Skincare trends come and go, and while soy-based beauty isn’t new, more and more beauty brands are highlighting soy ingredients on their product labels. Some include glycine soja (soybean) oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, soy glycerides, and soy acid.
Fresh Beauty (owned by LVMH) developed its soy face cleanser in 1999, and it’s still very popular, especially among social media influencers. The brand claims it sold one piece every minute worldwide in 2018, The Cut reported. And this year, Fresh launched a new influencer campaign for its iconic cleanser containing aloe vera, cucumber extract, and soy protein.
Fermented soybeans are also one of the beauty ingredients. One study highlights how Bacillus subtilis, a bacteria found in fermented soybean extract, plays an important role in fighting skin damage and promoting an even skin tone. VegNews reported.
“Korean skin care brand for glass skin” Mixoon highlights “bean essence” as its star ingredient. Fermented soy extract is considered a vegan alternative to the trending ingredient snail mucin. In vitro studies have demonstrated that the use of fermented Bacillus subtilis in skin care provides antioxidant, moisturizing, and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Another brand, Vitamasques, sells a vegan snail mucin plant serum. Its key ingredient is the brand’s Vegan Snail Complex, which “combines the nutrients of snail mucin with vegan-friendly ingredients.” Contains vegan collagen, MMHA, peptides, amino acids, glycolic acid, allantoin, betaine, zinc, and fruit enzymes.
Read more about Vitamasques: Skincare packaging trends for a competitive edge
Soy isoflavones are another soybean-derived beauty ingredient that is attracting attention. SkinCeuticals highlights that the face cream contains soy isoflavones, which it says are “formulated to combat visible signs of aging and moisture loss in mature skin.” The product description goes on to say, “It is rich in soy isoflavones, which stimulates the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid, resulting in firmer skin.”
Research has revealed how soy isoflavones can benefit skin health. The Soybean Nutrition Research Institute touted the results of a double-blind controlled study: “Soy protein containing isoflavones improves facial photoaging signs and skin hydration in postmenopausal women.” We measured wrinkle severity and pigmentation in 44 female participants at 0, 8, 16, and 24 weeks using a high-resolution facial photography system. The results showed that “average wrinkle severity decreased by 5.9% and 7.1% at weeks 16 and 24, respectively, compared to baseline.”
In an effort to draw more attention to the relationship between soy and skin care, the Soy Nutrition Institute and the National Soy Board spoke to attendees at CEW’s Beauty Awards Expo last month.
Company representatives explained the numerous benefits soy has for the skin, whether ingested or as a source of ingredients in topically applied products.
Read more about the event and CEW Beauty Award finalists: CEW hosts 2024 Beauty Awards Expo
