The panel:
Michael Anthonavage, Vice President Innovation, Vitaquest, West Caldwell, NJ, https://vitaquest.com/
Michael Chernyak, President, CK Nutraceuticals, Oakdale, ON, Canada & Glendale, NY, https://ckingredients.com/
Gene Bruno, MS, MHS, RH(AHG), Chief Scientific Officer, Nutraland USA, Knoxville, TN, www.nutralandusa.com
Amanda Jepson, President, Biova, Johnston, IA, www.biova.com
Douglas Jones, Global Sales and Marketing, BioCell Technology LLC, Irvine, CA, www.biocelltechnology.com
Angie Rimel, Marketing Communications Manager, GELITA USA, Sioux City, IA, www.gelita.com
James Roza, Chief Scientific Officer, Layn Natural Ingredients USA, Irvine, CA, https://layncorp.com/
Healthy hair, skin and nails are desired goals because they are outward signs of good health. The obvious reward of good-looking hair, skin and nails sends many people to the esthetician, beautician, hair stylist and favorite nail salon seeking perfection.
The interest and excitement in this goal also comes from the newest ingredients and delivery systems of products and procedures that might revolutionize this search. Beauty from within is an evolving theme for companies seeking to deliver the finest results to consumers. Research and development are important and ongoing processes providing products and delivery mechanisms which are key in achieving these goals.
Nutrition Industry Executive (NIE) turned to a panel of several cosmetic and research executives for their take on new market trends in ingredients and delivery systems and which might revolutionize the market and produce customer excitement. Here are their takes.
NIE: What are two or three of the newest market trends in ingredients that promote healthy hair, skin and nails are you excited about?
Rimel: Collagen, specifically VERISOL Bioactive Collagen Peptides, continues to be at the forefront of beauty-from-within. due to 1) clinically proven and published efficacy; 2) low dosing (only 2.5 g per day); 3) offering a treasure trove of benefits for skin, hair and nails.
Bruno: One of the newer market trends in the beauty-from-within category showing significant promise is the use of the polyamine, spermidine. Polyamines are organic compounds having two or more amino groups. Spermidine is one such polyamine which can be found in a variety of different foods.
According to Valuates Reports 2, the global spermidine supplement market was valued at $194 million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach $331.1 million by 2030, reflecting a CAGR of 7.8 percent from 2024-2030.
Roza: Vitamin C, ferulic acid and rosemary are three ingredients that are trending strongly in 2024 when it comes to skin and hair care.
Vitamin C is important because it is a powerful antioxidant and research has demonstrated that its use in topical preparations can decrease wrinkling, increase collagen production, mitigate skin protein fiber damage and enhance skin suppleness.
Ferulic acid is also a powerful antioxidant found in skin serums and is often paired with vitamin C because of its synergy.
Rosemary has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can reduce redness and inflammation associated with various skin conditions. Layn manufactures each of these ingredients from natural, botanical sources, such as acerola and rice bran.
Jones: I think one of the interesting trends is consumers are looking for “Lifetime Wellness” Solutions. This builds on the earlier “Healthy Aging” trend but means that consumers are looking for more holistic solutions to their health and having a more long-term approach.
Anthonavage: There are many market strategies around ingredients that one can adopt to promote healthy skin, hair and nails but if one considers these as attributes of a healthy lifestyle, the opportunities grow exponentially.
Incorporating a “healthy” perspective on general wellness pays dividends in the beauty category by integrating other adjuvant categories into beauty through relevance. General wellness includes getting good, consistent sleep, having a positive mental outlook and supporting your body’s nutritional needs. When combined, these three areas will result in a better-looking you, which people will notice. The resulting feedback on self-image motivates consumers to continue properly caring for themselves.
Additionally, market trends around women’s health—especially graceful aging—dovetails nicely into additional opportunities around perimenopause and prevention strategies for aging. Personalized supplements that put consumers center stage in their wellness efforts are natural extensions of these strategies.
Chernyak: According to recent data, the hair/skin/nails category grew 74 percent year-over-year. Nutrafol helped put this category on the map with consumers, and there has been a flood of research and development activity and new product launches in this space.
Two of the most exciting new entrants within this burgeoning category are natural ingredients with recent study publications—CollaBZen and SesZen-Bio. CollaBZen is a plant-based collagen builder derived from green coffee extract, green tea extract and alma fruit—new research shows that CollaBZen supports healthy skin by inhibiting the degradation of collagen as well as helping the body to naturally rebuild collagen, at just 500 mg daily. It overcomes some of the challenges inherent with marine and bovine collagen—it’s suitable for vegans/vegetarians, dosed at a fraction of marine and bovine sources. It offers expanded versatility in finished dosage formats and represents innovation in a crowded category.
SesZen-Bio is a plant-derived ingredient for hair and scalp health—it is standardized to naturally-occurring biotin, and 500 mg daily is shown in peer-reviewed published research to improve hair volume and density and both four and eight weeks of administration.
Jepson: Collagen has been a major player in the beauty-from-within world for quite a while, however formulators are looking more specifically at collagen peptides. Peptides are fragments of collagen protein and are more accessible to the body.
Multi-functional ingredients are also growing in popularity. If one ingredient can provide multiple benefits, or work through multiple pathways, the need for formulating with many ingredients diminishes. This simplifies not only the formulation process, but also labeling and reduces cost.
NIE: Why are these trends noteworthy and where do you think they will lead in the marketplace?
Rimel: Savvy beauty consumers gravitate toward those ingredients with scientific substantiation and credibility, as they are increasingly discerning as to what’s in their favorite beauty and/or supplement brands.
Consumers seek realistic and meaningful benefits that represent their individual definitions of beauty, and they are turning to nutritional supplements as part of a holistic beauty regimen. These consumers recognize that real beauty results start from within, on a cellular level.
Consumers are aware that skin, hair and nail health is an indicator—a currency so to speak of overall health and wellbeing. Adults alike seek nutritional supplements for beauty benefits—but not only for vanity, but also for health’s sake. That is, in part, why the recent skyrocketing growth in ingestible beauty is expected to continue for years to come. This market is positioned to double in size by 2030.
Bruno: The use of spermidine is noteworthy for numerous reasons, but specific to the beauty-from-within category, there are two primary reasons for the value of this nutraceutical. First, spermidine induces autophagy 3—the body’s process of breaking down old and damaged cell parts. This allows cells to disassemble junk parts and repurpose the salvageable components into new, usable cell parts, while discarding the unusable or unneeded parts. This can help with recycling older cells for a healthy aging benefit, including hair, skin and nail cells. The second reason is that spermidine was shown in laboratory research to upregulate the expression of the epithelial stem cells associated with keratin, the primary protein comprising healthy hair. The value of this was demonstrated in two published, randomized human clinical trials where spermidine supplementation was found to reduce hair loss (hair shedding), increase hair diameter (hair thickness), and increase the anagen phase (hair growth). The increase in hair growth improved by a meaningful 17-20 percent.
Now consider that a popular hydrolyzed keratin material requires a 500 mg dose and costs about $4.75 for 30 servings (raw material cost only), while spermidine only requires a 0.5 mg dose and costs about $0.90 for 30 servings (assuming they use Nutraland USA’s Miricell spermidine from rice germ extract). Not only is this an amazing cost savings for brand owners and consumers alike, but it means that it will be easier to combine spermidine with other nutraceuticals while keeping the serving size to one capsule if so desired.
Roza: Like the trend we’re seeing in food and beverage, less is more when it comes to health and beauty aid products. The current trend toward easy-to-understand ingredient lists built around a few core natural ingredients and less on traditional synthetic and industrial components are garnering consumer acceptance rapidly.
Jones: The search for “Lifetime Wellness Solutions” is noteworthy because it means that consumers are looking for evidence that the products that they are taking have clinical support for their use. If they are looking for a product for a healthy skin solution, what evidence does the finished product say that it has? Products with branded ingredients, which have already been through published clinical studies, fit this need.
Anthonavage: The trends around overall wellness that include beauty-from-within, personalized anti-aging, sleep and cognitive health all lend themselves to unique differentiation angles for brands and marketers to leverage. Focusing on tried-and-true mechanisms for prevention and protection keeps the antioxidants and anti-inflammatories story front and center.
However, newer versions of these active ingredients are becoming available using proprietary extraction methods, unique standardization strategies, and new clinical studies to back up expanded claims. Natural extracts are being combined in synergistic ways to provide antiaging attributes to skin, scalp and hair. Polyamines, carotenoids, peptides and omega fatty acids have been mixed and matched at different ratios and dosages to offer real consumer-perceived benefits.
When combined with topical practices, consumers can benefit from the synergies of a combinatorial approach. Additionally, consumer education is on the rise around these technologies and how they work. This understanding is opening the door for a personalized approach to supplement choices. Adults of different age groups, active lifestyles, professions and stages of life find that their supplement needs change. These create innovative solutions and marketing strategies for brands to take advantage of.
Chernyak: Consumers crave convenience—ingestible beauty enables portability. Furthermore, consumers demand natural products that are proven safe and effective—product formulations need to be evidence-based. Moreover, consumer brands that cater to vegan/vegetarian buyers make their products available to a broader audience—in a more inclusive fashion. CollaBZen and SesZen-Bio check all these boxes—this is what makes them so compelling!
Jepson: Examining collagen peptides more closely highlights a trend towards exploring the potential opportunities in long-established ingredients by delving deeper into their benefits and applications. Clean labels and simplified ingredient lists have become increasingly important recently. This trend is expected to continue, and multi-functional ingredients offer an ideal solution for formulators to streamline their ingredient lists while still delivering significant benefits to consumers.
NIE: What new delivery systems and products are creating excitement in the market? How do these work?
Rimel: Although VERISIOL Bioactive Collagen Peptides are suitable for diverse formats, from powders to beverages to tablets, gummies continue their skyward trajectory. With a unique VERISOL ingredient (VERISOL HST), the daily 2.5 g dose can be delivered in only three gummies. This revolutionary and award-winning ingredient is also supported by GELITA’s global applications team. Customer can tap into this powerhouse team for formulation consultation, along with production troubleshooting and more.
Bruno: Upcycled nutraceutical ingredients are an exciting trend in the marketplace, as reflected by the fact that the global upcycled ingredients market was estimated to be valued at $275.3 million in 2022 and projected to increase to a CAGR of 6.4 percent up through 2032. The U.S. is expected to account for more than 60 percent increase in the market share. The ingredient Miricell spermidine is naturally extracted from rice germ. Typically, when whole grain rice is milled to produce white rice, the bran and germ layers are stripped out of the grain, and either disposed of or used in animal feed. We created an extract with the nutrient-dense rice germ, which yields beneficial polyamines, including spermidine. This practice uses natural resources for a sustainable future.
Roza: Nano and liposomal delivery systems are two of the more interesting means of ensuring better dermal penetration and bioavailability thereby making them more effective. Nano preparations utilize ingredients that have been reduced to a one-billionth of a meter in size which are then incorporated into an emulsion or salve to be applied dermally. This allows the ingredients to pass through the dermal layers more effectively due to their reduced size. A liposome is a vesicle composed of phospholipid layers which encapsulate an ingredient so that it can more readily traverse the dermal layers and due to its lipophilic structure has a greater affinity with cells in the body.
Jones: The interesting new delivery are sachets that deliver the product directly into the consumer mouth with the requirements of ingesting a liquid.
Anthonavage: Tablets, capsules, gummies and bulk powders have predominated in the market for years. Now, new product forms and innovations allow for the next-generation supplement experience. Direct-to-mouth packages, stick packs, quick-melt chewables, dual chamber capsules and controlled-release tablets offer greater options for taking supplements. Effervescent tablets, novel flavoring systems and innovative particle processing can create powders that dissolve completely in seconds of mixing as well as providing the sensorial experience consumers in their health routine.
Chernyak: In terms of delivery systems, gummies and stick-packs/sachets (powders) offer alternatives to consumers who increasingly experience “pill fatigue.” Flavor systems have also become highly sophisticated, enabling great-tasting formulations that overcome challenges inherent with bitter or herbaceous bioactive ingredients.
Jepson: Micro-needle patches represent an innovative and exciting delivery method, particularly in the beauty industry. These patches serve as a perfect blend between topical and ingestible solutions. Beauty consumers have been familiar with these patches, especially for treating blemishes, for some time.
Another promising delivery method is oral films. Their convenience, portability and small size make them ideal for formulations that don’t require large doses. While their dosage capacity is currently limited, manufacturers are increasing the amount they can hold.
Liposomal technology, although not new, continues to be highly effective. Several companies excel in this area. One of the most exciting benefits is the enhanced bioavailability it offers. Additionally, it enables the incorporation of ingredients that may not perform well under certain conditions or in combination with other ingredients, thereby expanding the range of potential products.
NIE: What traditional or tried and true products and ingredients do you think will continue to be popular and why?
Rimel: Collagen peptides are an example of this. But it is important to remember, not all collagen peptides perform equally. Since its launch in 2012, VERISOL continues to change the face of the global beauty-from-within market. Its efficacy has been confirmed by six ingredient-specific, high-level published clinical studies. This attention to scientific substantiation offers brands and consumers’ confidence in VERISOL’s unique ability to unlock the full potential of collagen production for improvements in skin, hair and nail health.
Bruno: The most popular nutraceutical promoted for healthy hair is the B vitamin biotin, and it will continue to be popular simply because of its prevalence in the marketplace in hair supplements. But does it really deliver? Unfortunately, the short answer is no.
While a deficiency of biotin may contribute to hair loss, there is no evidence that in healthy people who already receive sufficient biotin, that extra amounts will have any added benefit for hair. This is substantiated in an article written by Soleymani T, Lo Sicco K, Shapiro J. in the May 1, 2017 journal Drugs Dermatol (“The Infatuation With Biotin Supplementation: Is There Truth Behind Its Rising Popularity? A Comparative Analysis of Clinical Efficacy versus Social Popularity.”) In this article, the authors state: “To date, there have been no clinical trials conducted to investigate the efficacy of biotin supplementation for the treatment of alopecia [hair loss] of any kind, nor has there been any randomized controlled trial to study its effect on hair quality and quantity in human subjects”
Roza: Ingredients, such as arnica, calendula, gotu kola, jojoba and tea tree oil, have been mainstays of natural cosmetics for decades. Their use dates back thousands of years and was an essential part of herbalist’s remedies for various skin conditions. They worked then and continue to work today.
Consumers who understand the direct connection between nutrition and beauty also turn to supplements to help support skin health. Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic compound found in grapes, red wine and berries and is well known for its antioxidant properties. Layn Natural Ingredients has worked to improve the bioavailability of resveratrol in our Bio+ Resveratrol ingredient. This beauty-from-within ingredient allows for more efficient free radical scavenging and improved efficacy in improving the appearance of skin.
Jones: I think basic foundational ingredients like collagen type I and II along with vitamin C and biotin will continue to be popular.
Anthonavage: The addition of polyamines and peptides is showing clinically that they benefit hair health leading to consumer perceivable claims. Next-generation hydrolyzed protein supplements along with select amino acid blends are showing better absorption and bioavailability. Antioxidants, vitamins and minerals are all showing new life when combined in diverse ways and ratios with naturally derived plant-based extracts, such as curcumin, ashwagandha, shilajit, adaptogenic mushrooms and creatine. Motivation around these ingredients continues to grow and is fueled by continuous research and consumer acceptance.
Chernyak: Collagen, biotin, vitamin C and ceramides are some of the tried-and-true ingredients that are quite well-known to consumers. Retail buyers will continue to seek out these actives on consumer shelves.
Supplement brands that wish to stand out in the market will add new ingredient offerings to their R&D arsenal—these include recent innovations like CollaBZen, SesZen-Bio and also Delphinol (the latter is a proprietary maqui berry extract with published data demonstrating skin health benefits at just 60 mg daily).
Combining old and new ingredients could be the “goldilocks” solution—well-established ingredients and new innovations coming together.
Jepson: Traditional collagen will remain popular despite requiring high doses. Its widespread public awareness ensures its longevity in the market. Established products that consistently invest in advertising and consumer education will continue to thrive.
NIE: What research looks promising in promoting healthy hair, skin and nails, and why do you believe this research could result in either a new delivery system or a new ingredient or product?
Rimel: The collective body of scientific evidence for VERISOL is unmatched by any other single collagen peptide … and highlights efficacy in some of the most nagging beauty topics (wrinkles, elasticity, cellulite, hair health and nail growth and breakage). And there is plenty more in the pipeline. (See the research links in Extra! Extra!)
Bruno: I believe the research I cited on spermidine will continue to spark interest in the development and introduction of new hair health dietary supplements. Considering that Miricell won NIE’s 2023 New Ingredient award in the Personal Care category for its hair benefits, many of these products will contain this upcycled material.
Roza: Research into the role that polyphenols play in supporting healthy skin, hair and nails will continue to expand as more applications for these versatile compounds are uncovered. There are over 8,000 in existence and they are an important part of a plant’s physiology as a prophylactic against disease, drought and other stressors that can harm its existence.
One of our company’s core competencies is the production and research of these compounds for their nutraceutical as well as cosmeceutical value. Polyphenols offer a treasure trove of benefits based on their antimicrobial, antioxidant and adaptogenic properties. Our company specializes in polyphenols and is committed to researching their applications for human health by harnessing these compounds from natural sources. We then apply them to where they can be best used. These polyphenols can then be incorporated in liposomal and nano technologies to improve their absorption and effectiveness.
Jones: I think there will be some interesting developments in combination products using new ways of blending ingredients to enhance bioavailability.
Anthonavage: The beauty industry is blessed with two industries focused on making consumers look younger, feel better and age gracefully. From the topical side, studies explore how formulations work on the surface of the skin. They explore functional cosmetics that work aesthetically and functionally.
From the supplement side, we are just beginning to explore the potential of beauty from within. The skin is the largest organ of the body. It must provide significant blood flow to nourish, immune processes to protect and repair the skin, as well as hydration mechanisms. These functions lend themselves to innovative technologies and strategic approaches to improving skin, hair and nail health.
These functions also involve the cooperation systems of the body like the gut-skin axis, and the cognitive approach to low stress. Clinical studies are showing that lowering stress with herbal extracts, vitamins and minerals leads to better hydration and barrier repair. These benefits lead to fewer wrinkles and healthier skin and hair. Current studies are looking at the effects of probiotics with pre- and postbiotics which can have effects on skin, brain function and stress levels.
Chernyak: Please see Extra! Extra! For our published studies for CollaBZen, SesZen-Bio and Delphinol (maqui extract). NIE
Extra! Extra! – BioCell Collagen Information Sheet Feb 2024.pdf
Extra! Extra! – BioCell-Not All Collagens are Alike! A White Paper FINAL.pdf
