A clinical study on HyaCera, the skin-support supplement from health and wellness brand Ritual, revealed a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles as well as improved skin smoothness in 12 weeks.

The study was conducted in partnership with a leading research organization, according to Ritual, and aligns with the company’s commitment to conduct gold-standard human clinical trials on all its products by 2030.

“Selecting evidence-based ingredients has always been a priority for Ritual, and conducting a gold-standard clinical trial on the finished formula for HyaCera takes that commitment one step further. It provides robust scientific evidence on the efficacy of a skin supplement, a category that previously has had limited clinical support,” said Mastaneh Sharafi, PhD, RD, vice president of scientific and clinical affairs at Ritual. “This clinical study not only reaffirms our dedication to producing high-quality products but also ensures that our customers can trust in the validated benefits of HyaCera.”

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design spanned a duration of 12 weeks. Participants were 63 healthy women and men ranging in age from 26 to 64. Multiple skin-related assessments were made at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks after the commencement of the supplementation protocol. At 12 weeks, results include:

• A 356% reduction in crow’s feet wrinkles within 90 days when compared to placebo;
• A 290% increase in facial skin smoothness within 90 days when compared to placebo;
• More HyaCera participants reported an improvement in skin elasticity, glow/radiance, fine lines and wrinkles and general signs of aging.

“We were highly skeptical of creating a product for this category. We reviewed numerous ingredients, but either found ingredients with clinical studies that were poorly conducted or ingredients with no clinical support at all,” said Adeline Grier-Welch, MS, MPH, RDN, senior scientist at Ritual. “We selected Ceratiq and Hyabest because they had human clinical evidence to support their efficacy, met our standards for traceability, and were ingredients we felt confident putting to the test in our own clinical trial.”

Ingestible beauty is among the fastest growing segments in the supplement category, predicted to reach $9.2 billion by the year 2031. Despite its rapid growth, very few products have human clinical trials to showcase proof and efficacy, Ritual suggested.

“It’s important to me that we continue setting a new standard in the supplement industry,” said Katerina Schneider, Founder and CEO of Ritual. “We’ve put a stake in the ground to conduct gold-standard human clinical trials in partnership with leading universities and research organizations from around the world on all our products by 2030. This is not a requirement in the category, but it’s something we believe is important to ensure our customers can feel confident in the efficacy of the products they are using every day.”

To date, Ritual has completed a university-led clinical trial on its Essential for Women 18+ formula, published in Frontiers In Nutrition and uses clinically studied key ingredients with strategic doses and forms across the rest of its line. The brand has also completed two in-vitro studies on Synbiotic+ and one in-vitro study on Essential for Women 18+.

This latest study follows Ritual’s request to Congress to define terms like “clinically studied” to reduce misuse in the marketplace. Ritual continues to advocate for stricter oversight and encourages best practices, including using the clinically studied ingredients in the same doses cited in the studies, formats that maximize absorption in the body, or human clinical trials for finished good claims.