The first European launch, Innéov Firmness, is to take place in March 2003 within a selective distribution channel, that of the pharmacy. The pharmacist, Innéov's favoured partner, has all the necessary skills to accompany consumers in an advisory and educational approach to nutritional supplements, their use and how they work.
Moreover, the choice of the medical visit to see dermatologists and the presence of Innéov at national congresses will enable us to provide dermatologists with tools to help them give better recommendations and direction to their patients, who are very much in search of information and reassurance regarding nutritional supplements.

Innéov Firmness, the first nutritional supplement from the Laboratoires INNEOV presented at the European Dermatological Congress (EADV).

Innéov Firmness is intended for women aged over 40, concerned by the loss of cutaneous firmness.
The Innéov Firmness formula benefits notably from a technological breakthrough achieved by Nestlé Research:
Lacto-LycopeneTM. This is a specific combination which enables lycopene to be made highly assimilatable by the organism.
Lacto-LycopeneTM is formulated in combination with vitamin C and Soya isoflavones.
During the European Dermatology Congress held in Prague at the beginning of October, Innéov Firmness was the subject of several scientific communication material : posters about in-vitro and ex-vivo studies and the bio-availability of active ingredients.
The clinical efficiency of Innéov Firmness was established through a double blind clinical study carried out vs placebo on 90 menopausal women, not taking hormonal replacement treatments. The results were presented by Pr Brigitte Dreno (1), during a symposium at the congress.


Innéov's European goal in strong growth markets

The Laboratoires Innéov, a 50/50 Joint Venture between L'Oréal and Nestlé, are specialised in cosmetic nutritional supplements. Innéov's European subsidiaries, all belonging to the Laboratoires Innéov, will be set up over the coming weeks in a certain number of markets : Germany, Belgium, Spain, France and Portugal. Nutritional supplements, whose status is from now on governed by a recent European directive, represent a market with strong potential: 15 to 20% of European women are today regular consumers of nutritional supplements (2), and the rates of growth of this market range from 7 to 30% depending on the country (3).



In the nutri-cosmetics market, the Laboratoires Innéov combine Nestlé's research experience in nutrition and food safety with the dermatological research experience of L'Oréal.

These new research projects concerning the relationship between nutrition and cutaneous physiology and the objective measurement of the effects and action of nutritional supplements will enable a better anticipation of the issue at stake and the scientific significance of cosmetic nutritional supplements.


(1) Dermatology department, Hôtel-Dieu, Nantes
(2) Source IPSOS 2001
(3) Germany (120 M€, +7%), Belgium (17 M€, +10%), Spain (35 M€, +29%), France (210 M€, +18%), Italy (74 M€, +19%).
Source IMS Health Pharmacy 2001 including hair care, sun care, dry skin, menopause, slimming aids (except Germany)