The ‘Carnivore-ification' of Beauty and Wellness

Yahoo

7 hours ago

After committing to a high-animal-protein diet several years ago, Siff Haider, founder of women's health company Arrae, noticed her skin seemed glowier, her focus increased, her hair thicker and, of course, her muscles stronger.
Likewise, content creator and founder of Shelter Skin Catherine Lockhart began managing her PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) symptoms by ditching endocrine-disrupting synthetic body care for natural beef tallow-based creams.
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Haider's and Lockhart's experiences are indicative of a larger consumer movement toward animal-based products, particularly in health, wellness and beauty. Within this a slew of categories are taking hold, most notably, the high-protein diet, animal-sourced supplements like colostrum, the return of dairy milk over alternatives and tallow-based skin and body care.
While several years ago, Beyond and Impossible started a movement toward supposedly healthier plant-based meat, more recently, consumers have been returning to animal proteins for a variety of reasons. On TikTok, for example, high protein in general amasses 158.6 million average weekly views (a ground beef and cottage cheese bowl has even gone viral), while on Google, it receives 1.3 million average monthly searches, per Spate.
'The demonization of meat is over,' said Circana executive vice president, perimeter practice leader, Chris DuBois, who specializes in fresh foods, noting that while there was hype around plant-based alternatives, the category is small in comparison to real meat.
Experts say there are several reasons the high-protein craze has taken hold. For starters, protein provides a slew of benefits, like those Haider experienced, including improved muscle mass, feeling satiated, thicker hair and more. Furthermore, muscle loss associated with GLP-1 usage has also accelerated the trend.
'Everyone's shifting back because protein is one of the few vitamins and supplements that have heavily been researched and validated,' said Mark Lacy, an investment banking director at Raymond James specializing in healthy living.
In addition, women are driving the trend, as the category has shifted from being one of bodybuilding to one of longevity. 'Muscle is our life insurance. There has been an increased amount of conversation around longevity,' said Haider. She attributed this to female experts like physician and nutritional science specialist Dr. Gabrielle Lyons and women's health expert Dr. Stephanie Estima, both of whom discuss the importance of protein for women particularly for long-term bone health.
Lacy added: 'Companies are changing their target market to women, changing it to more of a lifestyle appeal.…Because of that, there's been a large increase in the total addressable market.'
Brands like Momentous, which offers a variety of performance supplements including protein powders, have experienced this shift in their business. According to cofounder and chief executive officer Jeff Byers, Momentous's consumer base was previously split between 60 percent men and 40 percent women but recently balanced to 50-50. For the first time in April, the brand also notched more new female customers than men. According to Byers, the consumer conversation has shifted from the minimal amount of protein that should be consumed to the optimal amount for performance and longevity.
This has been supported by social media, as well. 'TikTok and Reels have been huge because it shows that these supplements are taken by successful athletic women as part of their everyday routines,' said Lacy.
Although plant-based proteins still exist, they aren't as large or growing as rapidly as animal-based protein for myriad reasons. Experts say they don't provide a full amino acid profile (amino acids are the building blocks of protein). Additionally, plant meats tend to be more processed and plant protein powders tend to have higher heavy metal contents. They are also harder to digest and absorb, and plant proteins overall tend to be more expensive. Milk alternatives, like almond, soy and oat, are seeing a similar hit, as consumers return to dairy milks for the same reasons.
According to Circana, the meat market, estimated at $110 billion, is more popular than ever, with ground meat driving the category thanks to its convenience, seen in the beef and cottage cheese bowl. Ground beef alone is a $15 billion category growing 10 to 11 percent each year, even though it's nearly the most expensive it's ever been.
With this, it's not just meat that's gaining traction. Consumers are increasingly interested in different formats and enhanced ingredient profiles. Experts cited David as a prime example. The protein bar company, which provides 28 grams of protein per flavored bar, recently raised a $75 million series A and has expanded rapidly into major retailers — the brand gained popularity for its exciting flavors, like red velvet, and its use of EPG, a plant-based fat alternative that brings down the calorie and fat count in comparison to other bars, in combination with milk protein isolate, collagen, whey protein concentrate and egg white.
'You're going to see a lot of other categories now having real animal protein in them,' said DuBois. 'It's no longer just a dairy or meat thing. It's everywhere.'
Other examples include Khloé Kardashian's recent popcorn launch Khloud, $5 per bag, which uses whey protein isolate to pack seven grams of protein in each serving. The brand, which launched in April, is already receiving 4.5 million average weekly views on TikTok, per Spate. Meanwhile, Arrae recently launched its Clear Protein +, $55, a raspberry yuzu drink powder that combines 15 grams of grass-fed protein, electrolytes and collagen.
'People are looking for convenient ways to top up on protein,' said Haider.
Experts say that these new protein formats won't compete with each other but rather their protein-free counterparts.
'It's regular popcorn versus protein popcorn,' said Lacy. 'It's less about cross category and more versus your own category, similar to an Olipop and a Coke.'
With the emphasis around protein, other new products are launching aiming to take advantage of the growing market. Specifically, there's AmplifyeP24, $68, a new enzyme supplement that can aid in protein absorption, while amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, from brands like Kion and BodyHealth, have also gained popularity. According to Lacy, complimentary products like these that boost the effects of protein and add-on protein-based products, like Arrae's Clear Protein+ or David bars, are areas of opportunity in the category.
As high-protein diets and protein supplements become more commonplace, experts say consumers will become increasingly educated on the products they are buying. 'The protein conversation evolves into more around quality and understanding where things come from,' said Byers.
Animal-based protein isn't the only category taking hold. Supplements sourced from animals, most recently colostrum from cows, are gaining traction, while collagen sourced from cows and fish has also remained a mainstay for its skin and joint benefits.
Colostrum, the first milk provided by a mammal, has been growing rapidly. Colostrum supplement has grown by more than 1,000 percent on TikTok. Experts say the jury is still out, as clinical evidence isn't as widely available as it is for protein, but consumers are still gravitating toward the ingredient for its cure-all promises of supposed immunity, gut and longevity benefits.
While Armra has dominated the colostrum conversation as one of the earliest entrants, more brands are beginning to play in the space. There's Cowboy Colostrum, $69, which recently launched a Strawberry version of its colostrum. Cymbiotika recently launched a liquid version, $88, competing with powders, which make up the bulk of the market. Meanwhile, Ballerina Farm has combined protein, colostrum and collagen in its Farmer Protein, $67, for an all-in-one product.
While not new to market, more brands, like Perelel and Arrae, are also betting on animal-derived collagens with new launches, as it becomes more prominent in the longevity space.
Animal-based ingredients, tallow in particular, are gaining traction in topical products for similar reasons — tallow-based products are typically less processed and are free of endocrine disruptors, toxins and synthetics. According to data from Spate, searches for beef tallow skin care are up more than 1,000 percent from last year and it receives 11 million average weekly views on TikTok.
'Tallow is some of the fat that is in beef.…It's a very soft butter consistency,' said Thomasina Hutchins, product development manager at Primally Pure, which uses the ingredient in most of its products including its new SPF line, starting from $14. 'It's excellent for skin care. It has a really strong fatty acid profile, which are the building blocks of different oils.'
According to Hutchins, consumers were hesitant in regards to animal-based skin and body care given the rise of the vegan movement and the conversation around animal testing. However, with more people gravitating toward a carnivore diet and animal testing no longer a norm, consumers today better understand the benefits of an ingredient like tallow.
'Over time, it's become more mainstream, where it's just health-minded, and for some people that doesn't mean vegan,' she said.
The ingredient also fits the growing cohort of consumers opting for synthetic-free, nontoxic skin and body care products.
'Unlike many modern ingredients that are highly processed or synthetic, tallow is a whole, bioavailable ingredient that the skin recognizes and responds to,' said Primally Pure founder Bethany McDaniel.
Lockhart, who uses the ingredient in her Shelter Skin No. 1 Vanilla Tallow Body Butter, $59, noted that it's one of the best clean ingredients to use because it provides a more velvety finish compared to something like a mango butter, which is a bit more oily.
As tallow gains momentum, experts predict more brands may launch their own versions. That being said, tallow can be expensive and more difficult to work with in comparison to synthetics and preservatives used in more mass skin and body care products.
Whether it's ground beef bowls, colostrum powders or tallow sunscreen, consumers are returning to unprocessed or minimally processed animal offerings. Experts say the next iteration of these catergories will be all about transparency and quality, as shoppers become more educated on the space.
'Consumers are craving transparency and time-tested solutions,' said McDaniel. 'People are waking up to the idea that wellness isn't about more products or complicated routines — it's about getting back to what our bodies inherently understand and thrive on.'