Study: finds «beauty foods» growing in popularity

Chicago / IL. (mi) Are people starting to eat and drink their way to a better-looking self? Mintel Menu Insights thinks so as the crossover between food and beauty is increasingly apparent. Global food and drink product launches with a «beauty enhancing» claim increased by a staggering 306 percent from 2005 to 2008.

«One in five US women between the ages of 18 and 25 are interested in trying beauty functional beverages», notes Taya Tomasello, senior beauty analyst at Mintel. «These numbers really point to an opportunity within this new segment in the beauty industry».

While beauty food and drink products have seen significant growth, overall global food and drink product launches have only seen a 35 percent increase during the same timeframe. This data speaks to the impact «beauty foods» are having on the market. In addition, already in 2009, nearly 300 food and drink product launches with a «beauty enhancing» claim have been launched, surpassing the total number launched in all of 2008.

Kracie Foods, based out of Japan, recently launched fruit snacks consisting of dried mangoes, pineapples, papaya and cranberries coated with collagen. It targets women in their 20s to 40s who are conscious of their skin health. Another new beauty product launched in Australia is Tea Tonic´s Complexon Tea that claims to help «revitalize each cell of the body within, and is a positive step towards achieving beautiful luminous skin and a fabulous complexion».