Less is more: New HK brand debuts with six-in-one liver health formulation and more

The products were showcased at Healthplex Expo 2024 held in Shanghai between June 19 and 21.

Stanley Sun, chairman of Infinite Future, told NutraIngredients-Asia ​that the idea was to help consumers achieve their supplementation needs through a single product, instead of having to take multiple products.

Its liver health supplement, Liver Rejen, for example, is said to be a six-in-one formula, which contains milk thistle, curcumin, green tea extract, L-tartaric acid, taurine, and alpha-lipoic acid.  

Liver health has become one of the hottest supplement categories in China since the pandemic, with brands such as BYHEALTH​ and Swisse​ reporting strong sales performance.

Sun pointed out that most of the commercially available liver health products contain milk thistle and curcumin as the key ingredients. However, he hopes to differentiate his product by adding novel ingredients.

"Swisse's product, for example, might highlight the use of milk thistle, and consumers have a strong awareness of milk thistle. FANCL's anti-hangover product, on the other hand, focuses on the use of curcumin. ​

"For us, we have added alpha-lipoic acid, which we believe is an innovative ingredient shown to have good clinical results in the US. This means that we use ingredients that consumers are already aware of, so as to help us market the product more easily, while adding new innovative ingredients at the same time," ​he said.  ​

A new study published on Gynecological Endocrinology,​​ for example, showed that ALA supplementation had improved insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese PCOS patients, especially in those with familial predisposition to diabetes.

It also improved both peripheral sensitivity to insulin and liver clearance of insulin. Such effects potentially decrease the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetes in PCOS patients, said the researchers. 

The company also showcased its Co-Q10H2 Ubiquinol – which is what it calls a four-in-one formula for overall heart function and cellular energy production.

The four key ingredients are Antarctic krill oil, ubiquinol, vitamin K2, and vitamin D3.

“In fact, this product could be broken down into three or four individual products. Usually, we will see krill oil being sold as a single ingredient product in the market, similarly for ubiquinol, while vitamin K2 and D3 are formulated together into a product.​

“However, we have formulated these four key ingredients into a product for heart, brain, and cardiovascular health,” ​he said, explaining how these ingredients could work synergistically.

“Krill oil comes in a phospholipid structure, which is similar as the human cell membrane. Therefore, it could increase the body’s absorption of ubiquinol,” ​he said.

Targeting the premium products category ​

Sun believes that there are growth opportunities for compound formulation products – not only in China but also in other regions such as South East Asia and the US where the brand’s products will be available.

One reason is due to the ease of convenience which consumers are looking for.

“Many people have become more health conscious. They are taking supplements, but they are taking multiple products for different needs.​

“We believe in the idea of ‘less is more’. In the US, this concept is relatively well established, and we hope to do this in China too.”​

Another reason is because there is still a lack of such products in the market, and he believes there is a vacuum that the brand could tap into.

“Big brands tend to develop single formulation products so that they could build a more extensive range of products. They also have the means to do big marketing for their products. ​

“This also means that there is a blank space and growth opportunities for products like ours.” ​

The brand also has two other products for digestion, a NAD+ restore product, a pure krill oil single formulation product, and a multivitamin tablet product.  

It's NAD+ restore, for instance, contains not only nicotinamide riboside (NR) for increasing NAD+ levels, but also L-seleniun, zinc picolinate, the antioxidants ergothione and pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ). 

Market interest​

The products are sold in China via cross-border e-commerce on JD Health’s since March. They are also available in Hong Kong via retail pharmacies.

The next step is to introduce it to the US via platforms such as Amazon and TikTok. It is also in the midst of entering SEA markets Thailand and Vietnam via Tmall.

Despite being a vast market, China has become highly price-competitive with the rise of social commerce and the brand believes there are more opportunities to reap higher profits in places such as SEA.