Beauty supplements continue to grow in popularity this year. Whether it’s a collagen powder or biotin tablets, these beauty supplements tie in perfectly with the growing popularity of holistic health and wellness.
Often promoted by celebrities and influencers on social media, beauty supplements encourage consumers to be more mindful of how ingesting various foods, vitamins, minerals, and botanical extracts can impact their overall appearance.
Recent figures from Statista predict that the value of the global beauty supplement market will increase from around $5.3 billion in 2021 to around $6.8 billion US dollars by 2024.
Not only this but, according to Mintel, the Covid-19 pandemic has reportedly had a significant impact on the vitamin and supplement market in general, with consumers focusing more on maintaining their immune health and wellbeing with vitamins and minerals since the outbreak.
In this article, we explore what a beauty supplement is, how they work, and what the common ingredients used in their formulas are.
What is a Beauty Supplement?
Sometimes referred to as nutricosmetics or edible beauty, beauty supplements are essentially vitamins, minerals, proteins and other ingredients that contribute to healthy skin, hair and nails. Beauty supplements are designed to be ingested rather than applied topically, focusing on the concept of beauty from within.
As opposed to treating the symptoms of skin conditions with topical products alone, beauty supplements instead seek to fix problems at the root, targeting the cause rather than the effect.
Whether they’re designed for thickening thin hair, clearing up persistent acne, increasing the growth rate of nails, or improving the vitality of ageing skin, beauty supplements are emerging in a variety of innovative formats. From soft chewables and nutritional bars to vitamin-packed drink shots and powders, these products slot perfectly into consumer’s busy lifestyles – which is part of what makes them so popular.
Promising maximum benefits with minimal effort, it’s easy for end users to be led to believe that beauty supplements are a magic pill to fix everything. However, we feel it’s important to look at beauty supplements in a more literal sense, in that they are supplements and are designed to be taken alongside the use of other essential cosmetic products, such as cleansers, oils, toners, sunscreens and moisturisers.
No beauty regime should begin and end with taking a supplement; our hair, skin and nails all rely on a variety of different care products to remain healthy in the long term.
How Do Beauty Supplements Work?
As we know, diet plays a key role in the look, texture, and overall health of our skin. The gut and our skin are intrinsically connected, both filled densely with blood vessels through which the skin receives the nutrition it needs.
So, by nourishing ourselves with skin-supporting actives and ingredients, we can directly influence the state of our skin.
Cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Yannis Alexandrides explains “By nourishing the gut with targeted actives, one is able to directly influence the skin. Good skin needs ingredients delivered through the blood supply in order to produce collagen, fight off free radicals and stay at optimum health.”
Do Beauty Supplements Really Work?
For sceptics, taking supplements for glowing skin, shiny hair and strong fingernails can seem a little too good to be true. Let’s take a look at some of the key ingredients used in many popular beauty supplements on the market today.
Common Beauty Supplement Ingredients
There are a few core ingredients you can expect to find in most skincare supplements, these include the following.
Collagen
Collagen is the body’s main structural protein, helping to build and maintain connective tissue. Unfortunately, the more our bodies age the less collagen we produce, causing skin to become drier and develop fine lines.
Collagen is used in many beauty supplements because of its ability to improve skin structure and hydration, as well as reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
One study also found that subjects who had taken collagen supplements had a significantly higher skin elasticity level, as well as having a positive impact on skin moisture. Another study concluded that collagen (taken orally alongside other essential vitamins and minerals) led to a significant improvement in wrinkle depth and skin hydration.
Biotin
Not only does biotin support our bodies in breaking down food into valuable energy, but it also helps to maintain the health of health of our nervous systems, livers, eyes, hair, nails and skin.
Looking at hair specifically, biotin is well known for enhancing shine and volume, it can also help to improve scalp coverage in women who experience thinning hair.
Biotin is also reported to help fingernails go stronger and faster, as well as improving our skin’s hydration, smoothness and overall appearance.
Because of its strong performance in a variety of areas, biotin is commonly found in all-in-one skin, hair and nail supplements.
Probiotics
As we’ve mentioned earlier on in this article, skin health is directly influenced by gut health. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that improve or restore the gut flora and in turn bring a variety of health benefits.
Interest is growing in the use of probiotics for treating acne and other persistent skin conditions like eczema or dry skin.
A growing body of research has shown that increasing the gut’s level of good bacteria can help to reduce inflammation, which is particularly useful for treating inflammatory conditions such as acne.
Certain studies have concluded that probiotics increase the skin’s production of ceramides or lipids (fats) that retain the skin’s moisture and keep acne-causing bacteria levels low.
Additional evidence suggests probiotics help to balance the skin’s pH and reduce oxidative stress caused by free radical damage which, in turn, can minimise the impact of ageing.
Although there is clear research to suggest the efficacy of these ingredients, consumers should still be wary of supplement brands that make claims that sound a little too good to be true. Whilst these and other core beauty supplement ingredients are likely to have a positive impact on skin, hair and nail health if used as advised, it’s highly unlikely that they will give users glowing skin, long luscious hair and super strong nails in just one week.
Buyers of beauty supplements should use their judgement to discern between the facts and clever marketing copy designed to increase sales.
The answer to whether beauty supplements really work isn’t just a simple yes or no. How successful they are in delivering on their promises depends on how high quality the ingredients are, how much is taken and whether the person taking them has any pre-existing conditions that might impact how well the product is delivered to the skin through the blood stream.
Beyond this, some beauty supplement ingredients could interact negatively with other prescribed medications. For this reason, if you are unsure about how a supplement may affect you, and particularly if you are on prescribed medication, it is always a good idea to check with your doctor before taking them.
Are Supplements the Future of Skincare and Beauty?
As discussed in this article, beauty supplements are becoming massively popular amongst consumers, some with proven results to back up the claims made by celebrity and influencer endorsements.
There is clearly significant growth potential for the beauty supplement industry to grow exponentially over time, especially with some of the more premium wellness brands developing hyper-personalised skincare and beauty supplements.
However, skincare supplements will not replace high quality topical skin, nail and hair products. For supplements to be effective, they should be used to support and enhance existing regimes.
Quality Cosmetic Product Development from Jarvis Cosmetic Developments
At Jarvis Cosmetic Developments, we use our skills and in-depth knowledge obtained from over four decades at the forefront of the industry to consult on, develop, and produce high-quality skincare and haircare products.
Our dedicated team of cosmetic chemists use their extensive experience to produce market leading products that will be indispensable to your customers’ beauty regimes.
If you’d like to find out more about our processes or you’re interested in discussing details of your next skincare, haircare or nail care line, please do get in touch with us.