December 9, 2020

“The latest marketing shift in the wellness industry is one that brings more attention to the granular function of wellness supplements and ingestibles through the term “cellular health.” The terminology has been introduced as a means of clearly telling customers how the products work, on a cellular level, and that they improve cell function and lifespan, which is the backbone of popular beauty supplements like collagen, biotin and vitamin E,” explains Glossy.

While ingestible beauty supplements are currently very popular, will these ubiquitous pills, powders, gummies, teas, and tinctures continue to reign supreme for skincare consumers in 2021?

The ingestible beauty movement is linked closely to the rise of inside-out skincare, or the idea that eating and ingesting ingredients like vitamins, minerals, oils, and proteins like collagen will help improve skin health and appearance.

“Skin care emanates from the inside out. Of course how you treat your skin externally might have a more immediate payoff (say, a sheet mask that instantly boosts hydration or a peel that fades dark spots ASAP), but supporting skin health from the inside has long-term benefits. That’s where the real power is,” explains MindBodyGreen.

Popular ingredients for ingestible skincare supplements include:

• Antioxidants 
• Vitamins A, C, E, and D
• Omega-3 fatty acids 
• Zinc
• Collagen
• Oils like borage, coconut, apricot, and jojoba

Simply put, ingestible beauty can be described as an “you are what you eat” approach to skincare, an ideal that is highly attractive to millions of clean-eating, wellness-focused consumers.

In addition to tying into the wellness boom, there are several other factors driving the sustained popularity of beauty supplements, specifically for skincare.

To start, for a growing base of consumers tired of complex skincare routines consumable supplements can seem like a faster, easier route to healthy, radiant skin.

“Supplements are also becoming ever more seamless, with no more need to palm a cocktail of pills when you can spritz under your tongue or add to food – in many workplaces, it’s now utterly commonplace to hear a vitamin shake being mixed up in the kitchenette,” according to Vogue.

Additionally, the prevalence of celebrity endorsements and social media marketing has also boosted the “it factor” of ingestible skincare supplements. 

Celebrities like Gwenyth Paltrow, Elle Macpherson, and Kate Hudson have all sold or promoted lines of beauty supplements, and new companies like Ritual have rebranded beauty supplements as the epitome of cool.

However, despite the huge popularity of ingestible beauty supplements, many skincare professionals and dermatologists are skeptical that these products actually improve the skin. Many consumers already get the necessary amount of vitamins they need from a healthy diet, rendering ingestible beauty supplements unnecessary at worst, harmful at best.

“Although supplements make up a multibillion-dollar industry in the U.S., the data to support the use of most of these products is sketchy at best,” said dermatologist Hadley King to Huffington Post. “Beauty supplements are basically rebranded multivitamins.”

Many dermatologists also point out that time-tested, scientifically researched ingredients applied topically will offer more bang for the buck when it comes to visible results. 

“What has not been shown is that if you have a healthy, well-balanced diet that these supplements will make any difference,” Dr. Anjali Mahto, a consultant dermatologist, told Women’s Health. “I think you can get those nutrients from a balanced diet and that there are better things to spend your money on from a beauty standpoint, such as a retinol, sunscreen and alpha-hydroxy acids.”

With the popularity of ingestible supplements on the rise, skincare vitamins, pills, powders, drinks, and gummies are likely to continue to dominate the beauty-wellness world in 2021. 

However, for savvy skincare consumers, topical formulations that rely on science, workhorse ingredients, and visible results will always be a better bet.