1) Holistic wellness – and related to this – beauty from within are not new trends. However, they are seeing a resurgence in 2026 for two reasons. Firstly, many consumers are prone to feeling tired and fatigued and stressed. This can directly influence skin health which can lead to consumers questioning their overall well-being given they tend to evaluate wellness based on what they see in the mirror. Secondly, the growth of the nutricosmetics market is giving the topic of skin health more attention. Over the next five years, the phrase nutricosmetics will be used more frequently. However, for the industry three things are needed to increase the chance of mainstream success. Firstly, nutricosmetics must be tightly defined so it is seen as something more than a buzzword. Secondly, brands must ensure where products sit and create clear differentiation between everyday food and drink already associated with aiding skin health and traditional personal care products such as creams and lotions. Finally, given the infancy of the market, credibility will be crucial meaning claims must be validated and not deemed contentious. Ultimately, success will be based on whether products are seen as something that can complement food and drink and personal care products that already exist. Moreover, brands should also recognize where there will be less scope for success (i.e. the pampering element associated with creams and lotions and stick to the well-being aspect) and avoid these areas.

2) A total of 17% of global consumers say that they use GLP-1 medication in some capacity, with most suffering from side-effects. It must be noted that most purchasing is done privately online, meaning that people may feel they are using GLP-1 medication when in fact they are not, and the severity of side-effects is more common where the market is less established (and more exposed to the risk of the black market). This is something that will drive demand for products that are positioned around supporting GLP-1 usage, especially products that are nutrient dense, such as those high in protein. The reality is that rather than products being positioned around addressing issues such as sagging skin – because of the potential embarrassment aspect faced by the consumer as well as the risk of being seen to put people under pressure to look good – products will have multiple claims on products, relating to addressing issues such as dehydration, muscle erosion, fatigue, and skin health issues simultaneously. What is crucial is that the products are positioned as support products and are not seen to be encouraging people to use GLP-1 medication unnecessarily, and that claims made around nutrients and related benefits are supported with scientific evidence.

3) Consumer awareness of certain ingredients associated with aiding skin health, such as aloe vera or collagen is well established. There is some scope to educate consumers about certain nutrients they may be less familiar with, or help position ingredients in a different way, such as emphasizing the potential sustainability benefits of fish collagen for instance. However, it is positioning and messaging that will resonate better with consumers. Indeed, the concept of beauty from within shifted the notion of skin health from appearance maximization and general wellness, highlighting how feeling happy, relaxed and refreshed is more important than striving for an appearance that is either not achievable or sustainable. The next stage of beauty from within has shifted the notion from psychology to more scientific orientated messaging, using clinically proven evidence to establish a holistic link between cognitive health, gut microbiome, and skin health. This emphasis on science is something that will be crucial when it comes to the next stage of the well-beauty journey.

7) Nutricosmetics is cited as a big area of innovation within the skin health market over the next five years, and success will be based on the ability for brands to differentiate from current markets that serve skin health, whilst offering credibility and reassurance around efficacy. However, it must be remembered that boosting skin health is just as important from a psychological aspect as it is a physical effort, and that if consumers want to address a specific area of skin health from which they are suffering symptoms, they will still be more likely to turn to out-of-home professionals or turn to creams and lotions that they know and trust. As such, the most effective opportunity for nutricosmetics is not to go down the route of hyper-targeting (although there is scope for targeting different demographics and skin types) and focus on providing nutrient dense products that promote an array of nutrients synonymous with helping aid overall skin health and vitality. Dosage will be key from this perspective, highlighting how the nutrient density from products is something that cannot easily be replicated via everyday food and drink.

8) Consumers are cautiously optimistic about the role that AI can have on health and well-being routines, such as helping offer more personalized solutions at a time when people can feel that products available on the market that are readily available are too generic or offering information in real-time amount skin health requirements. However, currently, the key for consumers is that AI assists human-led professional advice rather than replace it completely. Indeed, AI creates the opportunity to make mild diagnosis of issues which are fairly easy to diagnose and can provide information around recommended products, ingredients, and dosage. It can also help address some of the taboos that some demographics can have when it comes to seeking advice on skincare products. However, some of the challenges include misinformation in terms of misdiagnosis of health problems or incorrect information on treatment provided based on which platform was accessed. Moreover, there are also some ethical issues that must be considered around the type of information provided and security issues if there are requests for personal data/samples. As such, to maximize success and reduce the risk of challenges, brands should look to launch their own personal AI systems which draw information only from their own information and expertise (and limits what advice it gives), to avoid information being obtained from platforms where the information is less scrutinized.