'Food-based' cosmetics gaining momentum as a trend
The global cosmetics industry is seeing more and more 'food-based' products like coconut shampoo, grapefruit body scrub, mushroom anti-aging cream, pomegranate-pigmented lipstick and cucumber eye-makeup remover as companies attempt to cater to the growing perception among consumers that 'if it is good enough to eat, then it must be good for my skin'.
‘Tasty treatments’
Companies that have embraced this trend include the likes of Israeli company Yes To, US based Intelligent Nutrients, that market products as ‘safe enough to eat’ and most recently '100(PERCENT) Pure', a beauty brand in California that offers a Cocoa Kona Coffee Body Scrub made of organic Kona coffee beans and chocolate extract.
According to market anaylsts, many of the brands that target the natural and organics cosmetics, are also likely to pick up on product launches for cosmetics containing food ingredients. This is likely to lead to ingredients such as organic chocolate, hemp and products containing exotic plant extracts becoming more and more popular.
However, it is not just chocolate that is being embraced, rice-based cosmetics are also said to be on their way, with the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) in Malaysia having recently agreed a proposal to embark on a joint venture with a local company in Kedah.
Potential for food/beauty collaborations
Elsewhere, the segment is also becoming ripe for food and cosmetic companies to join forces to create cosmetic lines containing food ingredients, in a bid to draw on the expertise of each industry to create the most innovative product. Perhaps the most significant collaboration in recent years is between Nestle and L'Oreal, which jointly created the 'beauty from the inside' product range, Inneov.
One ingredient that Western manufacturers have rediscovered is cocoa, 3,000 years after it was first discovered. It is now used in many skin treatments in a variety of salons and finished products while its antioxidants are said to help delay the signs of aging, activate fat-burn and have a psychologically stimulating effect.