The Wall Street Jornal
January 20, 2005

Following the success of products such as Olay Vitamins, supplements that claim to improve your complexion, more companies are plunging into the edible beauty business. Ingestible beauty supplements, from pills to drinks, have more than doubled in sales over the past five years, according to Euromonitor International, a market-research company.

This month, Sephora stores began selling Borba, a line of beverages that claim to prevent pimples and slow skin’s natural aging ($30 for a case of 12 15.2oz. bottles).

The ingredients featured in these beauty products -things like green tea extract and grapes – are antioxidants, which have been shown to help get rid of wrinkles and many of these ingredients are also found in skin creams. But Jenny Kim, an associate dermatology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, says the effectiveness of ingesting these items rather than dabbing them on your skin has so far been scientifically tested only on mice. “It’s very possible that these could work on humans but we need more research,” she says.

• Last fall, Australian skincare company Jurlique began selling “Life Force OPC Capsules” ($48 for 60, at Jurlique.com), which has green tea and grape.
• Honolulu-based BODYMINT USA has pills that promise to reduce breath, underarm and foot odors ($19.95 for one-month’s supply, at cvs.com).
• SkinCola ($1.99 for a 20 fl. oz. bottle, at New York Duane Reade stores) is a lemon flavored drink that contains zinc and vitamins B. C and E. It’s supposed to give you clear, hydrated skin.