In this episode, we dig into the nutricosmetics world from the outside in. Patricija Bajc hosted Jennifer Carlsson, a Beauty Brand Expert at Mintoiro who has recently dug deep into the nutricosmetics world and conducted extensive research on the brands offering beauty supplements.
Jennifer studied over 460 brands that are present in the nutricosmetics market! She examined the packaging, fonts, formats, ingredients claimed on their labels, industries they sell in, and much more. She identified the patterns and trends and was kind enough to share her findings with Nutricosmetics 2030 fans on the podcast, as well as contributed to the Global Nutricosmetics Map.
Considering that only 4% of cosmetics are vegan and there is not even available data for nutricosmetics, one could be asking themselves if veganism is just a current hype. Jennifer believes this trend will only increase due to a high interest in vegan products among younger consumers. Similar to the cosmetics industry, the interest in vegan products in the nutricosmetics industry comes not only from vegans but also from consumers who do not follow a vegan diet and lifestyle.
Are vegan brands and products predominant, or only the ones with the best marketing?
As there can be some positive aspects to not having animal-derived products that could impact sustainability, vegan labels can also be a good selling point. Meaning that it does not inherently mean that a product is sustainable because it is vegan, and it does not inherently mean that products that are not vegan are inherently unsustainable. There are many factors that have to be taken into account when talking about sustainability. We have to see the bigger picture, not the formulation or ingredients. Which product is more sustainable if we compare a vegan product in a plastic packaging jar to a non-vegan product in paper packaging? The answer to this question is more complicated than it might seem at first glance. However, it is believed that there are many consumers that look for vegan products because those could be more sustainable. Collagen, for example, is an upcycled ingredient, meaning that it is a byproduct of the meat industry. In other words, it would be discarded if not used for collagen peptides or by some other industry. Therefore regardless of its animal origin, there is still an ethical component to it.
And collagen supplements are, in fact, one of the most common types of nutricosmetics, confirmed Jennifer, who examined nearly a thousand nutricosmetics products. Within those, she found that 43% of collagen products and only 16% are vegan. But be careful when reading the labels because vegan collagen products available on the market now do not actually do not contain collagen. These are plant-based substitutes for collagen, called vegan collagen boosters but are still marketed as collagen products. These supplements are typically made from a blend of non-animal amino acids and other ingredients that are believed to promote collagen production in the body, such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Some of the most common ingredients in vegan collagen boosters include vitamins C, A, and E, and minerals such as zinc and copper. It is essential to understand that collagen and vegan collagen boosters do not have the same function, which was extremely well explained by Uroš Gotar, Chief Innovation Officer at TOSLA Nutricosmetics, in a video What to expect from hydrolysed collagen vs. vegan collagen booster.
Do your own research!
Fast-paced lifestyle and consequently poor diet influence our bodies. Whether we decide to supplement for the beauty reasons, such as in addition to skincare, bringing beauty from within, healthcare, or general wellness, we should not be misled by fake claims. Consumers should read the labels carefully and do their own research. However, anyone looking for a shortcut can take a look at Jennifer’s Nutricosmetics Report.