Cosmetics still beat nutrition for skin benefits, survey

11-Aug-2010 - Last updated on 12-Aug-2010 at 10:07 GMT

Consumers looking for skin benefits are still far more likely to opt for a cosmetic product than an anti-aging food or supplement, reveals new research.

Conducted by Ipsos Marketing, the global consumer survey gauged people’s interest in using food and beverage products, dietary supplements and personal care products that provide specific health benefits.

Although food, beverages and supplements were most likely to be used for the majority of health benefits, the survey found that dietary supplements still remain a relatively distant second to beauty or personal care products for achieving ‘youthful looking skin’. Foods and beverages offering the benefit come in close behind.

Opportunities in nutrition

However, according to Ipsos its findings do not necessarily mean that consumers are not interested in using multiple sources to address different aspects of their health.

For example, although consumers were more likely to opt for supplements rather than foods to address certain health categories (such as brain, heart and bone health), the market researcher suggested that food manufacturers use this as an indication of where potential for future growth may lie. To read more about that, click here.

In fact, when it comes to beauty foods, an increased consumer interest in the concept has already contributed to the category becoming more clearly defined as an independent marketing platform for certain ingredients and products.

This has come to be valued at around $1.5bn in 2007, and expected to grow to $2.5bn by 2012, according to market research company Kline Group. Europe and Japan currently lead the market, accounting for 55 and 41 percent of sales respectively. In contrast, the US holds only 3 percent of the market.

Global shopping preferences

The latest survey from Ipsos involved 21,623 adults from 23 different countries.

It found that 39 per cent of consumers would opt for personal care products to achieve youthful-looking skin, as compared to 23 per cent who would choose supplements and 19 per cent who would go for foods and beverages.

Relaxation and stress relief was another category in which personal care products featured quite strongly, with 17 per cent of survey respondents opting for them, compared to 35 per cent for supplements and 29 per cent for foods and drinks.

Conducted between November 2009 and January 2010, the survey involved consumers in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Great Britain, the United States and Turkey.