UPDATE 2-Nu Skin Q4 profit tops Street, Q1 view upbeat

* Q4 EPS $0.46 vs est $0.40

* Q4 revenue up 19 pct, beats Street view

* Raises 2010 profit view

* Shares rise as much as 6 pct (Recasts; adds details, share activity)

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Nu Skin Enterprises Inc (NUS.N) posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by the launch of an anti-aging skin care product, and forecast first-quarter profit above market estimates, sending its shares up 6 percent.

Nu Skin launched ageLOC, an anti-aging skin care product, in 2009 and expects it to generate more sales in its first 12 months compared with any other product launched by the company.

Nu Skin, which sells personal-care products under its namesake, Epoch and Nutricentials brands, expects first-quarter earnings of 39 cents to 42 cents a share, compared with analysts' expectation of 35 cents a share.

The company said strong fourth-quarter revenue and improved gross margins stemming from the launch of ageLOC products prompted it to raise its 2010 earnings view.

Nu Skin raised its 2010 outlook by 5 cents to $1.65 to $1.75 a share. Analysts were expecting $1.70 a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

The company forecast 2010 revenue of $1.38 billion to $1.41 billion, compared with analysts' expectation of $1.41 billion.

"As we build on our unique ageLOC platform, we will begin integrating ageLOC into our nutritional line in late 2010," Chief Executive Truman Hunt said.

STRONG Q4

For the fourth quarter, the company reported net income of $30.3 million, or 47 cents a share, compared with $14.5 million, or 23 cents a share, a year ago.

Excluding items, the company earned 46 cents a share.

Gross margins rose 60 basis points to 82.3 percent.

Revenue got a 7 percent boost from foreign currency fluctuations, and rose 19 percent to $378.1 million.

Analysts were looking for earnings of 40 cents a share, on revenue of $362.6 million.

Shares of the Provo, Utah-based company touched a high of $26.50, but pared some gains to trade up 43 cents at $25.39 Thursday morning on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Shobhana Chadha in Bangalore; Editing by Anil D'Silva, Anne Pallivathuckal)