Coca-Cola to launch Beautific "beauty drinks"

Cynics in the beverage industry may think that drinkable beauty elixirs are to the 21st century what snake oils were to the Wild West: an expensive fad. However, in their quest for the Next Big Thing, global beverage companies cannot leave the booming beauty market untapped. If there are millions of desperate women out there who might succumb to the idea that a bottle a day will keep the plastic surgeon away, why not serve them with a beverage that they think will give them everlasting youth and beauty?

In 2007, U.S. brewer Anheuser-Busch was probably the first to venture into this market. It signed a global licensing agreement with Scott-Vincent Borba, one of Hollywood’s favourite beauty gurus and occasional walker of actress Demi Moore, to distribute and promote his line of BORBA beauty waters in traditional beverage channels. While expectations were high under the licensing partnership, Mr Borba and Anheuser-Busch parted ways shortly after the InBev acquisition. Apparently, the Brazilians did not think much of the concept of beauty from the inside out.

Now it’s Coca-Cola’s turn. The company has partnered with the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi to launch a new line of "beauty drinks" which will help strengthen hair and nails, embellish skin, aid weight loss and improve vitality, media reported in October 2012.

With the slogan "Everyday refreshing low calorie beauty hydration", the drinks will be positioned under the Oenobiol Beautific brand and launched on a small scale in a limited number of pharmacies across France.

No further details are yet available apart from the fact that the drinks will feature mineral water, fruit juice and nutrition additives in four different flavours.