‘Supporting immunity, not boosting it’: Renovatio’s latest supplement for immunity and inflammation hits Woolworths’ shelves

The maker of An Apple A Day, Renovatio develops supplements with activated phenolics, its patented antioxidant formula developed and extracted from Australian farmed apples.

This launch comes after the release of another immunity supplement last year​, which contained activated phenolics, vitamin C, zinc and selenium.

Address root cause​

According to Dr Vincent Candrawinata, founder of Renovatio, Immunity Plus+ was developed from research undertaken in Canada, which found that its active ingredients was easily absorbed by the body and provided immune support.

“Immunity Plus+ combines the right amounts of quercetin, zinc and vitamin C with the most potent dietary antioxidant to deliver broad spectrum cellular protection and support resilience at the cellular level to fight illness, including helping to reduce the duration and severity of common colds and flu​,” he said.

Asked on why he was targeting inflammation in addition to immunity, Dr Candrawinata told NutraIngredients-Asia​ most immunity products in the market were only addressing symptoms such as coughs and colds, but it was important to address the root cause, which was inflammation.

According to him, inflammation is the root cause of many infections and even degenerative diseases.

“I think we address this gap in the market because for the very first time, we have a formulation that takes care of immune support, as well as inflammation, because the first thing that happens when our body is fighting off infection is inflammation.​”

“Our activated phenolics component in the formulation helps address the inflammation, and together with zinc, quercetin and vitamin C, can offer a solution to support and maintain immune system to fight illnesses​.”

Immune stabilising, not boosting​

Dr Candrawinata explained that the supplement was meant to support the immune system and not boost it.

“A number immunity products in the market claim to ‘boost’ the immune system by bombarding our body with substances that only address the symptoms and not actually taking care of the immune system, our body’s defence system.​

“Because of this, it can also result in other problems like autoimmune disorders. ​As we learn more about the immune system, we have discovered that stabilising our immunity is a much better goal than enhancing the immune system. Immuno-stabilisation means that an immune system is in its most optimised state to protect our body​.”

According to him, about 70% of the immunity is rooted in the digestive system.

“So we wanted to develop a formulation to maintain our body homeostasis. ​Good immunity supplements do not over ride or boost our body’s immune system, they simply help to make sure our own system is working properly by addressing the fundamental issues, namely bad digestive function, inflammation and cellular metabolism and functions​.”

Less is more​

It is common to see immunity-related supplements containing many ingredients, but Dr Candrawinata said more does not necessarily mean better.

“The body will not be able to absorb it, for example if vitamin C is taken in excess, the rest just gets flushed out through urine​,

In addition, some compounds may compete for the same metabolic pathway which affects the absorption​.”

The recommended dosage for Immunity Plus+ is one to two tablets a day.

Australia market​

In Australia, Immunity Plus+ is now available on Renovatio’s online store, as well as more than 1000 Woolworths supermarkets.

This is Renovatio’s third product listing in Woolworths. The first two were its activated phenolics powder and its activated phenolics tablets (An Apple A Day) launched in April 2020.

Last year, the firm has signed a AU$5 million (US$3.8 million) contract with Woolworths.

The Renovatio range also includes a hair, skin and nail supplement (vegan collagen), gut and digestion (prebiotic) and a vegan protein supplement which are sold at supermarkets, health foods and pharmacies across the country.

Today, Renovatio products are exported to more than 10 countries, including Hong Kong, China, Macau, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Before the pandemic, exports accounted for 40% of its revenue, the rest coming from Australia.

While export sales fell amid the pandemic, the firm managed to triple its domestic sales last year, guided by its e-commerce and supermarket channels.

“We saw a change in consumer behaviour in terms of accessing health products. They want to be able to buy their health products such as supplements, when they do their grocery shopping. In addition, pharmacies used to be where people buy their supplements, but now most people avoid going there because they fear people who were ill may visit there. So, supermarkets remain a one-stop shop for most people​.”

New products pipeline​

Dr Candrawinata said the firm was developing a skin care range using the same active ingredients in its supplements, hoping to expand its nutricosmetic offering.

“While it's important to be healthy from the inside, it also makes people happier when they're healthy on the outside. We are very confident that similar with the health supplement, our skin care range can fill the gap in the market and customers demand in terms of addressing the inflammation and regeneration of the skin tissue.​”

The firm already has one topical product, a skin cream​ (APSKIN) to relieve inflammatory conditions like eczema and dermatitis.

However, Dr Candrawinata told us he was in no hurry to launch new products.

“Our vision is to make people healthier, so we need to have a product that actually addresses the gap in the market, rather than produce chewable vitamin C or other products that companies are already making,​

“So if that means we are only releasing one product every year, that's fine, as long as people can benefit from better health​.”