Dear Valerie: What are you hearing about GLP-1s and beauty? I’ve heard about skin sagging, bad breath, hair loss and body odor—are there opportunities to formulate for any of these issues related to weight loss associated with GLP-1 use?
—G.L.P. Wondering

Dear G:

GLP-1 beauty is certainly omnipresent. Just six months ago, I was speaking at Science of Skin Summit in Austin and recall stopping in my tracks when seeing a brand that printed GLP-1 on their packaging. This was supposed to be just a quick trend on which the beauty industry capitalized. Now brands are centering product development around GLP-1 products!

Although a seasoned industry veteran, I operate with some naivete and trust that a mountain won’t be made from a mole hill. The industry has never jumped on the opportunity to market a “Weight Watchers Face Cream” and this feels similar to me, although now it feels less taboo.

How do GLP-1 beauty products work? They supposedly target the negative physiological effects from using GLP-1 agonist receptor medications, such as sagging skin, bad breath, hair loss, etc. They aren’t directly interacting with GLP-1s themselves to counteract those conditions. This can be a bit confusing to consumers because they may not be aware of this distinction.

Skin sagging? From fat loss underneath the skin. Bad breath? I recall some coworkers who followed the Atkins diet at its heyday and they had keto breath, big time! Very common with low carb diets. Hair loss? From caloric and protein deficiency. Body odor? Metabolic.

Helping consumers feel better about solutions to treat the less desirable side effects isn’t a bad thing, but a disservice to the consumer is that they either think the product’s performance plays a direct role with the GLP-1 medication, believe the product’s impact is a permanent one, or believe there is a unique technology that differentiates a “GLP-1” beauty product from an ordinary beauty product. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, and that type of marketing only lends to consumer confusion. At the end of the day, there is nothing special about GLP-1 beauty products on the market, other than their clever marketing.

In the grand scheme of things, we don’t know a lot about GLP-1s and the body. There is the possibility they do impact us beyond the superficial, and that research is only emerging. Changes in skin diseases like acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, overproduction of sebum—and whether they’re negatively or positively impacted by GLP-1s—is something we cannot yet say with certainty! 

There is one area I think would be quite interesting for further research, and that’s regarding how the skin’s microbiome changes in various regions under GLP-1 use with weight loss—in particular the face, scalp, groin, underarm and mouth. There are a multitude of studies on the relationship between gut microbiota so we’ll surely see some work published in the coming year on the matter. 

Valerie George

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Valerie George is a cosmetic chemist, science communicator, educator, leader, and avid proponent of transparency in the beauty industry. She works on the latest research in hair color and hair care at her company, Simply Formulas, and is the co-host of The Beauty Brains podcast. You can find her on Instagram at @cosmetic_chemist or showcasing her favorite ingredients to small brands and home formulators at simply-ingredients.com