Consumers of skin care products are more interested in feeling healthy than looking younger or more attractive, new research has shown.
 
A new report from Lycored explores the growing popularity of supplements for skin care. The global carotenoid specialists surveyed 480 consumers in France and the U.K. Only 14% said that appearing younger was one of their reasons for using skin care products, and only 18% were motivated by a desire to look attractive.
 
By contrast, 79% said they used products to keep their skin healthy, and 62% said they used products to feel good about themselves.
 
The research also reveals high awareness of the importance of nutrition for skin care.  Consumers were asked which single factor they considered most important to the health of their skin. Healthy diet was the clear winner, chosen as the most important factor by 43% of respondents, followed by avoiding too much sun exposure (22%), living a stress-free life (18%) and exercise (15%).
 
Zev Ziegler, vice president of brand & marketing at Lycored, said: “The global skin care market is in the midst of a revolution. There has been a major shift from appearance to health, and from outside to inside. Consumers understand that beauty comes from within and that healthy skin is about what you put into your body. Because of these changing perceptions, the ingestible skin care category is increasingly important.”
 
Lycored also asked consumers which factors most influenced them when choosing a skin care product. Affordability ranked highest (64%) but consumers also expressed a strong preference for naturality. Fifty-six percent of consumers overall—and 63% of those in France—said they were likely to be influenced to buy a skin care product if it was made from natural ingredients.

The category report, ‘Beyond Skin Deep’, highlights a strong preference for ingredients supported by clinical research. Forty-four per cent of consumers said this was likely to influence them when choosing a skin care product.
 
Lycoderm, Lycored’s proprietary carotenoid blend for skin care supplements, is specially designed to foster overall skin wellness from the inside out. It combines natural lycopene, phytoene and phytofluene from tomatoes with carnosic acid from rosemary leaf. It has been proven safe and effective in several clinical trials.