Indonesian consumers tended to be more reactive than preventive when it comes to taking care of their health, and industry experts have urged nutraceutical firms to consider launching “lifestyle format” products when attempting to crack the market.
According to DSG Consumer Partners, the average vitamin and dietary spend per capita for the Indonesian consumers is US$7.60.
This was behind Vietnam’s US$10, China’s US$21, Malaysia’s US$31.80, and Singapore’s US$90.90.
Big bang: Pill-and-shot supplements trending in South Korea with major brands jumping on the bandwagon
A trend that has swept across South Korea this year was the surge in health supplements that are designed in the pill and liquid shot dual format.
The trend was started by Dong-A Pharmaceutical – the exclusive distributor of pill and liquid shot supplement products by German firm Orthomol.
With Orthomol’s popularity, the format has quickly gained momentum in South Korea, with major homegrown firms CJ Wellcare and CKD Healthcare jumping on the bandwagon.
Trending this year: Five nutra developments not to be missed for 2024
We spoke with health and nutrition brands active in Asia-Pacific to find out the five key consumer health categories set to drive the sector forward in year 2024.
One of the categories identified was how metabolic health supplements innovation could be driven by the use of phytonutrients and ingredients beneficial to the gut microbiome.
In the similar vein, companies like JSHealth and Life-Space have also identified how the gut health category would be intertwined with skin and vaginal health.
Taiwan nutra market: Eye health, beauty, probiotics trending, with food firms, influencers entering business
Another top 10 most-read nutraceutical trends story this year was our feature of the Taiwan market.
Based on interviews with companies such as Better Biosciences and TCI Co Ltd, eye and vision care is one of the most popular health supplement categories in the market.
Another trending need is the use of probiotics for uses beyond gut health, such as supporting beauty-from-within.
Hong Kong nutra trends: NMN booming and strategies to meet local and Chinese visitors’ needs
Hong Kong’s nutraceutical market has also generated strong readers' interest this year, with nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) one of the hottest supplement categories in the market.
This is on the back of consumers' interest in novel supplement products, according to local firm Catalo.
The company pointed out that the main consumers are women in their 40s to 50s who are experiencing the effects of ageing, such as fatigue and lower vitality.
China trends data: Bone and joint the mainstay, growing attention on fish oil, novel ingredient NPD
Fish oil omega-3 and liver health were two of the fastest-growing health supplement categories in China this year, which traditionally sees a strong demand for bone and joint health products.
To tap on the growing demand for fish oil omega-3, companies such as Blackmores and GNC have been tailoring their products to suit local preferences and needs.
Blackmores, for instance, has launched products that support cardiovascular, joint and bone health, while GNC China is banking on the purity of its product for commercial success.
Vietnam’s nutraceutical market has shown strong demand for bone and cognitive health products, said brands such as QN Wellness and the local industry body Vietnam Association of Functional Foods (VAFF).
However, companies should keep in mind how the market is still heavily rooted in herbal formulations with a preference for basic dosage formats, despite its rapid modernisation and higher spending power.
Close to 70 per cent of the products sold in the market contain herbal ingredients, according to VAFF.
South Korea’s functional proprietary probiotics market has been growing at a faster rate than the generic gut health category, the CEO of local biotech firm AceBiome said in the March’s episode of our Nutrachampion podcast.
Myeong Hee Kim, CEO of AceBiome, said that South Korea’s probiotics market has been seeing tough competition in recent years, however, the demand for functional probiotics remained strong.
She was referring to functional probiotics as proprietary probiotic strains that could make specific health claims spanning across various health needs, such as cognitive health and immune support, instead of generic probiotics strains for general gut health.
Google Trends shows Australia tops global searches for gut microbiome, gut probiotics
Australia had the highest number of searches for the terms “gut microbiome”, “gut probiotics”, and “dysbiosis” globally, based on Google Trends data collected between 2007 and 2022.
The analysis was conducted by researchers from Italy’s University of Catania, with findings published in Scientific Reports.
New Zealand was second to Australia when it comes to searches on “gut probiotics” and “dysbiosis”.
India market opportunities: Weight, beauty, sports driving growth, but more attention needed on FSMP, glucose control
India’s nutraceutical sector growth has been fuelled by beauty-from-within and sports nutrition, but there was scope to meet consumer demand for areas such as blood sugar management and Foods for Special Medical Purposes, according to industry experts.
According to Nihaal Mariwala, CEO and founder of Setu Nutrition, India, with a relatively young population, has been seeing strong demand for beauty, weight and sleep support supplements. Yet, there was space to satisfy older consumers' needs around heart health and blood sugar management.
"For the younger consumers, the highest impact areas from a supplement perspective, is largely sleep, weight, and beauty. And that’s the way we see the market panning out. If you’re going to pick the older audiences, typically their needs are more likely to surround heart, diabetes, liver health, so on and so forth,” he said.
