The rise of beauty foods
18 Mar 2025
Relying on creams and serums to keep looking healthy and young is so 2024. This year it's all about eating your way to clear skin, healthy hair and nails and a radiant glow. Innova Market Insights named Beauty Food as one of the defining food trends of 2025.
On TikTok, influencers are popularizing dessert recipes inspired by traditional Chinese medicine, claiming they’ll clear up your complexion. Meanwhile, many new food products now feature claims related to skin health. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of launches with such a claim increased by 15%, with Europe accounting for 39% of those. With functional foods leading the charge, glowing skin may soon start in the grocery aisle rather than the beauty aisle.
Beauty from within
Almost 7 in 10 consumers select certain foods and ingredients based on their health benefits, according to our Taste Tomorrow global consumer survey. Skin health is now one of those benefits people are looking for as they adopt a more holistic approach to beauty, believing that beauty comes from within. Especially younger Gen Z and Millennial consumers are looking for long-term skin health improvements through diet. They opt for wholefoods and incorporate nutrient-rich snacks and beverages into their routines to complement topical skincare that is applied directly to the skin.
Fashion magazine Harpers Bazaar dissects that this inside-out trend is supported by the current beauty arena that is focused on having radiant skin and a fresh face, rather than showcasing pro-level make-up skills as it was five years ago. Natural beauty and an effortless glow are the ultimate beauty goal. Younger consumers, especially Gen Z, are increasingly drawn to anti-aging products once targeted at older demographics. Newspapers are even reporting a teen craze for anti-ageing products.
Key ingredients & perceived benefits of skin-improving snacks
The beauty foods benefits that are most sought after are in line with that focus on clear and fresh faces: hydration, glow and anti-inflammatory qualities. The most popular science-backed ingredients that provide benefits for skin, hair and nails are:
Collagen: a protein that enhances skin elasticity, hydration, potentially reducing wrinkles and promoting thicker hair.
Antioxidants: Vitamins A, C and E help protect the skin from oxidative stress and environmental damage.
Biotics: probiotics and prebiotics support a healthy gut microbiome, which is linked to clearer skin.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: help maintain skin hydration and reduce inflammation.
Adaptogens & botanicals: Ingredients like aloe vera, ashwagandha and elderberry promote resilience against stress, which is a key factor in skin health. Lion’s Mane is predicted to become very big over the next year for its claim to reduce stress and support the immune system.
Less common ingredients are zinc (anti-inflammatory), lycopene (anti-inflammatory, promotes cell renewal and inhibits DNA damage following UVB overexposure) and superfoods such as berries, avocados and turmeric (hydration, anti-inflammatory and overall skin health).
Connection to plant-based, clean label & gut health trends
Our AI-enhanced analysis of online consumer conversations around beauty foods shows a strong link with 3 other trends:
Plant-based: Consumers are shifting toward plant-based diets and seeking vegan collagen alternatives.
Clean label: Beauty food consumers are health-focused, so they prefer transparency and natural, non-GMO ingredients.
Gut health: Consumers are well aware of the importance of the microbiome for overall health, so no wonder the importance of probiotic and prebiotic ingredients for healthy skin is acknowledged too.
Interesting cases
Curious how brands are tapping into this edible beauty trend? Here are four exciting examples:
A bar a day keeps the wrinkles away
Snacking on a white chocolate macadamia, peanut butter jelly or lemon coconut bar while simultaneously improving your skin, hair, nails and gut health, that’s the promise of Krumbl’s Beauty Bites. The collagen snack bars are making daily beauty nutrition effortless. Each snack has 5 anti-aging and gut health ingredients, from collagen peptides and prebiotic fiber to bacillus coagulans (relief of stomach distress), plus vitamin E and C. One bite per day should improve skin elasticity and hydration, and two per day are said to significantly enhance skin firmness and reduce fine lines.
Citrus jelly that protects & repairs
South Korean brand Cell Fusion C debuts the first-ever edible sun care product that is approved by the MFDS for efficacy and safety. The ‘UV Care Jelly’ is an easy-to-consume individually packed gel stick with a citrus flavor that provides sun protection for the day, while also boasting skin-repairing extracts with collagen peptides to reduce inflammation, boost hydration and enhance elasticity.
Clean chocolate for clear skin
Sourse Glow Bites blend indulgence with skincare benefits in bite-sized chocolates infused with plant-based collagen for hydrated, plump skin. The treats made with clean, plant-based ingredients are marketed to smooth the complexion from the inside out. Other active ingredients include flavonoids for antioxidant protection and cognitive support, skin-repairing vitamins and minerals like calcium and magnesium and phytoceramides to help skin retain moisture and preserve collagen.
Glow bars for moms
Jolly Mama was created as the first nutrition brand specifically for mothers, with special nutritional products for before, during and after pregnancy. Their Banana Glow bar is made to replenish collagen, as collagen production decreases by 1.5% per year from age 25, leaving only 80% of reserves by 35. The Banana Glow bar supports thicker hair and firmer, more hydrated skin, but also reduces fatigue and stress, which makes it attractive to mothers with young children.
How will your brand tap into the beauty food movement?
As consumers continue prioritizing holistic wellness, the beauty food industry is set for further expansion. Expect innovations in edible skincare, plant-based collagen alternatives and AI-driven personalized nutrition. Brands that emphasize transparency, sustainability and scientifically backed formulations will thrive in this space.
But beware to steer clear of health-washing. Consumers are becoming savvier and more skeptical towards health claims on (indulgent) food items, so never overpromise the benefits of your products. Always consider the overall nutritional profile of a finished good. When your snack has collagen and vitamin E, but is also full of sugar, saturated fat and allergens, it shouldn't be promoted as beneficial for skin.
The potential for collagen
Curious about how collagen can transform bakery and patisserie products? Discover insights from collagen expert Sara De Pelsmaeker, Group Health & Well-Being director at Puratos.
