It recently partnered with Shanghai Prochin on an exclusive distribution of the ingredient to reach out into these three sectors.
LuteMax 2020 and Zeaxanthin Isomers is a single extract from marigold that contains macular carotenoids, namely lutein and zeaxanthin isomers RR-zeaxanthin and RS meso-zeaxanthin in the ratio of 5:1.
The target for the first year of the partnership is to work with the top 10 companies from the retail, online, and direct-selling channels – the three key segments in China, Nikhil Sawant, VP of sales and operations for APAC, Middle East, and Africa from OmniActive’s nutritional innovation and solution division told NutraIngredients-Asia.
The firm has already initiated the process to register the ingredient in China.
The firm believes that the sheer size of China’s population, its rapidly ageing population, and the large amount of time spent on digital devices make the country a highly lucrative market for the ingredient.
‘China's 1.4 billion people account for the highest general population on the globe, and with screen time on the rise as well as an increase in life expectancy and changes in diet, the clinically-studied, globally-recognized vision and cognitive health and performance benefits of Lutemax 2020 will fill a much needed nutritional gap,’ said Johan Kamphuis, president of global business at OmniActive.
Sawant added that Shanghai Prochin’s marketing experience, market reach, and customer relation could help foster a strong relationship with B2B clients from each of the sales channels.
Besides China, the ingredient is already available in key Asian markets such as Japan, New Zealand, India, South Korea, and South East Asia.
Study
A previous study on Lutemax 2020 found that it could help ameliorate the effects of long term blue light exposure.
Involving 48 healthy adults who spend at least six hours of screen time, the randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled study evaluated the subjects’ macular pigment optical density (MPOD) at the baseline, three and six months after the supplementation.
Results showed that after six months of supplementation, there was improvement in MPOD, visual performance, and sleep quality.
There was also reduction in the degree of eye strain, fatigue, and frequency of headache – the indicators of excessive screen use.