Dull complexion, appearance of hyperpigmentation spots or wrinkles on the skin of your face. Until now to sublimate or treat your skin problems, you instinctively moved towards cosmetic care.

Now it is possible to take care of your skin from the inside thanks to the intake of food supplements dedicated to beauty. This is the promise fulfilled by nutricosmetics.

Our experts have taken an interest in this new " in & out " trend,  and in this article we explain what it is all about.

How do they act on the skin and how to associate it with your skincare routine? But also why they can be beneficial for black, matte and mixed skin.

What does nutricosmetics mean ?

Nutri-cosmetics is the contraction of the words nutrients and cosmetics. It includes all food supplements with an action relating to beauty and more particularly on hair, nails and skin.

It is a growing market. Major food supplement laboratories are now developing " beauty " ranges to complement their "slimming ", "  digestion" or " sleep " ranges. On the other hand, cosmetology laboratories complement their care with these new products : cosmetic food supplements.

The watchword is to take care of your skin from the inside. Indeed, cosmetic care has the limit of being effective on the epidermis, the most superficial underlayment of the skin. Today, thanks to nutricosmetics, the goal is to act more deeply, on the dermis and hypodermis. Thanks to this, we can guarantee a complete and effective action on the problems to be treated. Thus cosmetics and nutricosmetics are not competitors but complementary.

What is the difference between nutricosmetics and cosmetofood?

Diet has a scientifically proven impact on skin quality. It is from this observation that cosmetofood and nutricosmetics were born.

Cosmetofood or dermo-nutrition consists in promoting a healthy and balanced diet in order to naturally beautify and sublimate the skin. It is a question of favoring foods rich in vitamins or minerals in order to feel their benefits on the skin. 

Nutricosmetics or food supplements for the skin brings a superior advantage vis-à-vis cosmetofood. Indeed, they are composed directly of micronutrients and in optimal daily nutritional value in order to effectively feel their benefits on the skin. Thus, depending on the active ingredients chosen and their precise concentrations, we can specifically select the skin problem to be treated. The best known being the radiance of the skin and the anti-aging/anti-wrinkle actions.   

How do nutri-cosmetics work on the skin ?

As you have understood, the principle of nutricosmetics is to ingest orally active ingredients with the aim of improving or treating the skin from the inside and in depth.

However, the ability of active ingredients to achieve their skin targets is not obvious. It reveals to be a real challenge for formulators of food supplements. Indeed, many are destroyed even before being assimilated by the body. To better understand this, we must look at the first two steps of the bioavailability of an active substance (pharmacokinetics):

1. First step - Absorption : Your ingested food supplement will dissolve in your stomach and then in your digestive tract. The active ingredients will then diffuse through your blood vessels to end up in your body's general bloodstream. The crucial step is therefore the positive passage of the digestive barrier.
2. Second step - Distribution : Once in the blood, micronutrients will circulate in the body in order to reach the hypodermis and dermis. They will thus interact directly with their receptors present in order to be able to effectively perform their various skin actions.

Focus Black, matte and mixed skin : What are the benefits of food supplements?

Black, matte and mixed skin has a high level of eumelanin (brown pigment melanin). Having a photoprotective role, they filter the sun's UV rays and thus limit its harmful effects on the skin. This is why pigmented skin is " naturally protected from the sun ". However, this has a negative impact on their health.

Indeed, the synthesis of vitamin D or " vitamin of the sun " is carried out on the skin under the action of the sun. By the ability to filter the UV rays of their skin, people with dark skin suffer mainly from vitamin D deficiency. This leads to bone fragility, joint pain, a weakened immune system, fatigue and poor skin regeneration.

In addition, 65% of black and matte women have combination to oily skin on the face. A genetic characteristic that makes them prone to imperfections and in particular to the appearance of acne pimples.

Thus, to formulate an ideal food supplement for black and matte skin, it is recommended to include vitamin D to fight against their deficiency but also active ingredients such as zinc which thanks to its seboregulatory, anti-oxidant, purifying and anti-inflammatory properties, it will limit their imperfections.

A new beauty routine

This " in & out" trend offers you a new beauty ritual. An action " out " by the topical application of your favorite cosmetic care that will be filled by taking your food supplement for an action " in ".

Before or after the meal with a large glass of water, this new treatment is a quick and easy gesture to include in your pre-existing skincare routine. To feel a synergy of effect, it is recommended to use treatments with the same objective (indication) skin in order to obtain a complete and therefore more effective care protocol.

To optimize your results, we advise you to follow and respect the indicated dosage of your food supplement and to keep this routine for the long term. One to three months ideally to feel the benefits of your assets over a long period.

Gummies, tablets or capsules what to choose ?

Food supplements for the skin, there are all forms. Enough to satisfy all consumers. But do you know their differences ? 

• Gummies : Candy in the shape of a star or teddy bear, this is the current trend of food supplements. However, it is important to remember that by their galenic forms very rich in sugar, it is difficult to obtain a formulation with a high concentration of active ingredients. However, they guarantee a faster efficiency vis-à-vis other galenics thanks to their perlingual absorption.     
• Tablets : More conventional, they are ideal when their formulas have few active ingredients and in high concentration. Otherwise, they will usually contain a lot of excipients in order to successfully compress them.
• Capsules : This is the most common dosage form on the market. Indeed, it makes it possible to bring together a number of important assets with fewer excipients. Easy to swallow, they break down quickly in the stomach thus guaranteeing their effectiveness.

Each has its disadvantages and advantages. This could guide your future choices.