In 2014, Sephora took a chance on Hum Nutrition and ushered in a wave of beauty supplements. Already big in Asia, the presumption was that the inside-out approach would sweep Americans increasingly interested in wellness. That presumption fueled a plethora of ingestible brands in addition to Hum Nutrition like The Beauty Chef, WelleCo, Vital Proteins, 8Greens, Love Wellness, Glotrition, The Nue Co., Moon Juice, Goop and Bear picked up by retailers such as Ulta, Nordstrom and Net-a-Porter as well as Sephora. Market forecasts justified the proliferation of beauty supplements. Goldstein Research predicts they will generate almost $7 billion in global sales by the end of 2024, up from $3.5 billion in 2016, and accelerate at a compound annual growth rate of 8.6%. Still, questions hover over beauty ingestibles. Will people continually use them? Do they produce results? What format is preferred? Developed with consumer and retailer concerns in mind, a new crop of brands has risen to stimulate the next wave of ingestible beauty. Here are four promising indie entrants to the inside-out segment, including two in the CBD arena.
Beauty Gourmet
Beauty Gourmet makes it easy for busy women to sneak healthy stuff into their diets. The brand’s Glitter Tea collection contains sparkling teas packed with Ayurvedic, adaptogenic and antioxidant ingredients such as goji berry, ashwaghanda, resveratrol and saberry, an extract from the amla fruit that founder and CEO Kristine Ravenscroft mentions hasn’t been in a commercial beverage sold in the United States before. The ingredients were chosen for their beauty and full-body wellness benefits. Beauty Gourmet’s Peach Vanilla White Tea, Black Cherry Rooibos Tea and Grapefruit Ginger Green Tea varieties don’t have much to get in the way of their goodies. They have 20 calories, 1 gram of sugar and 1 milligram of caffeine each. The teas are priced individually at $3.45 and $39.99 for a case of 12.
“The demands being placed on modern women are nearly impossible to meet, and we feel that women’s wellness is something we need to be addressing. We do this by placing beauty nutrients into foods and beverages that fit seamlessly into their daily lives, allowing them to create an effortless foundation of wellness regardless of responsibility,” says Ravenscroft, adding Beauty Gourmet complements topical skincare routines. “Using topicals to keep skin moisturized, nourished and protected from the elements is important as well, but no combination of serums and creams is ever going to be strong enough to overcome a poorly nourished body.”
Beauty Gourmet isn’t the only beauty tea brand. SkinTe has carbonated beauty teas. However, Ravenscroft believes Beauty Gourmet is differentiated enough to stand out in the market. She says, “We are more of a women’s wellness company whose belief is, ‘Every sip is a beauty opportunity.’ We are not trying to create an additional drinking occasion where one might take a beauty drink. Our philosophy is to beautify every eating and drinking occasion that already exists so women are nourishing their bodies consistently throughout the day.” Beauty Gourmet’s vegan ingredient decks are differentiators, too. Its plant-based formulas are free of collagen, an ingredient frequently derived from bovine sources. A nutrition bar is next up for the brand. It also plans to tackle distribution in urban areas such as Los Angeles, New York City and Boston, where it’s headquartered. Beauty Gourmet’s diverse retail partner wish list includes Whole Foods, Target and 7-Eleven.
WellBeings
WellBeings was born out of founder Scott Wilson addressing physical challenges he faced as a result of a degenerative spinal disease and herniated discs. “After years of epidural back injections and excessive use of anti-inflammatory meds, with inevitable back surgery on the horizon, I decided to switch my diet to eliminate inflammatory foods, bought a Peloton, and started trying different CBD options,” he says. Wilson’s experimentation convinced him there was a gap in the market for targeted, potent CBD formulations. He created WellBeings’ Relief CBD Softgels with full-spectrum cannabidiol or CBD, a non-psychoactive constituent of the cannabis plant, and praises the capsules for ameliorating his back pain and transforming his life. Of course, physical pain isn’t the sole reason consumers are interested in CBD. Wilson says, “So many are looking for a more natural solution and formula to relax and unplug. We see a lot of positive responses from those claiming either lack of rest or difficulty in keeping up physically at the level they did.”
Following its CBD Softgels, which come in a Calm option as well as Relief, WellBeings introduced Calm CBD Tincture, Relief CBD Tincture, Calm Nano Mist Inhaler and Relief Nano Mist Inhaler. With vaping-related conditions leading to the deaths of at least 54 people, consumers are hunting for alternatives to vape pens. WellBeings’ inhalers offer a different approach. Wilson explains, “With our inhaler, we have taken a time-tested medical-metered dose inhaler technology and combined it with a non-burning, pressurized, micellized nano mist formulation that delivers CBD water-compatible particles 1,000 times smaller than the other CBD oil particles. This incredibly small particle size means the active ingredients are instantly absorbed.”
WellBeings’ prices range from $60 for the Calm CBD Tincture to $99 for the Calm and Relief Nano Mist Inhaler Kit. Individual inhaler refills are $80. Wilson explains the brand’s goal is to sell premium merchandise at reasonable prices. Compared to high-end CBD tinctures from competitors, Wilson says Chicago-based WellBeings’ products are “milligram to milligram considerably more affordable even with our superior micelle technology.” As it examines distribution strategies, the brand figures a mix of specialty, spa, wellness and hospitality doors would be advantageous for spreading its message and building sales. Currently, it’s sold online, and at select local wellness stores and dispensaries. Relief CBD Softgels and Calm Nano Mist Inhaler are early bestsellers. In 2020, WellBeings plans to extend beyond CBD to additional wellness-oriented ingredients.
Cocera Skincare
Sabrina Wallendorf has a hard time swallowing pills. So, when her husband Marc Wallendorf set out to launch an ingestible beauty product, pills were out of question if she was going to use it. Instead of developing pills, he spent 26 months perfecting Cocera Skincare’s liquid skincare packed with collagen, retinol, niacinamide, biotin, vitamin A and a complex called ceramosides, a patented mix of phytoceramides and other lipids, to improve the appearance of skin. Made in Germany and based in Aventura, Fla., Cocera Skincare’s beauty drink has an orange and mango flavor, and consumers are advised to imbibe a 30-milligram serving daily for at least eight weeks. The brand’s Rejuvenation 28-Day Kit is priced at $189 for a one-time purchase. The kit is available on subscription for $159 per month.
“Cocera Skincare is a totally new approach to beauty,” says Wallendorf. “More and more people want to experience beautiful skin instead of just covering it up most of the time. My mission is to fix this and provide the best, most convenient and natural skincare solution, which, in my opinion, needs to come from the inside out.”
Cocera Skincare, which premiered in October, is sold online and on Amazon, but hopes to ramp up distribution. Sephora and Dermstore are two of the brand’s dream retail partners. It’s also setting its sights on dermatologist offices, spas, and plastic surgery offices nationally and internationally. Cocera Skincare is currently focused on scaling distribution and marketing rather than swelling its product pipeline. However, Wallendorf says, “We are constantly working on new, innovative product developments, so we will be able to expand our product line in the future.”
Good Day
The new CBD-infused beverage brand Good Day promises a good day doesn’t have to start with Starbucks. It’s cold brew coffee, citrus sparkling water and chamomile tea beverages are formulated to boost energy, refresh the mind and relieve stress, respectively. They feature 15 milligrams of CBD, and none of the additives that co-founder and CFO Andy Gabriel says are common in other CBD drinks on the market. The brand opts for fair-trade ingredients in its cold brew coffee. Its citrus sparkling water contains mandarin, grapefruit and lime juice. The colorful canned beverages are priced at $35 on Good Day’s website for a seven-item pack, which Gabriel says emphasizes they are “best consumed as part of a healthy daily routine.”
Since Good Day launched in July, cold brew coffee is its bestseller. The brand’s core audience is millennials, but baby boomers are target customers as well. With the assistance of Imperial India, Good Day has gained shelf presence in the New York City area at destinations the likes of Inscape and The Goods Market. Both the beverage distributor and the brand are based in New York City. Good Day is interested in stretching its retail presence beyond the city with a grocer such as Whole Foods. To amplify its assortment, Good Day is currently working on three stockkeeping units designed to accommodate different palates that are set for release in late 2020.
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