The nutricosmetics market in full bloom!

The nutricosmetics market in full bloom!

Nutricosmetics is a market that covers all food supplements for beauty. This promising market, which has its origins in Asia and Japan in particular, lies on the borderline between nutraceuticals and cosmetics. It offers numerous opportunities for brands, with well-segmented promises for skin, nail and hair health. Discover the trends in the nutricosmetics market in this article!

Nutricosmetics, a booming market

Nutricosmetics is a market that originated in Asia-Pacific, particularly Japan. With a culture where light skin represents a symbol of a higher social standing, consumers are looking for a promise of beauty through skin lightening. More generally, consumers in this region are aware of the link between their diet and the quality of their skin and hair. Indeed, beauty is an indicator of good health.

While the slimming market has been in decline for some years, the nutricosmetics market is doing well. Estimated at 8 billion dollars in 2023, the global nutricosmetics market is booming. It is expected to reach 11.9 billion dollars by 2028, with an annual growth rate of 8% [1]. North America has the largest share of the nutricosmetics market, with a 26% share in 2022. [2]

In Europe, the nutricosmetics market is expected to grow at a similar rate to the global market, with an annual growth rate of 8.5% over the period 2024-2029. The UK has the largest share of the European market. [3]

Millennials are mainly involved in the growing demand for nutricosmetic products through their desire to prevent ageing and take care of their beauty and health. But which beauty segments are targeted by nutricosmetics?

 

The hypersegmentation of nutricosmetics

The nutricosmetics market can be categorised into three key segments: Skin Care, Sun Care and Skin Beauty.

 

The categories in the Skin Care or skin health

The skin care segment is set to dominate the global nutricosmetics market. With an ageing population keen to delay the onset of signs of ageing, growth in the Skin Care segment is expected to increase by 9% between now and 2030. [4]

Skin Care is becoming hypersegmented. This hypersegmentation can be seen in the many niche promises such as radiance, skin defence, sensitive skin and skin imperfections.

Glow: a radiant complexion

Nutricosmetics products for a radiant, glowing complexion are premium, glamorous and natural. They combine with another issue to target people of all ages. For example, products for mature skin generally combine Glow and anti-ageing issues, while products for young skin combine Glow and anti-imperfections issues.

Defending the skin

Our skin can be attacked on a daily basis by exposure to UV rays, pollution, etc. That’s why nutricosmetics responds to these needs with Skin Defense products. These products offer a number of benefits, including antioxidant, barrier and anti-pollution properties.

Sensitive skin

Stress, exposure to the sun or dermatological problems can sensitise the skin. This can lead to skin irritations such as redness or spots. The nutricosmetics market for sensitive skin includes a wide range of ingredients, from products containing vitamins and minerals to microbiotic strains. The application of these products is at the frontier between beauty and skin health.

Skin imperfections

This problem generally concerns a younger audience. As generation Z is more sensitive to environmental issues, this segment focuses particularly on the naturalness of ingredients and the environmental responsibility of the brand.

 

Sun Care: protecting your skin with suncare products

Nutricosmetics also targets skin health, with a specific focus on the sun’s promise. In fact, many nutricosmetics products have benefits for the skin when exposed to the sun, such as

  • Preparing the skin for tanning by protecting it naturally
  • Protection against free radicals and UV rays
  • Supplying nutrients to cells for nutrition and regeneration

 

The beauty and health of hair and nails

Hair and nails can be affected by our external environment, such as UV exposure, stress, pollution and diet, or by factors specific to each individual, such as our genetics, hormonal variations or certain pathologies.

To support the health of hair and nails, nutricosmetics offers products with health and beauty benefits such as combating hair loss or devitalisation, resistance, growth, shine and, more generally, good hair and nail health.

💡 What are the essential nutricosmetic ingredients for healthy skin and hair? [5]

  • Vitamins and minerals such as biotin, vitamin A, selenium and zinc play a role in healthy skin, hair and nails.
  • Antioxidant ingredients help to combat oxidative stress in the cells, thereby helping to prevent skin ageing. Antioxidants include vitamins C and E, resveratrol and coenzyme Q10.
  • Collagen is a protein present in our skin that contributes to its elasticity and firmness. It is involved in reducing wrinkles and fine lines.
  • Hyaluronic acid helps to hydrate the skin.
  • Omega-3 plays a role in skin health.
  • Probiotics help support a healthy skin microbiota and scalp microbiome.
  • Certain amino acids, such as L-cystine, play a role in the beauty of the skin. Keratin, rich in cystine, is a protein found in hair and nails. It plays a role in the health of the skin. BCF Life Sciences offers cystine and ingredients containing it, such as Kera-Diet® for hair vitality and growth, Cysti-White® for skin lightening and Naticol®-Cyskin®.

Discover the BCF Life Sciences article on cystine !

Nutricosmetics trends

Today’s consumers have a holistic vision of their health and beauty. Taking a preventive rather than a curative approach, more and more of them are including nutraceuticals in their lifestyle.

Today’s consumers pay particular attention to the naturalness of ingredients. And cosmetics brands are well aware of this trend, favouring natural ingredients over synthetic ones. What’s more, the effectiveness of ingredients is a criterion that consumers are looking for. They want to see the results of clinical studies on packaging. Nutricosmetics brands are therefore incorporating more and more clinically-studied active ingredients that deliver visible results. [1]

Functional foods are fully integrated into the nutricosmetics market. The market is presenting more and more enriched food products with multiple health benefits. Collagen is a key ingredient in functional foods. There are many collagen-based products on the nutricosmetics market, such as collagen creamers. These powdered creamers add collagen and creaminess to drinks.

Another major trend in nutricosmetics is ‘In & Out‘. This trend is based on beauty from the outside in, using complementary products. The trend combines products such as a food supplement and a cosmetic treatment to maximise the health and beauty benefits.

 

To sum up, nutricosmetics is a market that is developing worldwide. The market is dominated by North America, Asia and Europe. It focuses on skin, hair and nail health, with very specific niche promises. Among the major trends in nutricosmetics, the naturalness and efficacy of ingredients are key purchasing criteria for consumers. Consumers favour a holistic approach to their health, taking care of their lifestyle and diet. With the rise of functional food, a number of key ingredients are being developed on the market, such as collagen, keratin and L-cystine. It is also possible to combine a food supplement with a cosmetic treatment: this is the “In & Out” concept.

 

Do you have a nutricosmetics project? Contact our teams to get advice and develop effective formulations!

Contact us !

 

SOURCES :

[1] Mordor Intelligence. Analyse de la taille et de la part du marché de la nutricosmétique – Tendances de croissance et prévisions (2024-2029)

[2] Coherent Market Insights. Nutricosmetics market analysis. Mars 2023

[3] Mordor Intelligence. Analyse de la taille et de la part du marché européen des nutricosmétiques – Tendances de croissance et prévisions (2024-2029)

[4] GlobeNewswire, Nutricosmetics Market Size is projected to reach USD 15.81 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9%: Straits Research, 2022

[5] Delveinsight. Evaluating the Evolving Trends in the Nutricosmetics Market: The Intersection of Nutrition and Skincare. 2023