According to The Future Laboratory’s recent Future Forecast report for 2025, the rise of weight loss medications like Ozempic has dramatically affected the health and wellness industry and will continue to do so this year and beyond.
Semaglutide drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which were originally prescribed for people with type 2 diabetes, have become the new go-to weight loss solution.
They slow digestion and curb cravings, leading to dramatic weight loss in a short period of time for many users. A clinical study over a 68-week period showed the participants experienced an average weight loss of around 15% of their body weight.
The drugs work by mimicking the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone, which regulates appetite and blood sugar levels. By enhancing insulin secretion and delaying gastric emptying, the user feels full and eats less.
As one in eight Americans have admitted to trying these drugs, according to health research non-profit KFF, and many analysts predict that popularity of the drug will continue to grow.
What causes Ozempic-face?
However, when someone rapidly loses a huge amount of weight, they can experience issues with sagging skin on their body afterwards.
This can also be accompanied by what is now being dubbed ‘Ozempic face’.
As extreme weight loss in a short period of time puts strain on the body, it can potentially cause loss of skin elasticity, disruption of the skin barrier and rapid loss of essential fatty acids.
This can leave skin looking wrinkled, dull and lacklustre, while the skin around the eyes can also take on a hollowed out, darker appearance. All of this can make the person look older than their actual age.
Mr Alex Karidis, owner of London-based Karidis clinic explained that use of Ozempic is often compared to the effects of bariatric surgery in aesthetic circles, as it triggers swift weight reduction that can significantly challenge the body’s ability to adapt – leading to loose, sagging skin, especially in older people.
Mr Karidis notes, “many of my patients in their 60s have achieved their weight loss goals with Ozempic, yet they face a new challenge: excessive loose skin on their face and body. In essence, solving one problem often introduces another.”
“Unlike gradual weight loss programs that allow skin and tissues to adjust over time, Ozempic’s rapid effects can result in a profound shock to the tissues, with limited opportunity for collagen fibres to realign,” he explained.
“This often exacerbates age-related changes such as loss of skin elasticity and facial volume, which are not easily corrected by standard anti-aging strategies like maintaining stable weight and muscle strength.”
A particularly significant impact of Ozempic is the loss of facial fullness. “Many patients resort to dermal fillers to restore volume,” he continued.
Mr Karidis was also quick to point out the emotional impact of significant and rapid weight loss, too.
“Patients frequently express concerns about their altered facial appearance, which is continuously visible and impactful, unlike body changes that can be concealed, he continued.
“This often leads to a disconnection between their improved physical health and their psychological self-perception, introducing complex emotional and identity challenges.”
Cosmetic fillers offer a fast solution to Ozempic face
As Mr Karidis mentioned, the aesthetics industry is already benefiting from the side-effects of these weight-loss drugs, with fillers such as Galderma’s Sculptra leading the charge.
Head of global product strategy at Galderma, Gerry Muhle, explained that Sculptra was first launched in 1999 in Europe as a wrinkle-filling product, which was then used to treat HIV related facial lipoatrophy, as a “transformative treatment, restoring skin fullness and thickness to reverse the gaunt appearance associated with the condition.”
Over the years, Galderma has continued to research Sculptra’s dermatological potential with an updated version of the product and it now has a range of applications beyond just volumisation – making it the first biostimulator, which works with the body’s natural process to stimulate collagen and elastin production.
The product is said to give results that last for over two years.
Muhle explained that Sculptra’s PLLA-SCA™ formulation “has a stimulatory effect on key components of the extracellular matrix, such as elastin and agents which activate the remodelling of adipose (fat) tissue.”
He added that: “these properties open exciting new possibilities to help address facial alterations associated with weight loss experienced by some patients using prescription weight management medicines.”
Muhle shared that 49% of users of prescription weight management medications planned to undergo aesthetic procedures once they reached their weight loss goals.
Galderma also just announced three-month interim data from its “first-of-its-kind trial” that explores the benefits of injectable aesthetic treatments for patients that have medication-driven weight loss and the associated facial volume loss.
In the trial, Galderma used a combination of its Sculptra and Restylane Lyft or Contour to improve the facial aesthetic appearance of these patients.
The results so far show it has improved facial aesthetic appearance and had high patient satisfaction.
Subjects saw an improved mid-face shape and contouring, along with improvements in cheek wrinkles and an overall improvement in facial appearance
Skin quality findings also showed improvements beyond visual improvement, including improved skin radiance and skin thickness three months after the final injection treatment
Subjects reported high satisfaction as early as four weeks after their first treatment session, which was maintained through to three months after their treatment.
At Week 4, 85% said their face looked more refreshed, and almost 80% noticed their facial balance was improved. Overall, 89% felt more attractive and happier with their appearance.
A six-month extension study is now ongoing to capture the effects of these treatments over time.
Emerging trend: Ozempic-related topicals & ingestibles
While it appears that fillers offer a quick solution to ‘Ozempic face’, this is also an expensive option for many people.
This means there would also be opportunities for cosmetic and nutraceutical products that can help restore skin plumpness and glow, as well as cosmetics that work alongside the filler treatments.
Senior consultant at Mintel Consulting Vivienne Rudd believes that the emerging trend for Ozempic-related topical and ingestible regimens is interesting development to watch.
“This is still in its infancy, but the World Obesity Federation has forecast that 51% of the global population will be obese in 2035 and recent moves by national governments to promote the use of GLP-1 medications indicate real potential for such regimens in the future,” she said.
For Rudd, there is an opportunity in the beauty sector for facial skin care and body care products that can counteract the effects of such rapid weight loss on skin tone and texture.
“Mintel’s Data Analytics team has been looking at the combination of claims and ingredients that can help to address these issues and predict the cascade of such solutions across beauty categories and sub-categories and from market to market,” she shared.
Indeed, there are a plethora of ingredients that could be used to formulate topical products to help with Ozempic face, such as antioxidants like Vitamin C, retinoids and neuropeptides to boost collagen and elastin production.
Along with facial and body skin care, the colour cosmetics category could also be affected by this trend.
In late 2024, the consumer trends platform Spate noted social media searches for “contouring” were down 10.6 % YoY, which could affect the sales of contouring products.
However, Spate also flagged that social media searches for bronzing products were up 33%, which means there could be opportunities for colour cosmetics brands to create products that give users of these drugs a healthy-looking glow.
There is also the growing issue of ‘Ozempic butt’, which could open up new product development options for body care formulators.
“This is still in its infancy, but the World Obesity Federation has forecast that 51% of the global population will be obese in 2035 and recent moves by national governments to promote the use of GLP-1 medications indicate real potential for such regimens in the future.”
Senior consultant at Mintel Consulting, Vivienne Rudd
Nutricosmetics “quick to spot the opportunity”
The opportunities have also extended to overlapping industries, such as the nutraingredients space.
“Nutricosmetics and VMS companies have been quick to spot this opportunity,” Rudd pointed out.
“SoWell has launched supplements designed to counteract the effects of GLP-1 medications and Eyeam’s Hormonedrops claims to offer a natural alternative.”
There have already been multiple ‘natural alternatives’ to Ozempic in the nutraceuticals space. For example, Kourtney Kardashian’s supplement brand Lemme unveiled its GLP-1 supplement in September 2024. The supplement is made with plant extracts and claims it “supports your body’s GLP-1 hormone, reduces hunger,” and “supports healthy weight management.”
Codeage and Pendulum both sell a GLP-1 Probiotic, and Supergut has a Gut Healthy GLP-1 Booster.
Going forward, there could also be opportunities for beauty-from-within nutraceuticals that can help Ozempic users get back their healthy-looking glow by taking an ‘inside-out’ approach.
