Coca-Cola and Sanofi Partner on Beautific Beverage Line

It's all the rage now for makers of better-for-you beverages, both startups and mainstream CPG companies, to offer a variety of elixirs within an overall product line that are each aimed specifically at some perceived nutritional need or function. "Energy," "Immunity," and "Relaxation" are the typical needs addressed by new products, ranging from enhanced waters to teas.

Now, Coca-Cola is entering this fray in a new way, initially in France. It has entered a 50/50 joint venture with Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical maker, to sell "beauty drinks" at French pharmacies, each of which is aimed at particular beauty concerns of women. The test is meant as a diversification proposition by both Coke and Sanofi, the latter of which is turning increasingly to consumer-health-care products from drugs per se.

The first four drinks under the Beautific brand name of beverages, which will be produced by Sanofi's Oenobiol unit, will be marketed as boosting hair, weight loss, sun exposure and general vitality, according to Bloomberg. Coca-Cola will handle formulation and Sanofi the local distribution.

Other brands over the last several years have also taken a shot at getting women to adopt an "inner beauty" regimen — improving their skin and hair condition from within by consuming given products. Nestle, for instance, still sells Glowelle mix-ins for bottled water for such a purpose, a brand that originally was intended to be sold in ready-to-drink bottles in department stores beside cosmetics counters.

Bloomberg reports that the Oenobiol line is designed to appeal to active urban women aged 25 to 45 and would retail for between 2 euros ($2.60) and 3 euros a bottle. The price would seem to be on the high end of mainstream "functional" beverages that promise various specific benefits by providing extra vitamins and other nutrients. At the moment, this is a limited test for France only.