The Superfood Effect: Why Kale Is Trending at Beauty Counters

An ad for Nails Inc.'s Nailkale collection

Just as “health creep” has ushered in the rise of workout-proof makeup, ingredients hyped for their dietary and nutritional benefits are cropping up in cosmetics, too. “The lines between beauty and food continue to blur,” noted trendspotters at the J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group in “The Future 100,” their forecast of key themes for 2016, explaining that this ties into consumers’ holistic view of well-being. (See: niche brands like Australia’s The Beauty Chef and New York’s Loli, a subscription box for DIY “kitchen beauty.”)

But the influence of superfoods has been trickling into more widely available products, too: you can now find kale in nail colour and beyond; organic quinoa in makeup; and kombucha in skincare. Click through the slideshow below for the latest beauty launches taking a cue from the health-food aisle.

The antioxidants in kale extract fight free-radical damage. Nip + Fab Kale Fix, $16–$26, at Shoppers Drug Mart

Youth to the People Kale + Green Tea Spinach Vitamins Age Prevention Cleanser, $36 USD, youthtothepeople.com

Organic quinoa extract works to preserve skin’s suppleness. Clarins Everlasting Foundation+, $42, at Clarins counters

A proprietary complex, featuring black tea ferment plus other botanical extracts, inhibits free-radical damage. Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Firming Serum, $100

Kombucha, derived from black tea ferment, helps defend collagen. Murad Anti-Aging Moisturizer, $58, at Sephora

Vitamin-rich kale extract purportedly helps stimulate keratin production for stronger tips. Nails Inc. NailKale, $16 each, at Sephora

NEXT: BLURRED GENDER LINES

A version of this article was originally published in the Spring 2016 issue of Cosmetics magazine. For more, download our iPad edition.