Trends to watch in '09

NAPLES, N.Y. -- Food and beverages with beauty benefits, detox products and highly concentrated household cleaners are just a few of the trends to watch in consumer packaged goods this year, according to a new report from the market research firm Datamonitor.

Recent detox launches include Function Urban Detox goji berry drink and Biore Detoxify daily scrub in the U.S. and V Water detox vitamin water in the United Kingdom.Church & Dwight Co., for instance, is offering Arm & Hammer Essentials, a line of cleaning products that comprises a glass cleaner as well as a multi-surface cleaner that includes an empty 32-ounce trigger sprayer bottle sold with attached 1.2-ounce bottles of liquid concentrate to be mixed with water.Though the trend is very much in its infancy, Vierhile notes that signs of the product segment becoming more mainstream are starting to emerge.Closely related to this, Vierhile says, is the growing trend away from energy drinks and toward beverages that provide a more relaxing effect as well as toward detoxification formulas.In addition, Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics report says relaxing drinks, the zero-calorie artificial sweetener Stevia, flower-based products, steam cooking, including nuts and seeds as part of a healthy diet, and anything marketed as eco-friendly will make significant inroads this year.Signs of this trend are already appearing, the report notes, with such products as Drank relaxation energy beverage and Purple Stuff pro-relaxation and calming elixir already being marketed in the United States, while similar products--Nescafe Body Partner relaxation coffee in the Philippines and Lotte Relax Gum in Japan--have appeared elsewhere in the world.As consumers strive for better health, products that provide detoxification are also on the rise, Datamonitor says. Some food-based detox products use such liver-friendly ingredients as dandelion root as active ingredients, but regardless of the science behind the trend, consumers are paying attention as a growing array of celebrities from singer Beyonce to talk show host Oprah Winfrey tout the benefits of detox diets.Beauty care is quickly moving beyond just cosmetics into a whole new area of products that can be ingested, notes Datamonitor director Tom Vierhile.Nestle, for instance, recently launched Glowelle beauty drink supplement powder in the United States, while Masterfoods is offering Dove Beautiful milk chocolate, a candy bar that has such skin-nourishing ingredients as vitamins C and E along with biotin, zinc and cocoa flavanols.Meanwhile, soaring oil prices in 2008 caused companies to conclude that transporting water is expensive and it is cheaper to have consumers add their own water when possible. As a result a number of suppliers of household cleaners have begun marketing highly concentrated formulas that are then mixed with water to make a larger quantity of cleaner.A number of high-profile suppliers, including Nestle SA and Masterfoods, are getting ready to market specially formulated foods and drinks that combat aging and nourish skin.

Church & Dwight Co., for instance, is offering Arm & Hammer Essentials, a line of cleaning products that comprises a glass cleaner as well as a multi-surface cleaner that includes an empty 32-ounce trigger sprayer bottle sold with attached 1.2-ounce bottles of liquid concentrate to be mixed with water.