Alexis Farah from Women’s Health finds out the facts on the latest beauty supplements.

The lowdown on a slew of new edible beauty products
Alexis Farah

They say beauty comes from within—and several companies are putting that theory to the test, offering pills and drinks that promise gorgeous hair, skin, and nails. Six testers, plus nutritionist Susan Kraus, M. S., R. D., of Hackensack University Medical Center and Beverly Hills dermatologist Ava Shamban, M. D., see if they live up to the hype.

Tan from Within
1. Rodial Skinny Beach Supplement drink mix
$59 for 14 packets, blissworld.com
The claim Beta-carotene stimulates the pigmentation in your skin to darken while shielding you from UVB rays.
How it use it Mix one packet of powder with 100 milliliters of water one to two times a day. Your tan will develop after two weeks.
Tester says “I did get a bit bronzed, but I’d hoped for more dramatic results.”
Expert’s take Kraus: “The beta-carotene could stimulate pigmentation, giving skin a golden hue. But you still need to wear SPF 30 sunscreen daily, because the product won’t provide the protection you need.”

Boost Overall Beauty
2. Sonya Dakar Ultima Power Shake
$59, sonyadakarskinclinic.com
The claim Each 150-calorie shake provides a full daily serving of protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals to promote a healthy body and improve hair and skin.
How to use it Blend two scoops of Ultima Power into eight ounces of chilled water twice daily. You should see results in two weeks.
Tester says “It tasted like a strawberry milkshake! My skin was smoother, my hair shinier; and by replacing snacks with the shakes I started losing weight.”
Expert’s take Shamban: “This product definitely has all the right ingredients, and it’s good for you.”

Brighten and Even Out Skin Tone
3. GliSODin Skin Nutrients Advanced Skin Brightening pills
$80 for 60 pills, spalook.com
The claim Bioflavonoids (citrus-plant-derived antioxidants) promote even skin tone by inhibiting activity of tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for hyperpigmentation.
How to use it Take two pills daily with a meal. You’ll see results after two weeks.
Tester says “My uneven complexion did start to look a little less red and blotchy.”
Expert’s take Shamban: “I really like this line—it’s nicely formulated and packed with antioxidants.”

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Clear Up Acne
4-5. Functionalab Pure Skin pills and Nutrient Tonic shot
$55 per bottle, $6 per tonic, functionalab.com
The claim The pills contain lactoferrin and selenium, nutrients that exfoliate skin, maintain hormone balance, and regulate the skin’s oil production. The shots protect against free radicals with ingredients like blueberry and acai.
How to use it Depending on the severity of your acne, take one to two capsules a day with meals; use the tonics as often as you want.
Tester says “My acne-prone skin wasn’t quite so oily.”
Expert’s take Kraus: “It may help alleviate acne, but you would get the same results by eating apricots for vitamin C, dairy products for lactoferrin, nuts and whole grains for zinc and vitamin E, and tuna for selenium.”

Increase Skin Hydration
6. Crystal Light Skin Essentials drink mix
$3.29 for seven packets, at grocery stores and Wal-Mart
The claim Lutein and zeaxanthin (pigmented nutrients derived from natural plant extracts) and vitamins A, C, and E help enhance skin elasticity and hydration.
How to use it Empty one packet into two cups of water twice a day.
Tester says “It comes in pomegranate lemonade and white peach tea flavors— both of them tasted great. And my skin felt slightly less dry than usual.”
Expert’s take Kraus: “The lutein and zeaxanthin contain antioxidants, which maintain the balance of your skin.”

Turn Back the Clock
7. BeautyScoop drink mix
$95 for 21 packets, beautyscoop.com
The claim The lipids and peptides in this vanilla-flavored formula boost the body’s own regenerative power, reducing the appearance of fine lines.
How to use it Mix one 20-gram pack into four to eight ounces of any drink once a day for three weeks.
Tester says “I was surprised to wake up in the morning and have hydrated skin (it’s normally dry), which made my wrinkles less visible.”
Expert’s take Shamban: “It has plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Your body absorbs the powder faster than it does pills, so you may see results sooner.”

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“because everything we put in and on our bodies must be nutritious and safe,”

–Horst Rechelbacher, Founder of Intelligent Nutrients

Horst Rechelbacher announced the launch of his new certified organic health and beauty brand, Intelligent Nutrients, at a press event in New York City. The health and beauty lifestyle brand, Intelligent Nutrients, was unveiled to the press and beauty industry and includes more than twenty SKUs for launch. The launch collection includes certified organic aromatics, certified organic scalp and hair care, certified organic hair styling, certified organic total body cleanser, certified organic lip delivery nutrition ™ , and the heart of the line—Intellimune ™ —an internal/external certified organic super antioxidant seed oil blend and tablets. This is the first phase of an entire lifestyle brand with future products to include skin care, body care, maternal/baby care, love therapy, pet care and INvironmental products for the home.

“We’ve created something that has not been done before with Intelligent Nutrients. We’ve merged food science and cosmetic chemistry to create a new paradigm in beauty. We called it Nutritional Chemistry—it’s based on using only certified organic food-derived ingredients—substances the body recognizes and readily assimilates as nutrients in the body,” said Horst Rechelbacher, founder of the company.

“At Intelligent Nutrients each product is formulated for both performance and safety -our belief is that what we put on our
bodies should be as safe and nutritious as what goes into our bodies. It’s my personal mission to change the outdated
chemistry which is used in personal care products. And rather than just talk about what’s wrong, I decided to show the
industry that beauty can be done differently—responsibly and safely—without compromising performance,” explains
Rechelbacher.

Because our bodies absorb toxins and chemicals in the air we breathe and in the products we use every day, Intelligent
Nutrients intends to educate consumers regarding the truth about ingredients. “Not all manufacturers are coming clean. In
fact, greenwashing has become an epidemic within the beauty industry. Our commitment is not only to tell the truth, but
to educate consumers and the industry alike about organics, as well as the risks associated with many harmful ingredients
commonly used in beauty products,” explains Melissa Christenson, President of Intelligent Nutrients.

NEW Product INtelligence:
The launch collection includes aromatics, hair and scalp care, styling, body cleanser and lip balm—all certified organic to the
highest standards, as well as the anti-aging, anti-oxidant powerhouse seed oil complex—Intellimune, also certified organic.
“When you look at current beauty products and their most potent active ingredients—you’ll see that most are derived from
food sources—from Omega-3, to lycopene, to fruit acids and antioxidants. We‘ve taken this chemistry and raised the bar on
cosmetic science by using the purest form of the food-derived ingredients to ensure safety, industry organic certification and authenticity — and most important—performance,” explains Christenson.

INgredients:
All IN products are free of the suspect ingredients commonly used in beauty products today, including sulfates, petrochemicals, plastics, phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde donors, heavy metals, silicone, mineral oil, petrolatum and 1,4 dioxane.

Intelligent Nutrients Launch Products Overview:
Certified Organic Intellimune™:
Intellimune ™ Oil and Tablets—USDA certified organic nutraceutical supplements– offer a super potent amount of antioxidants in a single serving. Both are made from thousands of certified organic fruit and herb seeds chosen for their extremely high antioxidant properties and blended for a synergistically higher health potential. Cold-pressed without chemicals or heat for integrity, efficacy, safety and purity. The unprecedented levels of immune-boosting antioxidants in Intellimune help prevent premature aging and help combat oxidative stress.

Each teaspoon of Intellimune ™ oil delivers the oil antioxidant equivalent of eating 10 pounds of grapes, raspberries or
cranberries.

Intelligent Nutrients feels so strongly about the value of Intellimune ™ , this powerful blend has been added into every hair, skin and body care product.

Key Ingredients:
Organic black cumin (nigella sativa) seed: Used for centuries in the Middle East. Black cumin oil is well known for its
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Organic red grape (vitis vinifera) seed: High in linoleic acid, Vitamin E and the antioxidant proanthrocyanidin. Its oil is
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Organic pumpkin (curcubita pepo) seed: Highly nutritious. Contains Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids.
Organic red raspberry (rubus idaeus) seed: Its oil is very low in saturated fat. Is a good source of polyunsaturated fats
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Reese Witherspoon is definitely in bloom!

The star, 33, has just released a new fragrance, In Bloom, for Avon, and she says she is proud that the scent reflects her new attitude toward life.

“When we came up with In Bloom, it just sounded like a great name,” Witherspoon tells BellaSugar.com. “I thought it should evoke a feeling that was reflective of what was going on in my life. I think that In Bloom captures the idea that I’m at a time in my life where I feel very confident with my work, with my personal life — and that it’s a time to really blossom.”

The star — who was involved in practically all aspects of the “incredibly complicated process” of creating a fragrance over the past two years — also says she incorporated memories from her childhood.

“We started with a set of ideas … about sensory memories,” she says. “What it was like growing up in Tennessee and what I remember of my mother [and] my grandmother wearing perfume-wise. A large part of my childhood was spent in my yard with a gigantic magnolia tree, so I knew it had to have magnolia in it.”

In Bloom also incorporates peach tea leaves and gardenia, a nod to the perfume her mom used to wear.

Still, the actress — who says her scent is “easy to wear” and goes well from “day to night” — admits that even more than developing the scent, she enjoyed designing the bottle.

“When my grandmother was done with the perfume, she would give me the bottle so that there was just a little bit left,” she recalls. “I remember thinking, ‘It’s so beautiful having these things sitting on your dresser.’ I thought about it as sort of a piece of art — something in your bathroom, something in your bedroom — that really is something beautiful that you feel inspired by.”

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