Health and wellness trends boosting demand for ‘supplement ingredients’ in skin care

According to data and analytics company GlobalData, this is being driven by consumers’ rising interest in health and wellness.

In a recent survey conducted in the third quarter of 2019, 87% and 86% consumers claimed that the incorporation of vitamin C and E, respectively, in their beauty products made them more appealing.

“The supplement-infused beauty industry is evolving at a faster rate than the regulations can keep up with – even if the regulations do become stricter, people will always find a way to tiptoe around them,”​ said Namrata Sain, Consumer Insights Analyst at GlobalData.

Sain believes the industry will continue to see more of these ‘supplement-infused’​ products because of the rising clean beauty movement.

“Clean beauty is becoming more and more prominent in the market. Beauty consumers are looking for clean products that incorporate natural ingredients. Consumers relate vitamin C to fruits, something natural, so it's easy for them to understand.”​

She also attributed this to the consumers’ growing knowledge of cosmetic ingredients.

“Today’s customers are very well educated in the beauty and topical skin care space and just as the skin care industry has seen the rise of skin-intellectuals, the supplement space will likely see the entry of ‘vitamintelligence’ within the supplement shoppers’ list in near future.”​

She added that cosmetic companies can align themselves with this trend by using plant-based protein ingredients.

“There are opportunities for brands to use plant-based protein options in the beauty and wellness space that could tap into the current popularity of plant-based diets. The usage of plant ingredients rich in compounds such as vitamin A, vitamin C, or amino acids glycine, proline and lysine helps in promoting collagen production.”​

‘Blockbuster’ ingredients

On the other hand, Sain noted that has been a rise in demand for products with marine collagen.  According to GlobalData’s research, marine collagen resonates with 72% of beauty consumers in APAC.

“Marine collagen is one of the ingredients that are creating a lot of impact in the beauty industry. I think its up because of the enhanced research on it,” ​said Sain.

She added that collagen’s association with anti-ageing benefits is also boosting its image in the market, especially because of the growing pollution concerns in Asia Pacific.

“Pollution in the major cities is causing women issues like skin dullness or premature wrinkles because the skin is taking longer to regenerate. Collagen, a natural ingredient, is known to be very effective in combating the signs of ageing, which is why it's very in trend.” ​

Another trend that is moving from health and wellness and into beauty is probiotics, noted Sain.

“We see more cosmetic manufacturers using terms like detox, inner beauty and wellness. By incorporating probiotics, they can attract consumers because there’s a belief that probiotics can help with the overall wellness of the body and mind.”​

However, the knowledge of how probiotics can aid skin health is not yet mainstream knowledge in the APAC region, Sain said.

“There’s still more education to be done, but it will definitely make an impact. I’m sure probiotic skin care is one area beauty consumers are going to target.”​