How Will the Beauty From Within Trend Affect Cosmetic Chemists

According to a recent report by the market research firm RNCOS, the nutricosmetics market is due to experience significant growth and will reach $4.24 billion by 2017. If true, this will undoubtedly have a significant impact on cosmetic formulation efforts in the future.

Beauty from within

As a cosmetic chemist, the first thing you should know is what this trend is all about. Basically, it is the idea that what you eat can have a controllable impact on the condition of your skin. So companies have begun selling products that are supposed to improve the condition of your skin and hair from within. This includes products like Imedeen, Murad’s Youth Builder, Kate Somerville anti-aging supplements, Borba Vitamin water, etc. This article is a pretty good recap of the beauty-from-within trend. Basically, it’s beauty achieved by taking some pill.

Effect on Cosmetic Chemists

Now, supplements are not something that cosmetic chemists are charged to formulate. They fall more into the realm of pharmacists or food scientists. But since the claims are overlapping your marketing people will no doubt come to you and ask you to explain how these products are working. They’ll also want you to add the active ingredients from these supplements into your products. Thankfully, these supplements usually just contain vitamins and plant extracts that have already been included in various cosmetics. It shouldn’t be a problem.

But as a cosmetic chemist, you should keep an eye on this market and be prepared to adopt some of the ingredients they are using to your own formulations. It could also be an excellent source for “new ideas” to give to your marketing folks.

Do they work?

Perhaps the most troubling thing to me about this trend is that there is very little (read almost nothing) that these supplements or “beauty within” products have any effect. People are so desperate to buy a pill that will improve their looks that they willingly shell out money for unproven remedies. Astonishingly enough, scientists are also checking their skepticism at the door and falling for some of these unproven claims.

I’m not suggesting that I know these things don’t work but as with all things, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

We certainly haven’t been given extraordinary proof for the claims of these “beauty within” products.

What do you think about the beauty from within trend? How will it affect your formulating efforts? And are you aware of any evidence that they work? Leave your comment below.

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How to Become a Cosmetic Chemist

The job of a cosmetic chemist, or as they call it in the UK a cosmetic scientist, requires you to do a wide variety of things both in and out of the lab. Your main responsibility will be that of a formulator. This means you mix raw materials together to create cosmetic products like lipstick, nail polish, skin lotions, shampoos, toothpaste and any other type of personal care product.

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