Trend tracker: Hyaluronic acid jelly popularity, Japan’s functional foods analysis, year 2023 nutra outlook

Beauty on the go: RTE hyaluronic acid jelly booming with young consumers in SEA​  ​

On-the-go hyaluronic acid jelly is proving highly popular among young South East Asians, according to supplement firm Avance, with the trend spreading from hotspots such as South Korea and China.

Part of the reason is because conventional forms of nutraceuticals, such as pills and capsules, are less appealing to the younger crowd.

Hyaluronic acid, on the other hand, has seen its popularity spread​ from major beauty markets such as South Korea and China to the South East Asia region.

Exclusive Japan FFC data: Weight management, stress relief, cognitive health products trending ​ ​

Foods with Function Claims (FFCs) that claim to support weight management, fatigue and stress relief, and cognitive function are trending in Japan, according to exclusive new data.

A total of 580 FFCs were notified to the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) – the authority overseeing the FFC system.

Based on the report published by consultancy firm Smooth Link Inc, the number of FFCs claiming to support fatigue and stress relief in the first half of FY22 has exceeded the total of such products between April 2015 and April 2022. 

Nutraceuticals in SEA e-commerce: Where do the opportunities lie and what more could be done?​ ​

South East Asia (SEA) is one of the fastest-growing regions for e-commerce, and nutraceutical brands are looking to tap on the growing opportunities especially in markets such as Thailand.

For instance, Haleon, the company behind multivitamin brands Centrum, Caltrate, is beefing up its digital presence in Thailand through a partnership with e-commerce enabler CREA.

South East Asia is a highly watched region for e-commerce, not only because the vast majority of the population are active internet users, but also because of an increasingly strong internet and logistic infrastructures that have been developed over time, Aimone Ripa di Meana, founder and co-CEO of CREA said.

Nutra trends 2023: Industry experts on what’s next for healthy ageing, beauty, mental health and infant nutrition​

Asia-Pacific’s health and nutrition industry will see anti-ageing, chronic disease prevention take the centerstage as consumers seek to age healthily, beauty seekers will also come up with more diverse demands, while the state of one’s mental health is strongly associated with one’s overall wellbeing, said a raft of industry experts.

The sector expects healthy ageing nutrition products to cater to younger age groups – from as early as mid-40s, while beauty-from-within solutions will go beyond the usual functions of skin moisturisation to relieving skin itch.

The use of natural ingredients and the boom in human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in infant nutrition are also expected for this year.

What’s trending: The 10 most-read health and nutrition trends stories in 2022​

South Korea’s probiotics market, ingredients popular in Vietnam’s infant formula market, and nutrition brands’ omnichannel retail strategies were some of the most-read stories on our site last year.

In South Korea, probiotics was the second bestselling Health Functional Foods (HFF), only behind red ginseng.

Elsewhere in Vietnam, HMOs has become one of the most commonly seen ingredients in infant formula products, according to Vinamilk and H&H Group.