In a special presentation at the recently concluded Food Ingredients Europe (Fi Europe) – the world’s leading food and beverage ingredients platform – Alex Beckett, Associate Director of Food & Drink at Mintel explored how beauty and personal care ideas could make the jump from the make-up bag to the kitchen fridge.

​

Alex highlighted five innovative products blurring the lines between food, drink, beauty and personal care.

 

1. Dr. Craft Natural Purple Berry Brightening Serum uses blackcurrant waste, rich in natural pigments called anthocyanins, created with by-products from the juice drink brand, Ribena. Purple shampoos are used to neutralise brassiness and maintain cool tones on blonde hair. Unlike other brands, Dr Craft’s uses 100-per-cent natural pigments, rather than synthetic dyes. This is an innovative example of how the food and cosmetics industries can collaborate to upcycle waste ingredients.

​

2. Fever-Tree Sicilian Lemonade is made with lemons from Sicily, and is free from artificial sweeteners, flavourings and preservatives. To extract the high quality oils from the skin of the lemons, ‘sfumatrice’ equipment is used to gently hand press the lemons – normally a process reserved for the perfume industry. Artisanal production techniques like this are driving premium innovation in the food and drink sector.

​

3. The White Barn Paris Cafe Candle combines the smell of rich roasted coffee, sugared brioche and vanilla to recreate the atmosphere of a café in Paris. It’s said to feature high concentrations of rich fragrance oils to deliver a room-filling scent. Scented air care can influence the pleasure of eating by enhancing and imitating the taste of food. Maybe, in the near future, aromatherapy will even satisfy sweet cravings.

​

4. +retinol by Dirty Lemon – the disruptive wellness beverage brand – claims to be the first ingestible retinol drink on the global market. It is designed to reduce fine lines by stimulating collagen production, and benefits from the high profile which retinol has in the cosmetics market. Amongst UK female facial skincare users, retinol is the most well-known ingredient, with 19 per cent of women saying they have heard of it and know what it is – likely due to its high presence in the beauty industry.

​

5. Raw Beauty Adaptogenic Granola contains the adaptogenic ingredient Rhodiola rosea and rose water to combat stress and skin ageing. While it’s unusual to see such ingredients in breakfast cereals, this illustrates the demand for ‘Beauty from Within’ consumables. Further establishing a link between food and beauty, the back of the packaging showcases face yoga techniques.

​

Fi Europe returns from 1–3 December 2020, with this year's event held in Frankfurt, Germany. For more information, visit: www.figlobal.com/fieurope