Anti-acne spring water makes UK debut

The Lancashire-based manufacturer has a small portfolio of flavoured nutraceutical waters that includes Little Squirts with prebiotics, and 120/80 with pomegranate, to aid with blood pressure management. Its products are sold in UK supermarkets, such as Tesco and Morrison's. With the new product, called Beauty, which contains DMV's dairy peptide Praventin, Works With Water is addressing the skin care needs of adolescents and some older women - and tapping a big new trend in beverages. Until relatively recently people concerned with improving the appearance of their skin have used topical products such as face washes. In bad cases of acne, sufferers may be prescribed prescription remedies by their doctor. However a raft of functional food, beverage and supplement products positioned for 'beauty from within' have opened up more convenient ways to boost outward appearance - and bottled waters have been at the forefront of this trend. Mintel's Global New Products Database lists a number of entries for new waters marketed on a beauty-boosting platform in the last couple of years, however most of these are formulated with antioxidants or vitamins and minerals. Works With Water seeks differentiation from the scientific basis of the ingredients it uses. Praventin comes with a store of science. It is backed by a placebo-controlled trial on 64 consumers who found they had smoother, softer skin after taking the supplement for six weeks. Its anti-acne action is said to be two-fold. It inhibits the development of propionibacterium on skin - the cause of many skin impurities and acnes. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory action properties that helps reduce the size of spots and speed up healing. Jules Birch, founder of Works With Water, said: "By adding it to a spring water formulation we have created a product that helps hydrate and heal skin from the inside."​ Beauty also contains aloe vera, which is an antimicrobial. Praventin was born out of DMV's cysteine peptide, which has been on the market for several years and was positioned as an energy ingredient and for liver health. Cysteine is a precursor to glutathione, an important antioxidant that is produced by the body in the liver and needed to break down toxic substances, like alcohol and caffeine. The peptide form of the ingredient, proven to increase levels of glutathione in animals, is also thought to boost energy and improve sleep quality by allowing the body to act more efficiently on alcohol and caffeine, known to disrupt sleep patterns. This positioning has proved successful in the US, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and China. Praventin has previously been used in a supplement product aimed at the anti-acne market, introduced by Face-To-Face in 2006.