“True beauty comes from within,” says the host of ABC’s new reality television show “True Beauty.” Many beverage formulators would agree with that philosophy, and add to it the science of beauty-enhancing ingredients. With consumers’ interest in improving their appearance, beverages offer an ideal medium to deliver beauty from within.

 

“Beverages are good formats for beauty-from-within applications because there is already a trend for enhanced waters, such as vitamin waters, as well as energy drinks,” says Jocelyn Mathern, technical health manager for Frutarom USA, North Bergen, N.J. “Consumers are already familiar with this format. Beverages are also portable and may be more convenient than trying to remember to take another capsule or tablet.

 

“Beverages are also a way to target mainstream consumers because you can feature them in food aisles next to other beverages, such as low-calorie drinks that already attract the target market — women.”

Functional beverages offering well-being and lifestyle solutions are just as hot as functional beverages focusing on improved health, says Kim Schöplfin, European marketing manager at Cognis Nutrition & Health. “Beauty from within is catching on fast, as is body composition, with beverages aiming to help metabolism and burn fat and calories,” she says.

 

The multifunctional and convenient nature of beverages fit the busy lifestyles of today’s wellness seekers, says Lucien Hernandez, president and chief executive officer of Natreon Inc. “Beverage brands positioned for internal health and outward appearance will certainly gain market share because people understand that what they eat and drink affects how they look,” he says.

 

The demand for cosmeceutical products is expected to increase 7.4 percent per year to $8.2 billion in 2012, driven by an aging population seeking to maintain the appearance of youth in an image-conscious society, says The Freedonia Group, Cleveland, Ohio, in its Cosmeceuticals report October 2008. “This, coupled with an increasingly competitive workforce, a steady stream of new and technologically advanced products and the continuation of astute marketing, will bode well for cosmeceuticals,” the report says. In addition, due to America’s obsession with a youthful appearance, the cosmeceuticals target market continues to expand beyond the traditional 45 years and older demographic to include much younger individuals, Freedonia says.

 

Anti-aging is a major trend driving this market, Mathern adds. In addition, consumers perceive health, beauty and well-being together as a whole. “There is an increasing crossover between the idea of inner and outer well-being and inner and outer beauty,” she says.

 

 

To address consumers’ desire to enhance their beauty from within, ingredient suppliers are offering an array of beauty-enhancing ingredients.

 

Aiming to help improve the appearance of skin, Collactive from Frutarom, the exclusive distributor of the ingredient in the United States, is a marine ingredient composed of collagen and elastin polypeptides present in the same ratio that is naturally found in skin. When taken orally, collagen and elastin stimulate the skin to lift and tone sagging areas and minimize lines and wrinkles, the company says. Oral ingestion of Collactive at 2 grams per day has shown it can increase the moisture level of dry skin and fight aging related to free radical damage, Frutarom says. Collactive is soluble in water, so it is suitable for ready-to-drink beverages, and also would work well in ready-to-mix applications, Mathern says.

 

Cognis also offers ingredients and premixes targeted at skin nourishment, other aging-related concerns and overall well-being. Cognis’s Stop the Clock is a premix powder sachet that can be mixed with water. The sachet contains Betatene mixed carotenoids and Covitol naturally source vitamin E to deliver antioxidant protection from the sun’s rays and to help slow the signs of aging, the company says. Another premix Cognis offers for dry skin is its Xangold natural lutein esters combined with vitamin C. The combination aims to improve skin hydration and elasticity. Xangold natural lutein esters is an ingredient that also could be used to address the visual health concerns of men and women older than 40.

 

Additionally, Cognis developed a blend of Omevital omega-3 fatty acids for mood improvement and calming lemon balm for relaxation. The ingredients can be included in a beverage to promote both physical and mental well-being, the company says.

 

DSM Nutritional Products, Parsippany, N.J., also released a portfolio of “Beauty from Within” ingredient solutions for maintaining and restoring skin health. The company offers nutritional ingredients that work individually or in combination to protect, repair or hydrate the skin from within.

 

DSM’s platforms for its ”Beauty from Within” ingredient solutions include UV protection, oxidative stress protection, skin barrier maintenance and hydration, skin structure, metabolism and repair, and hair and nail health. The portfolio includes ingredients such as beta-carotene, Redivivo lycopene, Optisharp zeaxanthin, FloraGlo lutein, vitamins A, C, D and E as well as B vitamins, Teavigo EGCG, Resvida resveratrol, Bonistein genistein, Ropufa omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and All-Q coenzyme Q10. These ingredients combine to create solutions for each of DSM’s platforms. For example, skin barrier maintenance and hydration can be addressed by using DSM’s Ropufa omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, vitamins E and C, biotin and carotenoids.

 

Antioxidants also can be used to work against free radicals to improve skin health. Natreon’s Capros is derived from a purified and standardized extract of the antioxidant superfruit Phyllanthus emblica or Indian gooseberry. The antioxidant ingredient provides oxygen radical captoadaptive properties that are at least three times higher than vitamin C, Natreon’s Hernandez says.

 

“Capros provides significant protection against UV-induced skin redness; and it is well known that free radicals are caused by exposure to the sun and environmental pollution,” he says. “When skin is exposed to the sun, enzymes are produced that degrade the proteins in skin. Capros is an antioxidant that helps prevent degradation of skin proteins by inhibiting the enzymes that break down dermal protein, which, among other benefits, enhances firmness of the skin. Moreover, this natural fruit extract has a cascading antioxidant effect, which means that its antioxidant activity is prolonged over a long period of time.”

 

Capros is suited for ready-to-drink and powdered beverage formulations. It is water-soluble and survives pasteurization and brief retort. The free-flowing powder can be easily flavored.

 

“Its antioxidant power is significant at low doses, hence lower cost per therapeutic benefit, low impact on the flavor profile, and easy inclusion in vitamin pre- mixes, shooters, stick packs and other beverage delivery systems,” Hernandez says.

 

Combining botanical extracts to achieve beauty from within, NutraGenesis LLC, Brattleboro, Vt., developed Sensara, a blend of Ayurvedic standardized botanical extracts, Withania somnifera, derived from Ashwagandha roots and leaves, and superfruit Phyllanthus emblica. Sensara obtains Phyllanthus emblica from Natreon’s Capros and Withania somnifera from Natreon’s Sensoril. Each botanical extract is an adaptogen, or plant species that increases the body’s resistance to negative physical, chemical and biological factors and stimulates an overall feeling of balance. When combined, the botanical extracts have demonstrated a synergistic ability to provide restorative skin care from within by addressing both internal and external aging factors while supporting metabolic and cellular health, the company says.

 

Sensara is suited to be used in many beverage applications from still beverages, fortified waters, juices, smoothies and carbonated beverages. The product is water soluble, heat stable, vegetarian, kosher and can be measured in finished product applications, which is critical for beverage marketers, says Suzanne McNeary, NutraGenesis’ president. “Sensara possesses very attractive product claims for anti-aging, antioxidant and emotional uplift,” she says.

 

In addition to Sensara, NutraGensis has a new patent-pending, water-soluble product called WellBerry, which contains a proprietary vitamin C that “has superior absorption and retention in the body compared to ascorbic acid and calcium ascorbate,” McNeary says.

 

“The product possesses anti-aging claims, including collagen synthesis, along with antioxidant and immune support claims,” she says. “Currently we have several companies working with WellBerry and we have two lines of beverages that will be launching in the first quarter of 2009 with WellBerry.”

 

Another antioxidant ingredient that suggests skin health benefits is Benicia, Calif.-based InterHealth Nutraceuticals’ OptiBerry. OptiBerry is a natural blend of wild blueberry fruit extract, strawberry fruit powder, cranberry fruit powder, wild bilberry fruit extract, elderberry fruit extract and raspberry seed powder in a fine-mesh powder for liquid applications. The blend will not add calories or sugar to the end product, and is stable during heat-processing conditions.

 

“The active phytochemicals in OptiBerry are rich pigments called anthocyanins ranging from blue to red — giving OptiBerry its purple color as well as its health-promoting benefits,” says Massood Moshrefi, InterHealth Nutraceuticals’ vice president of operations and technical services. “Anthocyanins are probably the most important group of plant pigments, and are well-known antioxidants that help support good health in many ways, including protecting collagen tissue and blood vessels and exerting anti-inflammatory effects.”

 

Tomato extract is another antioxidant ingredient shown to promote skin health. Israeli company LycoRed Ltd.’s Lyc-O-Mato tomato extract demonstrated in a controlled study that it helped to protect the skin against damage from UV radiation by reducing sunburn cell formation and protecting the skin immune system by slowing down the depletion of Langerhans cells, the company says. Lyc-O-Mato is a natural tomato extract containing antioxidants lycopene, phytoene, phytofluence, beta-carotene and tocopherols.

 

LycoRed also offers Lyc-O-Guard, a beverage fortification premix targeted to protect skin from antioxidant damage from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays and other environmental stresses. The mix contains lycopene and vitamins C and E to provide maximum benefits when taken daily, the company says.

 

Aloe, more commonly recognized for its external healing attributes for sunburn relief, also has shown in a study to reduce wrinkles and increase skin elasticity when taken orally. Korean regulators approved a three-month human clinical study with AloeXGold, an unflavored aloe vera drink made with Qmatrix ActivAloe OS from Aloecorp, Lacey, Wash. They concluded that consuming 1.2 grams of Qmatrix ActivAloe OS daily showed significant reduction of wrinkles and increased skin elasticity.

 

The aloe contained in Aloecorp’s ActivAloe brand has a minimum of 10 percent polysaccharides by weight, says Jeff Barrie, Eastern regional sales manager. Many researchers agree that the key to aloe vera’s benefits is the retention of its polysaccharides, he says.