Future opportunity in edible beauty lies in expanding the conceptual boundaries of a healthy complexion, unlocking everyday consumption potential by segmenting food and drink scenarios and driving category breakthroughs via cross-sector integration using the concept of food both as medicine and a source of beauty.
Lucy Yang, Senior Analyst, BPC Client Advisory, China Insights
Market Definitions
For this Report, Mintel defines edible beauty as follows:
- Food/drink (eg yogurt) with added beauty ingredients (eg collagen, vitamin C)
- Health supplements with beauty benefits (eg collagen supplements, vitamin C supplements)
- Traditional tonic products with beauty benefits (eg fish maw, bird’s nest)
This Report only covers edible beauty products for adults; products for infants, children and adolescents are excluded from the consumer survey and scope.
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Executive summary
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Market factors
- The market now and future opportunities
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The market
- Market overview
- Edible beauty market enters a competitive ‘red ocean’ phase marked by volume expansion and price compression
- Graph 1: value sales, volume sales and growth rate of edible beauty products on major ecommerce channels, 2025
- Clear market segmentation: beauty supplements offer professional solutions with higher entry barriers, while beauty-boosting food and drinks support everyday usage
- Graph 2: volume sales and growth rate of edible beauty sub-segments on major ecommerce channels, 2025
- Graph 3: average transaction price and growth rate of edible beauty sub-segments on major ecommerce channels, 2025
- Market factors
- Internal and external approaches remain central for consumers seeking beauty, with edible beauty still having penetration potential
- Graph 4: ways to enhance beauty, 2024-25
- Beauty-boosting food/drink is the entry point for the everyday adoption of edible beauty
- Expanding consumer demand for a good complexion drives the continuous evolution on complexion management
- Graph 5: social media mentions around ‘healthy complexion’, 2024-25
- Graph 6: understanding of a good complexion, 2025
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The consumer
- Major consumer usage changes
- Internal, external and lifestyle approaches are important ways to enhance appearance
- Graph 7: ways to enhance beauty, 2024-25
- Skintone management remains the top priority in edible beauty, followed by anti-ageing and sensitive skin repair
- Graph 8: purpose of consuming edible beauty products, 2024-25
- Broaden the definition of a healthy glow to expand the range of complexion management products
- The wellness boom is prompting consumers to prioritise complexion management
- Graph 9: social media mentions around a healthy complexion, 2024-25
- Three main ways to manage complexion, with edible beauty retaining significant expansion potential
- For consumers, a good complexion means a rosy, radiant skintone with healthy skin and a positive mental state
- Graph 10: understanding of a good complexion, 2025
- Women aged 18-24 place greater emphasis on an even skintone, those aged 25-29 focus more on an overall healthy complexion, detailed skintone management and a relaxed expression
- Graph 11: definition of a good complexion among women, by age, 2025
- The evolving scope of a healthy complexion is driving continuous innovation in complexion management
- Graph 12: demand* for a good complexion, 2025
- Profile of consumers seeking a healthy complexion
- Segment scenarios like quick fixes and social sharing to make beauty-boosting food and drink part of everyday life
- Beauty-boosting food and drink have a lower entry barrier, making them easier to be incorporated into everyday edible beauty routines
- Efficacy is the main driver for consuming beauty-enhancing food and drink
- Efficacy is the main driver for consuming beauty-boosting food and drink
- Graph 13: motivations for consuming food/drinks with added beauty ingredients, 2025
- Beauty-boosting food and drink consumption scenarios are closely linked to lifestages and women’s physiological cycles
- Graph 14: consumption occasions of food/drinks with added beauty ingredients – daily, 2025
- Graph 15: consumption occasions of food/drinks with added beauty ingredients – special occasion, 2025
- Beauty-boosting food and drink show clear differentiation based on consumption scenarios and motivations
- Everyday quick fix: antioxidation and brightening after staying up late, metabolism support after unhealthy eating
- Social sharing: light beauty and daily care benefits, with emphasis on snack-style formats and share-pack design
- Special care for the menstrual cycle: incorporate the concept of cycle wellness to relieve discomfort
- Special care for menopause: expand the target group to include perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause
- Consumer profiles by consumption scenario and motivation
- Explore cross-industry integration of health, beauty and food and drink
- Diverse competition emerges in the edible beauty market as health, beauty and food and drink brands enter
- Consumers have different perceptions of edible beauty products across brand categories
- Graph 16: perception of different edible beauty brand categories, 2025
- Health, beauty and food and drink sectors show a trend of mutual integration and expansion
- Case study on category expansion in beauty and skincare: Shiseido’s journey from skincare to edible beauty to beauty wellness
- Case study on category expansion in health supplements: Swisse’s transformation into a comprehensive health and beauty brand
- Case study on category expansion in food and drink: crossing over into beauty wellness, from flavour to health and beauty
- Consumer profiles by brand category preference and suitability for category expansion
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New product trends
- Edible beauty innovation in the China market still lags global levels, but beauty supplements have surged over the past five years
- Graph 17: share of new launches with beauty claims in food*, drink and vitamins & dietary supplements, 2021-25
- Graph 18: share of new launches with beauty claims in food*, drink and vitamins & dietary supplements, 2021-25
- Clear regional divergence in edible beauty innovation activity across key global markets
- Graph 19: share of new launches with beauty claims in food*, drink, oral rehydration and vitamins & dietary supplements, 2021-25
- Food and drink focus on core beauty benefits, while vitamins and supplements show broader expansion
- Graph 20: top beauty claims in new food* and drink launches, 2021-25
- Graph 21: top beauty claims in vitamin & dietary supplement launches, 2021-25
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Appendix – keyword selection and methodology for the edible beauty market in ecommerce channels
- Search criteria for the edible beauty market in ecommerce channels
- Methodology
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