Skin Care and Cosmetics

Cosmetics are used by women every day. Many cosmetics are made with harsh chemicals that deprive our skins of life-sustaining oxygen, causing premature aging and many unwanted side effects. We may not realize it but the skin is a major organ of our bodies. Through it, our bodies can absorb both life-giving nourishment and life-depleting chemicals.



Many of the side effects caused by cosmetics can be prevented by properly choosing cosmetics that are made from natural or organic materials. It is also helpful to choose cosmetics made by manufacturers who do not test on animals. Below is a very interesting article published in 2006 about the growing "nutricosmetics" industry - an industry that provides cosmetics that are considered safer and healthier for the skin because they also nourish and provide needed supplements through the skin.

The article below gives us a look at the cosmetic industry and some interesting facts to know about the nutricosmetic industry.

By Louise Prance

19/10/2006- Following the growing trend for products that aim to provide beauty ‘from within’ more companies are establishing product lines to target the fast-growing nutricosmetics niche market.

A recent study by Klein & Company found that the global nutricosmetics market was valued at $1bn, a figure the company says is set to double over the next five-year period. Carrie Mellage from Klein and Company told NutraIngredients.com's sister site, CosmeticsDesign, that many large companies are taking on this niche market and developing product lines to target the oral beauty market.

L'Oreal have combined with Nestlé to create the Inneov line, whilst Shiseido's nutricosmetics range is very popular in Japan, as is Imedeen's in Europe. Meanwhile, German cosmetics company, Christine Schrammek, launched their dermaneutrics range, aimed at targeting skin ailments with orally taken tablets, on September 1 this year.

Speaking of its decision to launch at this time, Claudia Hollinger, a spokeswoman for the company told NutraIngredients.com's sister site, CosmeticsDesign that: "We noticed it was a developing niche market and realised it would keep on growing. We know that many people take dietary supplements, therefore we wanted to create a supplement that is specifically focused on creating beautiful skin," she said.

Carrie Mellage from Klein & Company suggested that skin care is the main area targeted, however, there is also a large market for hair, nail and suncare ranges.
Christine Schrammek has launched its dermanutrics line, aimed at enhancing the condition of the skin, at a time when nutricosmetics is being driven into the spotlight, despite some doubts as to their efficacy. Werner Voss, who heads the Dermatest Institute in Muenster, Germany, described them as "simply worthless".

However, a study published this year by the Charite Clinic in Berlin focused on two particular substances that are often found in nutricosmetics, beta-carotene and lycopene, showing them to control the so-called free radicals that lead to premature aging of the skin, therefore establishing that nutricosmetics are indeed an in-road for the cosmetics and nutritional markets.

These ingredients are naturally found in many fruit and vegetables and can work as anti-oxidants. The study says that regular use of these antioxidants can help the skin to look younger and healthier.

However, not all countries are as quick to establish themselves within the market, with the US seemingly slow to pick up on this growing trend.

Talking about the US market, Carrie Mellage stated that "perhaps this is because American consumers are accustomed to getting their healthcare products from pharmaceutical companies and may be a bit skeptical about trying an ingestible product from a beauty company. Also there haven't been a lot of products available in the U.S., especially from the larger, more trusted marketers."

However, it is thought that as the market continues to grow, so will the competition. "Competition [in nutricosmetics] is guaranteed to increase, and companies should try to gain an early advantage and position themselves as a market leader in North America to gain the best competitive advantage," said Susan Babinsky, senior vice president and head of Kline's consumer products consulting practice.

Many companies are already competing with the product lines that they are introducing within the market. The Inneov range has now established a nutricosmetics product that is designed to prepare the skin for exposure to the sun, whilst intensifying the tanning effect at the same time.

Claudia Hollinger of Christine Schrammek also told of the company's desire to establish a similar brand stating that: "we are looking to develop a sun protection product within the next six months."