Supplements in the Beauty Industry— Not Just Vitamins and Minerals …Giorgio Dell’Acqua

The recent introduction of holistic wellness as a major component of “I feel better, and I look better” is not new to the beauty and cosmetic market However, the explosion of nutritional formulations in the space of beauty from within is today associated with more robust and convincing scientific evidence than in the past Supplement formulations appear more complex and not limited to collagen, vitamins, and minerals to cite some of the most popular ingredients

The introduction of phytochemicals, sometimes in the form of standardized plant extracts, along with vitamin and minerals, provides an increased targeting and holistic approach to inner mechanisms associated with stress, diet, metabolism, aging, etc that eventually influence our exter nal look This is not surprising as our cosmetic targets such as skin, hair, and nail are part of our body and therefore react to our body’s unbalance The connection between our gut and our skin (a diverse gut environment is associated with skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, etc )1 and the influence of hormonal and stress-induced changes (which can trigger hair conditions such as androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium)2 are two examples.

Modern formulations use a wide range of ingredients that, when ingested, specifically target biological mechanisms associated with our health and wellness as well as our look. It is possible then to create a for mulation that delivers real efficacy and stands up to its claims Natural ingredients are taking center stage in these for mulations, inspired by the use of naturals in traditional medicine, with the possibility to merge knowledge from the wester n and easter n world.

When taking a closer look at the applications and studies of supplements targeting wellness and beauty, recent reviews have highlighted their use as adjuvants and/or treatment for different der matology or cosmetic conditions such as hair loss, acne, and skin aging 3-5 Since supplements are not FDA regulated, large peer-reviewed clinical studies are necessary to deter mine the efficacy and safety of these supplements, especially since most of them haven’t been clinically tested To avoid running lengthy and sometime expensive clinical trials, product manufacturers often rely on supplier’s data and/or academic literature about the ingredients in the final supplement composition However, it is necessary to test the finished product since the dosage and ingredient interactions and/or synergy can deter mine the outcome both from a safety and efficacy point of view.

The quality of the clinical study is also important (number of subjects, inclusion/exclusion criteria, end points measures, and data significance) Finally, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is becoming increasingly in demand prior to the clinical study, especially if dealing with compositions that are new to the market and carry some safety risk. Such approval is often requested by scientific jour nals prior to publication (continued on Page 4)

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