New Product Friday
One of the biggest food and beverage trends over the last several years is what is called “Beauty From Within”. “Beauty From Within” foods and beverages contain ingredients that can improve the look, feel, and overall health of hair, skin, and nails. Some of the most common “Beauty from Within” products are gummies like Sugar Bear or Olly. Popular beverage companies like Vital Proteins are leading the way in the category by creating collagen-based powders and beverages. SkinTe’s wellness sodas plays into the “Beauty From Within” trend by including collagen and other functional ingredients that support hair, skin, and nail health. Their latest flavor, Blackberry Raspberry, will be examined here:
Filtered Sparkling Water—Self-explanatory.
Skinte Blend (Filtered Water, Collagen Peptides, Green Tea, Hawthorn Berry Extract, Horsetail Extract)—Be aware of blends! Especially when the blend contains water (already a separate ingredient) and almost all of the functional ingredients. Collagen peptides improve skin elasticity and reduce the appearance of fine lines. Green tea contains L-theanine to help with focused energy, when combined with caffeine. Hawthorn Berry extract is rich in antioxidants, but it is primarily researched for cardiovascular health. Horsetail extract is high in a compound called Silica. Silica is clinically studied to improve collagen synthesis.
Erythritol—A sugar alcohol and that is found naturally in small amounts in fruits and vegetables. It is 70% as sweet as sugar but contains only 6% of the calories of sugar. Commercially, it is made as a fermentation by-product from corn. It is also known to cause gastrointestinal issues in some people.
Natural Flavors—This would include flavor chemicals from black raspberries and flavor chemicals from other fruit, vegetable, spice, or plant sources.
Fumaric Acid—A naturally occurring acid found in bolete mushrooms, lichen, and Iceland moss. It has a characteristic fruity taste and is used to enhance fruity flavors.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)— A well-researched antioxidant that protects the immune system and the skin against sun and oxidative damage.
Natural Caffeine—This typically includes caffeine extracted and isolated from green coffee bean or green tea. There are some antioxidants in natural caffeine, but generally not enough to provide a significant benefit.
Himalayan Salt—Himalayan sea salt contains trace minerals that table salt or even sea salt do not have. The characteristic pink color is due to its unique blend of trace minerals. Despite what marketing messages might say, the amount of trace minerals are hardly enough to make a difference in your overall health.
Final Evaluation
Ingredient Quality: B+. This product is gluten free and non-GMO (not certified non-GMO). No other claims exist.
Ingredient Clarity: A. All ingredients are purposely added and make sense to the overall product.
Functional Benefit: B. All functional ingredients (except for Vitamin C and caffeine) are included in a blend. Blends are deceptive because they can be listed higher on the ingredient statement giving the impression that the beverage is better for you. In this blend, water is listed as the first ingredient which is boosting up the blend on the ingredient statement even more. Collagen is the second ingredient in the blend, claiming 3 grams per serving. The effective dosage for collagen is between 2.5-5 grams, so this is on the lower end of the effective dosage. Green tea (third ingredient in the blend) is high in antioxidants that improve skin health and L-theanine. The L-theanine in the green tea combined with natural caffeine ideally would create a more focused energy than caffeine alone. However, without knowing the actual amount of green tea (L-theanine) added, it is hard to know whether this is an effective dosage. Because green tea (L-theanine) is listed in the blend, more than likely it is not at an effective dosage. Hawthorne berry extract (fourth ingredient in the blend) is rich in antioxidants but is most studied for improvements in cholesterol and blood pressure. There are no studies that show a relationship between hair, skin, and nail improvement and Hawthorne berry extract. Horsetail extract’s benefits (last ingredient in the blend) are primarily due to its high silica content. Studies have shown that silica helps form the building blocks of collagen synthesis and strengthens bones, cartilage, and nails. These studies do show that small dosages (10 milligrams) are effective, so it is possible that this is included in an effective dosage. Finally, the Vitamin C and natural caffeine round out the functionality of the product providing proven antioxidant and energy benefits, respectively.
Nutritional Value: A-. This product has 25 calories, 3 grams of protein (from collagen) and no added sugar. This is nutritionally comparable to other functional sparkling sodas.
Overall Score: B. While not illegal, it is misleading to include water and the main functional ingredients in a blend. Listing these ingredients in a blend allows it to be placed higher on the ingredient statement, making it seem like there are higher amounts of the beneficial ingredients than there actually is. A blend also hides any indication that the functional ingredients are included in effective amounts. The collagen is the only ingredient in the blend whose amount is called out. At 3 grams/serving, it is on the lower end of an effective dosage. Vitamin C and caffeine amounts (not listed in the blend) are also called out and are at effective dosages. The other functional ingredients—green tea extract, hawthorne berry extract, and horsetail extract—are either not well-studied for hair, skin, and nail health, or are probably not included at effective dosages. The addition of erythritol is an interesting choice, considering that the ingredient can cause gastrointestinal problems in some people. At a little under $3/serving, it is not unreasonable and would be worth buying if reviews support its good taste (which seem to be mixed).
Would you buy this product? Why or why not?