at Lycored, says: “Ingestible skincare – once seen as a niche category – is rapidly heading for the mainstream. Consumers, particularly those under the age of 35, are increasingly recognizing the benefits of supplementation for healthy, resilient skin. There’s a very clear generational shift in favor of ingestible skincare, and with further work to inform consumers we can achieve even more.”

Over the past year, Lycored has engaged in a campaign to make the ingestible skincare category more mainstream by challenging traditional attitudes to beauty. The company’s “#rethinkbeautiful” initiative has achieved significant results in consumer-facing media and on social media, with over 400,000 views for its Beauty is What you Make it film.