Demand for ingestible products is on the rise as consumers adopt more holistic attitudes to skincare, research by ingredient supplier Lycored has found.
The Israeli company, which providers natural carotenoids for food, beverage and dietary supplement products, surveyed 490 consumers in the UK and France, exploring their attitudes to beauty and skin health.
It revisited questions that it had previously asked five years ago, and found that much had changed.
Three in ten (30%) had purchased an ingestible skincare product over the past year – up from 14% in 2017.
The figure was particularly high among 25-34 year olds (57%, compared to 16% of 55-64 year olds).
The research suggests that growing demand for beauty-from-within is rooted in increasingly holistic, health-focused attitudes to skincare. Seven in ten (70%) of the survey respondents said they used skincare products to keep their skin healthy and 69% said it was “to feel good about myself.”
This “feelgood factor” was particularly evident among consumers in the 18-24 age bracket, 82% of whom said they used products to feel good about themselves, and women (78% compared to 59% of men).
By contrast, more cosmetic goals were not highly sought. Only 14% of the consumers surveyed – and just 6% of the over-65s – said looking young was important to them, and only 17% said they used skincare products to look attractive to others.
The survey interviewed 245 consumers in the UK and 245 in France. All had purchased a skincare product (either topical ingestible) over the past 12 months.
Lycored marketing communications manager Caroline Schroeder said: “The new generation of skincare consumers is much more interested in holistic skin health than traditional cosmetic signs of beauty.
“This focus on ‘from within’ factors has increased in recent years, especially during the pandemic, during which many consumers have valued overall health and self-care more than outward appearance. It’s a major reason for the boom in demand for ingestible skincare.”
