{"id":953538,"date":"2026-07-23T07:33:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T07:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/953538\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T07:33:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T07:33:33","slug":"peptides-rise-and-collagen-falls-the-next-wave-of-beauty-from-within","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/953538\/","title":{"rendered":"Peptides rise and collagen falls: The next wave of beauty from within"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is according to experts from global consumer intelligence and market research firm NielsenIQ (NIQ), strategic advisory business Nutribloom Consulting and ingestible skincare brand Imara\u00efs Beauty, who took part in a recent NutraIngredients editorial webinar.<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking to Danielle Masterson and Cassandra Stern, editor and deputy editor of NutraIngredients-USA, the panelists emphasized that beauty is increasingly being positioned as an outcome of overall health and well-being, rather than a standalone benefit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you think about wellness, historically, it was really around solving a specific problem, but today\u2019s consumers are thinking more broadly, and we\u2019re increasingly seeing this conversation around integrated health,\u201d said Sherry Frey, vice president of total wellness at NIQ.<\/p>\n

\u201cWellness has really expanded the beauty opportunity, and this is one thing that we\u2019re seeing when consumers are thinking about looking and feeling their best. They\u2019re engaging with wellness rituals, supplements, oral health, sexual wellness products, aromatherapy and self-care rituals. These emotional drivers of beauty are also driving overall well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HostHost Danielle Masterson with Aaron Hefter from Imara\u00efs Beauty, Paula Simpson from Nutribloom Consulting,
\nCassandra Stern, Deputy Editor of NutraIngredients-USA, and Sherry Frey from NielsenIQ (top to bottom). (\u00a9 William Reed)Rising stars and fading favorites<\/p>\n

As beauty and wellness have begun to blend and converge, Frey said formats have done the same, with an increasing number of food and beverage products now carrying beauty messaging.<\/p>\n

Key growing beauty claims linked to functional beverages include \u2018nourishing\u2019 (which has grown by 42.8% compared to last year), \u2018detoxifying\u2019 (+28.6%), \u2018microbiome\u2019 (+8.9%) and \u2018hydration health\u2019 (+4.6%).<\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers are increasingly wanting health benefits that are delivered through familiar and enjoyable formats, and sometimes maybe it\u2019s less around taking a pill every day, but looking for a functional beverage or a protein product or a beauty gummy,\u201d Frey said.<\/p>\n

But while \u2018microbiome\u2019 is increasingly being used on functional beverage packaging, NIQ data shows that prebiotic and probiotic claims on beauty supplements are declining.<\/p>\n

Paula Simpson, innovation, product development and branding consultant at Nutribloom Consulting, said this may be due to a shift in microbiome language on product packaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a [\u2026] re-evaluation of how the microbiome space is formulating for beauty from within,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re seeing more postbiotics and metabolites being combined with probiotics or prebiotics, so kind of a whole foods approach. Or, you\u2019re getting more precision probiotics for specific chronic skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collagen is also declining in beauty supplements, despite growing outside of the category, down by around 5% compared to one year ago. Aaron Hefter, founder and president of start-up Imara\u00efs Beauty, suggested this may be due to an increasing number of consumers looking for quick fixes\u2014something that has become more prominent since GLP-1 drugs entered the mainstream.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers are looking for results and they want results as quickly as possible,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you look at peptides or GLP-1s, I think that space has really caused issue in the active nutrition space where consumers used to buy thermogenic or fat loss products or appetite suppressants. But now, they have no problem injecting themselves with a needle daily, because they know they\u2019re going to get a faster result.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peptides are an area of particular interest in the beauty-from-within market, demonstrating strong multi-year growth, according to NIQ data. Around 82% of peptides are found in the health and beauty market, with one third of these classified as supplements.<\/p>\n

The primary reasons for peptide use are metabolic, weight and energy regulation; cognitive, mood and aesthetic health; longevity, growth and performance; and tissue repair and bone\/joint health. Frey said each of these areas represents key consumer need states.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is a really great opportunity for the industry overall to recognize that there are some things that consumers are interested in and looking for, which really represents broader white space needs for consumers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Several thousand peptides are currently being studied for therapeutic use, Frey added, with 100 to 200 estimated to be approved for late-stage research.<\/p>\n

Consumer learning and shopping habits are changing<\/p>\n

While research on new and emerging ingredients continues, the panel highlighted that consumers are more discerning in today\u2019s market and often expect ingredients and formulations to be backed by clinical trials.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think consumers are smarter than ever,\u201d Hefter said. \u201cThey\u2019re demanding results, and they\u2019re demanding efficacy. They\u2019re not just looking at the ingredient panel; they want to know there\u2019s science behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is reflected in claims on supplement packaging. \u2018Clinically tested\u2019 is among the fastest growing claims on beauty supplements, up by 12% compared to last year.<\/p>\n

Some ingredient-specific claims are also on the rise, including hyaluronic acid (+6%), adaptogens (+13%), ashwagandha (+74%), resveratrol (+614%) and sea moss<\/a> (+573%). Adaptogens and ashwagandha fit into the rapidly growing \u2018neurocosmetics\u2019 trend, which is expected to hit retail soon, according to Hefter.<\/p>\n

Hair growth is another claim that has risen significantly since this time last year, up by 21%. Frey said this is likely driven by the GLP-1 boom, with around 15% of GLP-1 users experiencing this side effect.<\/p>\n

And as consumers become more discerning about which supplements to take, they are also changing the ways in which they learn and shop. NIQ data shows 28% of consumers have used generative AI to get product recommendations, and 25% have asked AI for recommendations on wellness products, with 18% using it for beauty product recommendations specifically. <\/p>\n

Frey said this represents an important step-change in how consumers are finding and receiving information\u2014they have progressed from the retail shelf to the digital shelf and now to the \u2018AI shelf\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really going to change the game,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you think about how consumers look for products [\u2026] and how brands and products will be found, I think there\u2019s many implications.\u201d<\/p>\n

Online purchases are also becoming increasingly common, particularly through warehouse channels such as Amazon. However, social media is also gaining traction rapidly.<\/p>\n

According to NIQ data, 55% of consumers now purchase directly via social media or livestream platforms. Of these purchases, around 68% are made on impulse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are great places for consumers to learn about products, hear personal stories and watch demonstrations all within one platform,\u201d Frey said. \u201cTikTok Shop and other social selling environments are great to really show visible results and personal testimonials.\u201d<\/p>\n

The future of beauty-from-within<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Hefter predicts the beauty-from-within market will explode as more functional foods and beverages enter the market. Meanwhile, Frey expects metabolic beauty \u2014a shift from surface-level, quick-fix cosmetics to a holistic, health-integrated approach\u2014to become mainstream as the conversation around GLP-1 medications continues to grow.<\/p>\n

Simpson anticipates a surge in educational initiatives that break down skin biology, helping consumers better understand how ingredients work systemically. She expects this to fuel a wave of innovative formulations while giving consumers a more sophisticated understanding of how certain ingredients function in the body. <\/p>\n

Finally, NutraIngredients\u2019 Cassandra Stern, former editor of Cosmetics Design, said the category is likely to become increasingly diversified in its demographic targeting, with men, teens and older consumers receiving more focus instead of the traditional emphasis on middle-aged women.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an aging population that is exploding right now, and while the longevity conversation is going to continue to dominate, I think beauty is also going to be a part of that,\u201d she said. \u201cPart of aging well is not only feeling your best, but looking your best, and I think that is going to resonate just as strongly with a Gen X or a boomer population as it is with a Gen A population.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is according to experts from global consumer intelligence and market research firm NielsenIQ (NIQ), strategic advisory business…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":953539,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[37],"tags":[383696,383697,383698,210,383699,227675,383700,383701,383702,1182,383703,383704,383705,72319,364037,67,132,68,364049],"class_list":["post-953538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-chloasma","tag-cosmetic-solution","tag-demarcated","tag-health","tag-hormonal-influences","tag-hormone-levels","tag-hyper-pigmentation","tag-hyperpigmented","tag-laser-therapies","tag-nutrition","tag-pigment-spots","tag-pigmentation","tag-skin-injuries","tag-skincare-routine","tag-sun-protection","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-uvb"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116968137258606692","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=953538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/953539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=953538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=953538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=953538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}