Next frontier in nootropics: Australia’s Yootropics targets healthy ageing market
Founded in 2022, Yootropics is a spin-off from Biov8 that was specialising in peptide treatments.
Its nootropics supplement range targets cognitive performance and claims to encapsulate “clinical range dose” for all ingredients in a daily, two-tablet formula.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, its co-founder Nick Austin said there was a market gap for nootropics in the healthy ageing space:
“Currently, a lot of elderly start taking medications when the damage is already done. It’s more reactionary health. We feel that there’s much more and a better way to address this market in a preventative way to look at natural nootropic formulas that help delay the onset and improve the long-range brain health earlier.
“Alzheimer’s, memory loss and other cognitive issues are so widespread these days when people reach their 50s, but these days they are mostly dealt with by prescribed medications.”
This finding had emerged from its collaboration with a registered psychologist specializing in neuro-performance who was already using nootropics to help his patients suffering from anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Product development
The team then spent about six months ingredient sourcing and formulating, before rolling out its first product called ‘Brain’ targeting memory.
Its hero ingredients include patented ingredients like Zynamite and Relora, sage, rhodiola, saffron, and a combination of 11 different nootropics. Its two other products are ‘Focus’ for concentration, and ‘Calm’ for anxiety.
Its nootropics' product range were approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), backed by its internal clinical trials conducted. The paper will be published later this year.
Austin added that the start-up is in discussions with Australian universities to back up its evidence-based claims for its products. He also teased the potential for personalized supplements.
“A lot of the research we’re doing now is in the Quantitative Electroencephalogram (QEEG) technology that is going to assist us in looking at different doses for different individuals. The QEEG allows us to look at the brain activity and categorize the different brains. Then, we can look at how different formulas best optimize the performance of different brain types. We feel there is a big opportunity to have more tailored nootropic formulas to assist with individual brain types.”
Distribution
Yootropics is available for worldwide shipping via its website, and only has an offline retail presence in Australia at wellness clinics, psychology clinics and chemist chains.
It said that it adopts a more discerning distribution strategy due to its price points falling within the mid- to high-range (AUD $95 for single product maximum, AUD $230 for a three products’ bundle maximum) and its target consumers of high-performance executives.
Austin explained that consumer education goes hand in hand with market acceptance for its products: “I guess one of the big hurdles that we have in the market is education to educate consumers that it's not just looking at the ingredients in the formula but making sure they are at the right levels that will actually have some performance.
“Typically, you know, consumers will look at the look at the back of the bottle, see some names that they recognize, and they'll buy it on that basis. But if there are very small amounts that won’t do anything, it's purely just a marketing stunt.”
80% of its revenue currently comes from Australia, but interest has been climbing for export markets in the US, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, and France.
Within Asia-Pacific, Yootropics is eyeing opportunities in Taiwan and China, due to the rising awareness of addressing brain health early in age. It says that overseas expansion is planned in the next year.
The company is currently going through a capital raise to solidify its product development and global distribution strategy.
