Beauty foods, also commonly referred to as ‘nutricosmetics’, look to incorporate appearance benefits such as anti-ageing properties into edible foods and beverages. However, while Australians are displaying a casual interest, they have not yet fully embraced the idea.
The entire concept promotes the notion of ‘beauty from within’ (or ‘you are what you eat’). Many understand that drinking water can have a hydrating effect on the skin, but formulations can have positive effects on other areas of the body such as people’s hair or nails, too.
Part of the reason behind the relative lack of interest in Australia is the population’s lack of concern about appearance. When asked by Datamonitor in 2008, just over a quarter (28%) of Australians agreed with the statement, ‘I feel under pressure to look good’, whereas two in five (40%) disagreed.
“Perhaps predictably, females felt appearance pressure more than males, 32% and 23% agreeing with the statement respectively,” said Mark Whalley.
However, there are still several encouraging signs for the industry. Beauty from within is clearly something that Australians believe in. “When asked as part of the same survey, three quarters (75%) stated that they were conscious of the link between diet and appearance, whereas only 8% disagreed”, said Whalley.
Furthermore, a separate Datamonitor survey conducted in April and May of 2009, shows that interest in these products clearly exists, but that consumers are holding back for various reasons. Only 21% of Australians said they were not interested in the idea of foods and beverages which improved personal appearance.
What was more indicative of the current situation was the fact that more than half (51%) said they were interested but not actively buying these products. This shows that industry players need to do more to convince these consumer groups that beauty foods are worth paying good money for.
“It’s likely that the economic crisis has held back the industry significantly,” added Whalley. “The perceived high price of these products means that consumers are overlooking them in order to save money. However, what’s 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 Australians are sceptical about this. Manufacturers must do all they can to convince people to really get behind beauty foods, because the interest is there.”
It remains to be seen whether nutricosmetics live up to their billing. The idea of ‘beauty in a pill’ is clearly one that appeals. Ultimately, for many, it appears to be a little bit too good to be true.
Source: Datamonitor
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