Korea, India, Japan launched greatest number of new omega-3 products in Asia – GOED report

22-Nov-2022 - Last updated on 22-Nov-2022 at 01:17 GMT

Korea, India, Japan are the top three markets when it comes to the number of omega-3 new product launches. ©Getty Images

South Korea, India, and Japan were the three markets with the greatest number of new omega-3 product launches in Asia, according to a new report published by The Global Organisation for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED).

The report, titled New Omega-3 Product Trends in Asia, draws data from the Global New Products Database by market research firm Mintel.

It analyses the latest EPA and DHA supplement product trends in Asia by looking at 318 new products that were launched.

According to the analysis, South Korea had launched the highest number of new omega-3 products, followed by India, and Japan.

Another observation is that the types of functional claims made in products launched in Asia were more diverse than that of Europe.

For instance, products in Asia tend to link omega-3 to immune health, skin health, on top of heart and brain health – which are already well-established claims for omega-3 products.

“Functional claims were more diverse among new omega-3 products in Asia than in Europe. Advertisers in European markets often connected their products to the well-known trifecta of omega-3 heart, brain and eye health benefits.

“Those were common claims in Asian markets as well, but more often than in Europe, they were accompanied by immune claims, dermatological claims and weight loss or slimming claims,” Chris Gearheart, director of growth and engagement at GOED said in response to queries from NutraIngredients-Asia.

In the case of Japan, the consumption of krill oil omega-3 for skin health has been gaining traction, according to Aker BioMarine.

Some of the local Japanese brands that have launched krill oil for beauty include Shiratori Pharmaceutical.

In August, we also reported that Swisse, through its clinical trial conducted with Aker BioMarine and Australia’s national research agency CSIRO, has found that krill oil supplementation could improve knee pain, stiffness, and physical function in individuals suffering from mild osteoarthritis.

Aside from popular product claims, GOED’s report also includes information on consumer markets, the importance of sustainability claims.

A table detailing EPA and DHA content claims by miligrams per serving in products launched in the past three years is also presented in the report.

Earlier in June, the organisation, which has over 170 industry members, also published a similar regional market report analysing trends in Europe.

It will be publishing another report on the North American market later this year.