In the 1930s when Revlon founder Charles Revson uttered the now infamous slogan "hope in a jar," he probably didn't imagine that those seeking a beauty panacea in 2007 would also buy the notion of hope in a pill.
In Southern California and across the nation, doctors, major skin-care brands and medi-spas are offering oral supplements to treat skin from the inside out. The idea that ingesting what some are calling "nutri-cosmetics" can reverse sun damage, alleviate acne or even improve skin elasticity relies on the premise that healthy skin is beautiful skin.
A strong body of scientific evidence supports use of the topical application of vitamins such as C and A and antioxidants such as green tea to help rejuvenate the skin by scavenging free radicals and aiding in collagen production. But when it comes to taking the same supplements (and others) orally, the marketing potential appears to be ahead of the science.
"Theoretically, it makes sense that taking supplements could help improve skin health and appearance or even reverse [sun] damage," says Dr. Jenny Kim, an assistant professor of dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA who also conducts research on vitamins and aging. "But we still don't really know exactly what oral supplements do for our skin and we don't know when we take something orally how much, if any of it, gets to the skin via the bloodstream."
Olay Effects Beautiful Skin and Wellness Pack, for example, which sells for about $15 for a 30-day supply, boasts ingredients such as coenzyme Q10, vitamin E and alpha lipoic acid with green tea. The product says it helps support collagen, prevent puffiness and smooth skin texture.
Jan Marini C-Estamins promises to increase skin moisture, reduce wrinkles and improve sun-damaged skin with coenzyme Q10, vitamins C and E, alpha lipoic acid and even hyaluronic acid, the same ingredient found in the popular filler Restylane. It retails for about $80 for a 30-day supply.
Proponents of oral supplementation for beautiful skin are buoyed by a handful of small, sometimes inconclusive, studies -- and swift sales.
According to a report published in August 2006 by independent market research firm Datamonitor, the "beauty from within" trend grew 17% from 2000 to 2005, with beauty supplement sales reaching more than $740 million in 2005.
