Beauty from the Inside Out

The concept that beauty comes from within is embraced by all women, especially those who purchase personal care products that complement their holistic lifestyle. What’s good for the inside reflects how the outside appears to the world, and women who buy natural and organic beauty products take this idea to heart. According to the Pink Report™, “The Age of Naturals,” published in January 2008, 72 percent of women who buy natural and organic beauty products believe in the concept of beauty from the inside out, compared to 49 percent of women who buy mainstream beauty products.

The report documented the lifestyle choices of women who purchase natural/organic beauty products and those who buy mainstream beauty products. Women who regularly use natural/organic beauty products were nearly 30 percent more likely to: 

• drink more than eight glasses of water a day;
• live a lower stress lifestyle; and 
• wear SPF outside every day.

They were also 20 percent more likely than mainstream beauty buyers to believe a strong will and humor can decrease the effects of disease. They tend to be in better shape, with 78 percent of natural/organic beauty buyers exercising three to six times per week by taking walks for 30 to 60 minutes or by engaging in vigorous cardio or weight training, compared to the 56 percent of traditional beauty buyers who follow similar exercise regime.

SUPPLEMENTS FOR BEAUTY

Most women, regardless of their beauty brand buying habits, take dietary supplements daily. Seventyfour percent of natural/organic beauty buyers and 63 percent of traditional beauty buyers indicated they follow a daily supplement regimen. The top supplements taken on a daily basis include: Echinacea (38 percent); green tea supplements or drinks (36 percent); garlic (29 percent); Ginkgo biloba (29 percent); Aloe vera (27 percent); and St. John’s wort (23 percent).

Buyers of natural/organic products also purchase nutraceutical food. These include green and black teas (67 percent); omega-3-enriched products (32 percent); Activia-type yogurts (30 percent); vitamin waters (28 percent); and cereal with nutraceutical properties (27 percent).

When asked whether they knew the definition of a nutricosmetic product, only 9 percent said they understood the term. When defined—some beauty brands have begun to co-brand ingestible “nutricosmetic” products for you to eat or drink in coordination with your usual makeup or skin care routine for a better overall results—3 percent said they did, in fact, use nuticosmetic products, such as Borba, Arbonne, Avon and Olay vitamin products.

While the small percentage of use was not surprising, their willingness to try a nutricosmetic product was highly encouraging. Women did not fear ingestibles; instead, it was most likely she had not been offered a nutricosmetic in a delivery system she preferred. Nearly 75 percent of the women surveyed said they would be willing to try nutricosmetic products, with an “on-the-go” delivery system as the preferred choice. Because women are used to taking supplements, 72 percent indicated they’d try a nutricosmetic in a pill or capsule form.

Sixty-five percent also said they would feel comfortable taking a nutricosmetic product in the form of a chocolate bar or other traditional consumable product. Fifty-three percent of women said they would try a nutricosmetic that was either lickable or dissolved on the tongue. Finally, 48 percent of women indicated they’d prefer a nutricosmetic in the form of a powder drink.

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

There were other factors that were a vital part of the decision process for women who were considering an ingestible nutricosmetic product as part of their beauty regimen. For example, women who buy natural/organic beauty products said they wanted to know whether the nutricosmetic had been independently tested and analyzed for potency, effectiveness and purity (67 percent); traditional beauty buyers were most interested in their dermatologist’s recommendation (58 percent). Interestingly, word-ofmouth or a friend’s recommendation was the least important factor for both groups. Of women who buy natural/organic beauty products, “only natural ingredients are used” was an important factor for 61 percent of them, compared to 44 percent of traditional beauty buyers.

When asked about cosmeceuticals—topical products containing active ingredients that claim to provide a clinical benefit in addition to their traditional cosmetic function— 10 percent of all women said they understood what they were, and another 26 percent said they currently use a cosmeceutical product.

Cosmeceuticals were confusing for many women. When the 10 percent of women who claimed to use cosmeceuticals were asked to list them, the list contained only a few actual cosmeceutical products. Answers ranged from Aveeno products with “active naturals,” Avon, Almay, Clean & Clear and Proactiv, to true cosmeceutical products by brands such as Borba.

Women are ready for cosmeceutical products. More than 80 percent of women surveyed want to try a cosmeceutical product and use it like their other cosmetic products. Cosmeceutical delivery systems they’re open to include:

• a product applied like a normal cosmetic product (83 percent);
• a rub-on cosmeceutical product (79 percent);
• a wash-on product (69 percent);
• a mist-on product (68 percent); and 
• a spray-on product (63 percent).

Of the women who claimed to use cosmeceutical products, 81 percent were using the product to benefit their skin; others were using cosmeceuticals to enhance their lips (17 percent) and for hair care (15 percent). Of those who use cosmeceuticals for their skin, 67 percent expect younger-looking skin and a more even skin tone; and 63 percent expect radiant skin and a slowing of the outward skin aging process. Seventy-six percent of women who use cosmeceuticals for their lips expect moist lips; another 60 percent expect a decrease in lines around the lips. For those who use cosmeceuticals for hair care, 74 want more moisturized hair; and 31 percent expect hair growth.

Women also don’t want to wait too long for results. There was little variation between the expected length of time they expected a cosmeceutical or a nutricosmetic to show visible results—two weeks to one month was the time frame cited by more than 80 percent of respondents.

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