SKINCARE FROM INSIDE OUT

ANNA LAHEY, FOUNDER OF VIDA GLOW

When we think about skin health, we usually think of topicals. But Anna Lahey has challenged that. Ten years ago, Lahey launched her brand, Vida Glow, with a marine collagen powder. Since then, the humble brand has grown into an ingestible beauty empire. The success thus far is mostly because Lahey and her team use the latest science to deliver proven ingestible formats for common concerns—a trend she believes will grow.

“Ingestible beauty is influencing a bi-directional approach to skincare,” says Lahey. “I believe topicals and ingestibles can work in tandem to address all layers of skin and accelerate results.” A great example of where it’s all heading is Clear, a new formula from the brand targeted at breakout-prone skin. “Clear works inside the body on the gut-skin axis to address the concerns that appear on the skin’s surface like breakouts, blackheads, whiteheads and excess oil.” With clinical trials showing a 50 percent reduction in symptoms, it seems the inside out approach is working.

Lahey, who has spent the past five years mapping out the future of ingestible skincare, believes that technology will play a lasting role, especially when it comes to delivering ingredients where they’re most needed. “In the ingestible category, we expect to see a big focus on the way we deliver ingredients,” she shares. “We’re already seeing this with the cap-in-cap technology we used for Clear—we were able to pair oil-based ingredients with powdered ingredients that historically wouldn’t have been able to exist together.”

She also says 12-step routines are on the decline. The rising cost of living and lack of time post-COVID-19 are partly to blame, but Lahey is convinced consumers will look to structure their routines around “fewer products that deliver bigger and better results”. ■