Food & Beverage Asia December/January 2024

INGREDIENTS 21
A SOLUTION FOR THINNING HAIR
In a randomised, placebo-controlled study
conducted by Steffen Oesser of the Collagen
Research Institute in Kiel, Germany, VERISOL
supplementation was shown to improve hair
structure by significantly increasing thickness
and proliferation of human hair follicle cells.
forecasts predict the gummy supplements
market will grow by 14.5% between 2023 and
2028 to be worth US$48.5bn. Within this,
collagen gummies are expected to more than
double in value from $5.1bn to $10.8bn.*
nail roughness – and all were assessed
before starting the treatment, after 12
weeks, after 24 weeks and four weeks
after the last intake (washout phase).
When measured four weeks after the last
intake, VERISOL supplementation was
shown to have promoted a 15% increase
in nail growth. Frequency of cracked or
chipped nails also decreased significantly
by 42% after 24 weeks of treatment, which
continued during the washout phase.
The number of women displaying “severe”
or “moderate” nail peeling halved after
12 weeks of treatment, and those with
“severe” longitudinal splitting of the
free edge reduced from 4% to 0% after
24 weeks. For nail roughness, after the
washout phase, 88% of participants
showed excellent to fair improvement.
At the end of the study, most participants
(80%) agreed that using VERISOL had
improved their nails’ appearance and
were totally satisfied or satisfied with
the performance of the treatment.
Participants were also asked to rate the
overall improvement of their nails from
zero to 10, and almost half (46%) rated
this between nine and 10. Moreover, 75%
perceived their nails to be stronger, and 71%
felt they were growing faster and longer.
This study suggests a similar mechanism
to VERISOL skin studies. Hence, the
positive effects are likely derived from
the direct effect of VERISOL on the nail
matrix and nail bed. The researchers
also concluded that improvements
in nail strength demonstrated in this
trial may be a result of the increased
water-binding capacity of brittle nails
promoted by VERISOL treatment.*
The study was conducted on 44 healthy
women aged between 39-75, who each
received a daily dose of 2.5g VERISOL or
placebo for 16 weeks. At the end of the
supplementation period, comparison of the
two groups revealed a statistically significant
increase in hair thickness in the VERISOL
group compared to the placebo, confirming
the benefits of VERISOL for hair thickness.
In addition, the study investigated whether
VERISOL might have a positive impact
on hair follicle cells, and promote their
proliferation. An in vitro test showed a
statistically significant increase of 31% in
the proliferation rates of human hair follicle
cells after exposure to VERISOL for four
hours, compared with untreated control
cells. This suggests VERISOL has a positive
effect on hair metabolism, building on
previous data showing that BCP increase
mitochondrial activity in hair follicle cells.*
HUGE POTENTIAL
When it comes to presenting these benefits
to consumers in an attractive way, there are
numerous possibilities. VERISOL is soluble
and neutral in taste, making it suitable for
all sorts of delivery formats, both solid and
liquid. However, one of the most interesting
delivery routes is via fortified gummies.
Market data shows that “pill-fatigued”
consumers around the world prefer the
pleasant sensory experience of this
user-friendly format. Innova Market
Insights notes that the number of gummy
introductions globally leapt by 81%
between 2020-21 to command a 9.4%
share of total supplement launches.
Although gummies fortified with vitamins
and minerals have historically dominated
the category, other sectors are gaining
ground. In 2021, nail, skin and hair became
the third largest subcategory, with a 10%
share. Looking forward, global market
OPTIMUM DOSAGE
Developing collagen-rich gummies that
deliver visible improvements for skin, hair and
nails is not, however, straightforward. One of
the main challenges is translating effective
amounts of collagen into the gummy itself.
In scientific studies, a daily dose of 2.5g
of VERISOL has been proven to deliver
beneficial effects. Although this is much
lower than alternative collagen ingredients
(some require doses of up to 15g for a
positive effect), it is still challenging to
incorporate this amount of collagen into
a single gummy – or even a handful.
This is where VERISOL HST comes to the
rescue. This ingredient allows higher levels
of BCP to be incorporated into individual
gummies, so that consumers only have
to take three gummies a day to hit their
daily target of 2.5g collagen peptides.
The key advantage of VERISOL HST is that
it combines the health benefits of collagen
peptides with the technical benefits of gelatine.
Therefore, instead of adding gelatine and
collagen peptides separately in the gummy
production, manufacturers can replace both
ingredients with VERISOL HST. This singlestep
solution enables easy production of
high collagen beauty gummies that deliver
the taste, texture and confidence-boosting
results consumers are looking for. FBA
* References available on request
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA DECEMBER 2023 / JANUARY 2024