While displaying a casual interest in beauty foods, UK consumers have yet to fully embrace the concept due to a lack of concern over their appearance, cost and skepticism, according to Datamonitor.

Beauty foods, also commonly referred to as cosmeceuticals, or nutricosmetics in the UK, promote the notion of ‘beauty from within’ by incorporating appearance benefits into foods and beverages. But despite being heralded as the future of personal care, the concept has not become the phenomenon that manufacturers had hoped, Datamonitor says.

Part of the reason behind the relative lack of interest in beauty foods in the UK is the population’s lack of concern over their appearance. When asked by Datamonitor in 2008, only a quarter of Brits agreed with the statement “I feel under pressure to look good,” whereas 41% disagreed. Perhaps predictably, females felt under more pressure than males, as 35% and 15%, respectively, agreed with the statement.

However, there are several encouraging signs for the industry. ‘Beauty from within’ is clearly something that UK consumers believe in. In the same survey, 68% stated that they were conscious of the link between diet and appearance, whereas only 8% disagreed.

A separate Datamonitor survey, conducted in April and May 2009, shows that interest in these products exists, but that consumers are holding back for various reasons. Only 27% of Brits said they were not interested in the idea of foods and beverages that improved personal appearance. What was more indicative of the current situation was the fact that nearly half (49%) said they were interested in, but not actively buying these products. This shows that industry players need to do more to convince consumer groups that beauty foods are worth the purchase.

It is likely that the economic crisis has held the industry back significantly, Datamonitor says. The perceived high price of these products means that consumers are overlooking them in order to save money. However, what is really inhibiting the industry is trust. People want to believe that they can look better just by eating or drinking a product, but the truth is that many Brits are skeptical.

Therefore, manufacturers must do all they can to convince people to really get behind beauty foods, because the interest is there. There are effective ways in which this can be done, such as gaining an endorsement from respected professional associations. This gives consumers confidence that what they read on the packet will be a good indicator of what happens after consumption.

It remains to be seen whether nutricosmetics will live up to their billing. Although the idea of ‘beauty in a pill’ is clearly one that appeals, for many it appears to be a little too good to be true.