Speaking at the Nutraceuticals Europe event in Barcelona last week, Claire Le Grand, sales and marketing manager at Abyss, underlined the continued growth of the beauty-from-within market and the rising consumer demand for holistic skincare solutions.
"We saw that most beauty products are targeted at ‘anti-aging’, a phrase I do not like," she said. "But there are very few products dedicated to more specific skin conditions, such as atopic eczema, compared to these anti-aging products targeting wrinkles."
She stressed the market opportunity for more targeted skincare products, with around 50% of Europeans reportedly suffering from sensitive skin and/or reactive skin, with symptoms including dry, red, intensely itchy skin and lesions.
These conditions can be caused by a range of external factors, including environmental issues such as pollution. In addition, endogenous factors such as genetics, impaired skin barrier function, immunity, and stress can play a key role in the progression of sensitive skin.
"There are mainly only symptomatic treatment options available, including anti-inflammatories to reduce inflammation and itching," Le Grand said. "This is where we thought—what about nutraceuticals that can truly the improve quality of life for sufferers? This is how we launched our new concept, Dermatidyss, which is at the crossroads of nutricosmetics, dermo-cosmetics and nutraceuticals."
The new ingredient consists of collagen peptides to support skin lesion healing, glycosaminoglycans to improve skin moisture, and peptides to prevent the deleterious effects of stress.
"We used this combination of ingredients to improve both skin and mind wellbeing for people suffering from atopic-prone, sensitive and reactive skin," Le Grand explained. "Customers are not just seeking external beauty in the skin health category, but they want to feel better inside too, and this is true for all categories. They are also demanding transparency, and they want more natural and locally sourced products."
Evidence backed
Le Grand told NutraIngredients that the commercial launch of the Dermatidyss ingredien in September 2023 followed an unpublished, in-house user study highlighting the benefits of the product for skin health.
Conducted under the supervision of a dermatologist, the study included 50 women between the ages of 20 and 50 years with atopic-prone skin. Following an initial online questionnaire prior to supplementation, it was noted that all the women were seeking solutions for dry, itchy and tight skin issues.
In less than one month of supplementing with the ingredient, 80% of the studied women observed a significant improvement in almost all their skin symptoms, Le Grand said.
Specifically, 70% of women noticed a reduction in dry skin by the first month, which continued to improve up until two months. Skin was also found to be smoother, less sensitive, itchy and tight.
"So, we found that we improved symptoms of atopic-skin issues within three months of supplementation, but we also asked them how they were feeling, and there was a 24% reduction in symptoms of anxiety and stress," she explained. "We also improved their sleep, with women reporting that they felt less tired.
“So our ingredient could be a very important solution for the skin, as well as the mind. It is positively affecting quality of life and we found that 73% of women stopped using dermotopics during the study as a result."
Le Grand added that the success of the findings pushed the commercial of Dermatidyss and the decision to conduct a new randomised controlled trial to further strengthen the scientific backing of the ingredient.
"We expect the results of this to be published in the fall of 2024. This study includes objective measurements and a dermatologic follow-up," she noted.
Importance of holistic health
Le Grand explained that the company’s emphasis on holistic health to treat the root causes of skin issues is based on four key pillars including stress reduction, physical exercise, topical solutions and nutrition.
“Stress impacts our lives and can cause sleeping disorders as well as inflammation, which can ultimately impact skin health,” she said, adding that exercise facilitates the release of the hormone dopamine, which can have stress-relieving effects.
"The benefits of nutrition are also becoming more and more well-known, with a Mediterranean diet known to have significant impacts on skin health," she added. "We recommend for people to eat more seasonal vegetables and omega-3s for overall health and skin health."