Beauty Foods Head West

Posted: June 3, 2008

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Fragrant Rose from Japanese brand Morinaga contains no collagen. Instead, 40 mg of rose extract per serving is said to provide whitening and antioxidant benefits. The lightly carbonated beverage is sold in a pack of six 100 mL metal bottles.

In Western markets, beauty foods focus on natural ingredients that are familiar in both a beauty and health context, such as antioxidant-rich pomegranate and blueberry. Borba Skin Balance Waters were a pioneer in the US beauty market when they launched three years ago, as was their follow-up, Borba Clarifying Chocolate Bar, one year later. In both products, the antioxidant properties of pomegranate are combined with a bio-vitamin complex that is said to eliminate toxins.

A more recent example is Pûr-Lisse Blue Lotus White Tea. With this product, the skin care brand branches out from topical applications to an ingested tea that uses a combination of organic blueberries and pomegranate to promote health and beauty.

Teas offering detoxifying benefits are commonplace on health store shelves and the same principle can be leveraged to promote a beauty benefit. Cornelia Drinking Tea Skin Clarifying Tea from the United States features a combination of pansy herb to purify, birch to detoxify, and peppermint and chamomile to calm. The product purports to promote fresh, healthy skin by calming inflammation and eliminating toxins.

The definition of nutricosmetics extends to natural ingredients like açai and moringa seed that reportedly can fulfill a beauty function within a topical application. Rodial Glamotox Night Treatment includes pomegranate ellagic tannin to firm and boost collagen production. This premium product is positioned as “a glamorous alternative to surgery.”