Beyond NMN: New longevity supplement brand makes its debut in Singapore
Elivity was launched online earlier this year and its products have since been made available online across Asia.
Headquartered in Singapore, Elivity was established by Austria-origin husband and wife duo Hanno Hornbanger and Gerhild Hornbanger who now resides between Australia and Singapore.
"Our home market is Singapore. We very much believe that Singapore is a very interesting market to start with for healthy ageing for two reasons. Singapore comes up with the oldest population across Southeast Asia, which is the reason why the Singaporean government is very keen on supporting the topic of longevity
"The government has, as you know, supported many initiatives. I think it's one of the reasons why the Center for Healthy Longevity is here in Singapore, because the government understands the importance of longevity and the topic of healthy ageing, so this is why I believe that Singapore is a very good market for us to roll out our products," said Hanno.
According to Singapore’s Department of Statistics, the proportion of citizens aged 65 and above has increased from 11.7 per cent in 2013 to 19.1 per cent last year. By 2030, it is expected that around one in four citizens (24.1 per cent) will be aged 65 and above.
Thailand is another SEA country that has a fast-growing population aged 65 and above, with over 20 per cent of its population estimated to be above 65 years old by 2029.
Although the duo had previously worked in the legal industry, they are not new to the dietary supplements sector as Hanno’s family runs a plant-based supplement business in Austria under the brand Bio-Depot.
"So, my mother has been at the forefront of paving the way for promoting dietary plant-based supplements in Austria 30 years ago, at a time where the awareness of plant-based products was not yet there. And I think this is something that has shaped me over the years because I understand the importance of supplements and how people can benefit from taking supplements in their daily lives...
“And longevity is such an important topic because ageing is something that occurs to everyone. There is the perception that when you are old, you are sick, and we want to show that getting old does not necessarily mean that you are getting sick. You can change that, you can grow old but still stay healthy.
"And this is one of our visions of our company, that ageing is not a limitation but an opportunity," he said.
Compared to the US and Europe, the duo believes that Asia is still lagging when it comes to supplements designed to support healthy longevity, with most products using NMN as the main active ingredient.
Other ingredients such as spermidine and fisetin, however, are lesser known in the region.
Targeting the “12 Hallmarks of Ageing”
As such, the duo sees an opportunity to introduce new healthy longevity supplements using these ingredients that impact the “12 Hallmarks of Ageing”.
The “12 Hallmarks of Ageing” is a concept proposed by European scientists, including genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion, chronic inflammation, disabled macro-autophagy, and dysbiosis.
"We try to come up with a synergistic formula, so that our main core ingredient is supported by the other ingredients, so that we keep high levels of this particular substance in our body, and it's like a synergistic effect. What we didn't do is we didn't want to mix different longevity substances in one formula, because every person needs a different intervention.
"This is why we have separated the product for energy from the one for rejuvenation and the one for protection, it's like a tailor-made approach," said Gerhild.
Elivity’s Cell Rejuvenation, for example, targets cellular autophagy or cellular degradation and recycling by using 10mg of spermidine per capsule as the key ingredient.
It also makes use of L-arginine, zinc, and Bifidobacterium animalis to promote cardiovascular health and support cognitive health.
Its other product, Cell Protection, contains fisetin, quercetin, and lutein to help eliminate senescent cells, fight oxidative stress, as well as support eye health and visual function. Using these antioxidants, the formulation is designed to target free radicals – which are behind cellular damage and age-related diseases.
Cell Energy, on the other hand, contains NMN to target mitochondrial dysfunction by improving nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and energy levels in the body, as well as supporting metabolic function and DNA repair.
The formulations were developed with the company’s laboratory partner based in Australia and the firm’s scientific advisory board members, including Professor Michael Rossbach, who specialises in immunology, cell-based therapeutics, neuroscience and genomics.
Professor Rossbach was also the former director for strategic alliances at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS).
Lifestyle products
On top of the three healthy longevity products which come in blister-packed capsules, the company has also launched two other oral sprays for supporting lifestyle needs.
The product, Sleep Regeneration Spray, aims to improve sleep quality and sleep duration using melatonin and astaxanthin, while Energize Antioxidant Spray uses coenzyme Q10 and vitamin B12 complex to promote healthy energy metabolism and supporting the nerves and immune system.
The products were developed with a German biotech firm that uses a proprietary TINY® Technology to improve the bioavailability and the body’s absorption of the active ingredients.
"The advantage is that the ingredients are getting absorbed by your mucosa and therefore go directly into your bloodstream. They do not go into the stomach, so the advantage is that the effect is faster and the bioavailability is higher."
