More and more consumers are spending for health. In fact, the ever-evolving wellness industry is valued at a whopping $4.2 trillion, according to WSL Strategic Retail. In a recent How America Shops survey, WSL found that 35% of shoppers are spending more to stay well today than they did a year ago—and among Millennials and Generation Z, that percentage climbs to 40% and 45%, respectively. Further, WSL says 31% of shoppers buy products that make them look healthier.
 
As interest in wellness grows on Main Street, there has been rising interest on Wall Street, too. Hair wellness company Nutrafol recently closed a $35 million Series B round financing led by the Growth Fund of L Catterton with participation from existing investor Unilever Ventures. With this latest funding, the company says it will further scale its personalized system, which features new targeted boosters that address deficiencies and imbalances in the body.
 
Nutrafol’s line of multi-targeting nutraceuticals contain standardized ingredients that address the key triggers of poor hair health including stress, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), free radicals, micro-inflammation and compromised nutrition. Its newest launch is Nutrafol’s Women’s Balance, a multi-targeting nutraceutical containing standardized ingredients that address the key triggers of poor hair health including stress, DHT, free radicals, micro-inflammation, compromised nutrition and hormone changes associated with menopause. Key ingredients in Women’s Balance include USPlus saw palmetto, sensoril ashwagandha and hydrolyzed collagen.
 
Tess Marshall, Nutrafol’s director of product science and innovations, New York, took time to chat with Happi about the “beauty from within” marketplace.
 
Happi: What are the biggest trends right now in ingestible beauty and why?
 
TM: Some of the biggest trends found in ingestible beauty right now are collagen and botanicals, mostly stress adaptogens. Collagen has been trending for a while now and doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon, likely because it has so many benefits and supports a good foundation. After all, it’s a source of different proteins that are needed for hair, skin and nails.
 
One thing to note is that all collagen is not created the same. Collagen comes from meat or fish and sourcing is extremely important. Marine collagen is found in Nutrafol and is sourced from some of the cleanest waters in the world and tested for heavy metal toxicity. Stress adaptogens are trending because it’s 2019 and everyone is so stressed out. Unfortunately, stress is an underlying factor of many unhealthy process in the body and can contribute to poor outcomes in skin and, most definitely, hair. We find that it’s hard for people to disconnect and they are in a state of chronic stress every day. By using stress adaptogens, customers can support their bodies’ reaction to stress and their ability to adapt to it as aging continues. 
 
Happi: What benefits do ingestible beauty products offer to the consumer?
 
TM: Ingestible beauty products offer benefits to the consumer that sometimes topicals cannot. Our hair and our skin are both attributes of beauty and while surface care can be beneficial, most of the work begins on the inside. By taking products with high quality, clinically tested ingredients known to support various pathways in the body, the consumer can effectively support their beauty from the root. In addition, by taking ingestibles, the ingredients are absorbed through our digestive tract and travel system wide so there are usually side benefits. These may include better sleep, more energy, better mood and less stress. What is amazing is that natural supplements are becoming more common. It’s likely a supplement contains botanicals, which are capable of having many benefits at once. 
 
Happi: What’s in the Nutrafol pipeline?
 
TM: Nutrafol recently launched its personalization model, including the GrowthPlan, which is an individualized supplement plan to help support hair growth. Our customers can go to our website and take a Hair Wellness Evaluation, which evaluates different lifestyle factors that may be causing a problem with their hair. Afterward the customer is recommended a Core product plus two Targeted Boosters, which range from probiotics to stress adaptogens to liver support and more.
 
We are dedicated to educating our customers about how their whole body influences the health of their hair via the digestive system, stress response system, detoxification system, metabolism and hormones. Based on years of research, we have realized that no two people are alike and that one solution is not always as effective for everyone. We have found a way to personalize ingestible beauty and support our customers’ hair by promoting full body wellness.