You’ve probably seen them on your Target or grocery store run—bottles, jars, and pouches of supplements in eye catching colors and engaging packaging all prominently displayed to immediately catch your attention. Ingestibles are everywhere! From tablets to gummies to powders to pills to drops, ingestible beauty has become a popular, in-demand product for consumers looking to level up their skincare and wellness regimen with products that aren’t topical at all but instead ingested. And there’s good reason for this interest. Supplements seemingly address every sort-of concern; feature well-known ingredients consumers already use; come in yummy flavors, and are available in a large variety of formats that make them easy to slide into a daily routine, like vitamin gummies or coffee creamer. But most important, according to those who use them, they work! Eighty-percent (80%) of consumers already using ingestibles report an improvement in their health and wellness since they started taking supplements, and interest is growing. Read on to find out what over 2,000 consumers (1) told us they want in a supplement and how your brand can formulate one that will be a winner.

Twenty years ago, the idea that taking a pill or eating a piece of candy to help improve skin texture or the look of wrinkles was novel to most consumers. Today, ingesting an active ingredient to boost the care of skin is normal. Seventy-five percent of beauty consumers report taking vitamins or supplements, and 87% of those consumers ingest vitamins/supplements as part of their daily skin or body care routine. Just over half take more than three supplements a day and of those consumers who have been taking supplements for longer than five years, almost half (45%) report using more supplements than when they started five years ago. Plus, nearly 40% of consumers started taking supplements within the last year for health and wellness, which is reflected in her ‘why’ she takes supplements as a part of her self-care routine. Simply put, consumers are adopting a supplement routine because they believe supplements help them stay healthier, which across the board is becoming more and more important in all beauty/wellness categories. Where the outward appearance of aging (wrinkles, sagging, dark spots) was once the ultimate outcome of most skincare routines, today a focus on overall health is becoming more prominent (Figure 1).

Before starting a supplement routine, consumers sought out hard proof that they were worth their time and money. Sixty-two percent (62%) sought out literature with medical evidence of an improvement in health as a result of taking supplements and 63% started taking supplements after consulting with their primary care physician.

Figure 1. Why she takes supplements.

Not surprisingly, consumers want (and expect) supplements to address multiple health concerns. Number one on their list? She wants supplements to meet her daily multi vitamin needs (70%) followed by promoting general wellness (61%), boosting immunity (43%), improving gut health (39%), improving sleep (31%), improving energy (29%), and helping with seasonal allergies and better digestion (26%).

Better overall health isn’t the only reason she takes supplements. Consumers also want their supplements to address their top beauty concerns as well. However, unlike topical skincare, when it comes to supplements, skin firmness and glow are not the number one beauty issue she is using supplements to address. Instead, the top two reasons she takes supplements for beauty are hair growth/health (79%) and stronger nails (65%). Skin specific concerns start to slide in at number three with restoring collagen/firming skin (60%) (Figure 2).

Taking supplements is a win for most consumers. Eight percent of consumers say they saw an improvement in health and wellness since they started taking supplements—and quickly! Within a couple of weeks, nearly a third reported seeing results; 21% after a month 19% within a couple of months; 14% within the first week, and 4% immediately!

Like most beauty consumers, supplements buyers are educated and expect the products they buy to be trustworthy and safe. Seventy-seven percent (77%) agreed it’s important to very important that brands substantiate/prove the marketing claims attached to their products. Not only do claims build trust and loyalty, when executed properly, they help mitigate the risk of litigation (a growing concern as consumer agencies crack down on false claims), they validate the efficacy of your product and contribute to truth in advertising. To help her make an informed choice, this consumer seeks out information before she purchases. Sixty-three percent (63%) read product reviews; 58% read product labels/ingredient lists; 51% research the brand online; 50% look for product claims backed by consumer research; 43% look for scientific data about the ingredients, and 31% use vitamin deficiency testing to pinpoint their specific supplement needs.

Once she’s done her research and is ready to buy, what are her most important purchase drivers? Like almost all beauty categories, affordability/price lead the list followed by efficacy, clinical claims, and consumer claims and reviews. In other words, how much bang can she get for her buck (hopefully a lot!) and what experience did other consumers have with the product? This combination of information and data is what drives her interest and ultimately, her spend.

Figure 2. Beauty concerns addressed with supplements.