The growing market for ingestible cosmeceuticals presents special challenges and opportunities for branding and packaging professionals. Does it belong in the food aisle or the health, beauty and cosmetics (HBC) section? Is it better to lead with taste or functional benefits? The blurring of the lines between food and cosmetics is new, and everyone from supermarket merchandisers to packaging professionals is exploring new ways to sell functional foods to consumers hungry for an inside-out approach to beauty.

Companies like NeoCell, which makes collagen-based powders, chews and drinks, and Beauty Foods, which makes “beauty enhancing supplement” beverage mixes, are breaking new ground with packaging and on-pack claims that aim to bridge the gap between cosmetics and functional foods. Nutricosmetic brands owe some success to growing consumer awareness of the interconnectedness of beauty, aging, sleep, nutrition and exercise. Still, the U.S. market for nutraceuticals lags far behind those of Asia and the EU.

“The U.S. market has been difficult, and it will take continued education from meaningful sources in order to establish the efficacy of (these products),” said Jacque Gibson, founder of Beauty Foods.

The newness of the beauty food industry means that manufacturers are forced to choose where along the food-cosmetics spectrum they want to stake a claim. Beauty Foods sells its Nightly Beauty beverage mix in luxury spas, boutiques and online where it is packaged in a “luxury box” similar to a perfume box or a cosmetics gift package.

“When we decided what main category we would be marketing to—beauty or sleep —it was determined that we would lead with beauty. It was essential that the brand image emulate a true beauty product,” explained Gibson. “It is a beautiful box and even has a mirror in the lid with a special message to our customers: ‘Relax... you’re beautiful.’ Hidden details add intrinsic value to the overall experience.”

In this market, Gibson says, success ultimately comes down to educating the consumer about the features, benefits, and efficacy. But getting that message across via packaging alone is a challenge.

“I chose to do a clean box concept and therefore none of my (functional) claims nor images are on the outside of the box,” she explained. “So relying on shelf talkers or other in-store collateral/promotional materials is a necessity.”

In the supermarket environment, NeoCell demos its products alongside mainstream grocery items like coconut water that are already understood by consumers to have health benefits. NeoCell’s fruit chews and drink mixes feature color schemes, graphics and messaging designed to target shoppers in the food department, as well as in the HBC section. In fact, more retailers are giving dual placement to functional food products by putting them in the food aisle and the HBC department.

“Especially with our chews, they might be in the collagen set, but they’ll also be on the shelf next to other fruit snacks and chews and marketed as the healthy living alternative,” said Shannon Hirtzel, marketing manager for NeoCell.

For that reason, NeoCell leads with flavor on the packaging of its chews and drinks, as opposed to the more traditional nutricosmetic look of its collagen tablets and pills.

“We’re looking at how a food item is branded, and we’re cross pollinating that with how our dietary supplements are branded. We still have to educate on what’s inside, but we use bright colors and images of fruit. We’re trying to educate on what a functional food is through our packaging,” said Hirtzel.

Robert Ruddell is a packaging solutions account executive at K1 Packaging Group, which serves clients in the food, cosmetic/personal care, and dietary supplements/nutraceuticals industries, including NeoCell. As the natural product market increases, Ruddell is seeing more food and natural beauty companies asking for high-end specialty packaging features like foil stamping, embossing and the application of specialty coatings.

“I see the blurring of the lines between food and beauty as an opportunity to introduce food manufacturers to high-end packaging concepts and features that have been traditionally utilized for cosmetic companies,” said Ruddell. “When working with NeoCell, I met with their team to gain an understanding of the product, price point and their target demographic. From that point I introduced a variety of different folding carton deigns, features and coatings. They chose a design that is typically used for high-end specialty baked goods and gourmet candies. They also chose a substrate, specialty features, and specialty coatings that are consistent with current high-end cosmetic packaging trends that offer a unique high-end appearance.”

Whether through packaging, on-pack claims, product placement or in-store merchandising, groundbreaking nutricosmetic brands are defining their industry from the inside out as they teach consumers that beauty is more than skin deep.

About the author: Erica Stephens is an Atlanta-based health writer (www.msgreenbody.tips) who covers the constantly evolving world of nutrition, workplace wellness and mind-body living.