Food for Thought at HBA

With the cosmetics and beauty industry taking greater interest in the inner route to beauty, dietary supplements has been a topic of discussion at HBA, both in conference sessions and on the show floor.
   
Opening HBA’s Third Annual International Safety, Regulatory and Certification Summit on Wednesday, Sept. 10 was Vasilios H. Frankos, director, division of dietary supplement programs, FDA. His topic was “FDA regulation of Dietary Supplements as it Relates to the Cosmetics Industry.” Mr. Frankos discussed the newest regulations covering dietary supplements, including current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), and the implications those regulations may or may not have on supplements being touted by cosmetics products making beauty claims.
   
According to Mr. Frankos, it is possible that a supplement that makes a cosmetic claim might be subject to regulations covering both dietary supplements and cosmetics, and the most stringent of the rules would apply.
   
One of the more recent regulations affecting the dietary supplements industry market focuses on cGMP, which became an issue when problems with contaminants such as as heavy metals, toxins and other materials, were showing up in dietary supplements. According to Mr. Frankos, it is up to the manufacturer of the supplement, not the ingredient supplier, to make sure cCMP are followed and that the suppliers are qualified and ingredients are tested. This regulation, which was put into effect in June 2007 and has a three-year compliance implementation schedule, will go a long way toward insuring that these products are safe, he said.

Eat, Drink and Be Pretty

Ingestible beauty was also making news on the show floor as HBA marked the debut of a new ingestible beauty-product from one of biggest food companies in the world. Nestle has unveiled Glowelle, a daily beauty drink that protects and hydrates the inner and outer layers of the skin with a blend of antioxidants, vitamins, phyto-nutrients and botanical and fruit extracts.
   
The line, which is sold in ready-to-drink glass bottles as well as 7- or 30-day powder packs, is being sold exclusively at Neimann Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. Why such exclusivity? Kimberly Cooper, chief beauty officer of Glowelle told HAPPI that it was important for the company to sell Glowelle through educated sales representatives. The company, which is based in Glendale, CA, trained the Neimann Marcus and Bergdorf sales teams on the specifics of the supplements, its ingredients and the benefits it delivers to consumers.
   
Interestingly, another food company is entering the beauty business too. During HBA’s session on merchandising, Maggy Siegel, president and chief operating officer of Dylan’s Candy Bar provided a sneak peak at Re-Treat, her company’s new foray into personal care. The line of body care products will debut in mid-October at Dylan’s Candy Bar shops as well as 200 Sephora shops. And while they sound good enough to eat with fragrances such as birthday cake, chocolate pudding and strawberry licorice, Re-treat is strictly a topical line.