Collagen, CBD and charcoal made up a triumvirate of key ingredients trending at Expo West, the annual natural products trade show in Anaheim, California.

Combined with ingestibles (drinkable beauty powders, gummies and chews), as well as a renewed focus on sun care and essential oils, the four-day event proved that beauty is no longer a stand-alone category.

“Most notable was how the lines are blurring between food, wellness and beauty,” said Rob Volpe, CEO of San Francisco strategy company Ignite 360. “It’s the same ingredients offering the same benefits, but now the consumer can decide whether she wants to eat and drink her way to beauty or put it on her skin.” Among brands showing new ingestible offerings was Irvine-based youtheory; Chief Scientific Officer Dr Nick Bitz said the new Liquid Collagen was a more practical alternative to powders, which are typically poured into shakes and smoothies. The liquids, launching at retail May 2019, contain 5,000 mg of collagen in a single serve berry-flavored dose, and will retail for between $14.99 and $19.99 for a box of 12. The brand was also bowing its Beauty Powder, which contains collagen as well as biotin, hyaluronic acid and lutein and zeaxanthin, both from marigold extract.

The recent Expo, in its 39th year, ran from March 5 to March 9 at the Anaheim Convention Center and the neighboring Hilton Hotel, and is the world’s largest natural and organic products show. Some 86,000 attendees from 136 countries attended, visiting more than 3,600 exhibitors.

First-time exhibitor Jessica Mulligan, formerly Global Vice President for collagen brand Neocell, was at Expo with her new line, Winged CBD, created specifically for women. The six-sku line will ship in early May to arrive at retailers, including Wegmans and Vitamin Shoppe, for Mother’s Day. The Austin, Texas-based brand uses CBD alongside ingredients such as evening primrose oil. Mulligan said she founded the brand after reading studies that showed women were twice as likely as men to experience migraines, PTSD, anxiety and sleep issues.

“We wanted to create a brand that was rooted in mood,” said Jessica. The products, soft gels, tinctures and gummies, will range in price from $29.99 to $59.99 for a month’s supply.

Retailers were taking note of the new-to-market concepts, and seeking out lines based on clean yet efficacious ingredients. Rachel Krupa, founder of The Goods Mart, a specialty store with outposts in Los Angeles and New York, said highlights included the all-natural offerings from Golden, Colorado-based Spinster Sisters Co, such as its innovative Shampoo and Conditioner Bars. Functioning like a soap, the products have argan oil, cacao seed butter, essential oils, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and are offered in fragrances such as rosemary mint and coconut lime. The delivery system, said Rachel, eliminates waste almost entirely.

Sustainability was another key aspect of the show, said Jessica Rubino, Senior Beauty Editor at New Hope, organizer of the event.

“There were a lot of beauty brands using their products as a tool to bring about positive change and giving back to the earth,” she said. “They were affecting change through their supply chains, or showing what they could do to commit around climate. It wasn’t just about touting their plant-based ingredients, but also about where they grow or source them.”

Other things for retailers to look for: the evolution of organic and natural products in the feminine hygiene and intimacy space, from brands such as Ah! Yes and Good Clean Love, as well as products for tween and teen girls made from clean and non-toxic ingredients.

And inevitably, many of these trends will intersect. Natural deodorants “are going beyond hum drum,” said Ignite 360’s Rob. “We’re seeing a broader range of products featuring appealing botanical fragrances with clever packaging, making items appealing to both the eye and the nose. And we found a natural deodorant with CBD in it as well.”