Skincare trends come and go, and soy-based beauty isn’t new—but more beauty brands are highlighting soy ingredients on product labels. A few include Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Soybean Glycerides, and Soy Acid.

Fresh Beauty (owned by LVMH) created its Soy Face Cleanser in 1999, but it’s still extremely popular, especially among social media influencers. The brand claimed that one was sold every minute globally in 2018, The Cut reported. And this year, Fresh launched a new influencer campaign for the iconic cleanser, which contains aloe vera, cucumber extract, and soy proteins.

Fermented soybean is another beauty ingredient. One study highlights how Bacillus subtilis, a bacterium found in fermented soybean extract, plays a pivotal role in combating skin damage and promoting an even skin tone, VegNews reported.

Mixoon, a “Korean skincare brand for glass skin,” highlights “bean essence” as its star ingredient. The fermented soybean extract is considered a vegan alternative to the trending ingredient, snail mucin. An in-vitro study demonstrated that using fermented Bacillus subtilis in skincare delivers anti-oxidant, moisturizing, and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Another brand, Vitamasques, markets Vegan Snail Mucin Plant Serum—and its hero ingredient is the brand’s Vegan Snail Complex, which “combines nutrients of snail mucin with vegan-friendly ingredients.” It contains vegan collagen, MMHA, peptides, amino acids, glycolic acid, allantoin, betaine, zinc, and fruit enzymes. 

Read more about Vitamasques: Skincare Packaging Trends for a Competitive Edge

Another popular soy-based beauty ingredient is soy isoflavones. SkinCeuticals highlights soy isoflavones in its Face Cream, which states it is “formulated to combat the visible signs of aging and moisture loss in mature skin.” The product description continues, “Rich in isolated soy isoflavones, this ingredient stimulates collagen and hyaluronate production to firm skin.”

Studies reveal how soy isoflavones benefit skin health. The Soy Nutrition Institute promoted the results of the double-blind controlled trial, “Soy Protein Containing Isoflavones Improves Facial Signs of Photoaging and Skin Hydration in Postmenopausal Women.”  A high-resolution facial photography system measured wrinkle severity and pigmentation in 44 female participants, at 0, 8, 16, and 24 weeks. Results showed, “average wrinkle severity was decreased at week 16 and week 24 by 5.9% and 7.1%, respectively, compared to the baseline.”

Aiming to even draw more attention to the soy-skincare connection, The Soy Nutrition Institute and the United Soy Bean Board spoke to attendees at CEW’s Beauty Awards Expo last month.

Company reps explained soy’s numerous benefits to the skin, whether it’s ingested or the source of an ingredient in a topically applied product.

Read more about the event—and the CEW Beauty Award Finalists: CEW Hosts 2024 Beauty Awards Expo