Trend tracker: Singapore nutra market, fish oil in China, beauty-from-within in the spotlight

No compromise: Singapore nutra market leans towards premium, science-backed products – exclusive insights from Swisse, QN Wellness​​

Singapore’s nutraceutical market is showing a preference for premium, science-backed products, with consumers refusing to compromise on quality and efficacy, even under the pressure of inflation.

Bone, joint, and muscle health needs are reported to be driving health supplements demand in the island-state, with beauty-from-within an emerging category, based on the observations from Swisse and local brand QN Wellness. 

Singapore, a melting pot of local and international brands, is considered a key overseas market for some of the nutraceutical brands. In this series of VitamINSIGHTS, we will take a closer look into the consumer purchasing patterns, the trending and emerging health and nutrition categories in the market.

Aiming high: GNC China sees huge growth potential in demand for high purity fish oil as consumer education matures​​

GNC China says there is huge growth potential in the demand for high purity fish oil omega-3 products as consumers become more aware of its benefits, especially in regulating blood lipids level and supporting cardiovascular health.

While the overall fish oil market in China might only see a slight increase, GNC China believes that demand for high quality fish oil will grow rapidly.

This was also why the company launched GNC 97% high purity fish oil earlier this year, which is said to be an addition to the “middle level” ​products that the firm has been offering.

The ‘and’ consumer: Affordable nutrition trend gains further traction in APAC amidst dairy and RTE category growth​

Asia Pacific consumers are increasingly demanding a combination of affordability, health and tastiness when making their food and beverage purchasing decisions, driving the rise of what is known as the ‘and’ consumer.

The demand for health, nutrition and deliciousness in food and beverage products has been on trend in APAC for several years now, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but in the more recent past the added element of affordability has also gained significant traction amidst rising economic and inflationary challenges.

This means is that food and beverage firms now have to cater to even more consumer expectations than before, ​according to Ingredion VP and General Manager ASEAN Ray Deidrick.

Healthy ageing in Asia: Metabolic health, cognition, mobility rank top for consumer need – expert panel​  

Nutrition products designed for healthy ageing in Asia-Pacific would need to address the most pressing concerns surrounding metabolic health, cognition, and mobility, said an expert panel staged during our recent Growth Asia Summit.

The panel discussion, held on the last day (Sep 28) of the summit conducted in Singapore, was addressing the topic “Asia’s Healthy Ageing opportunity: Innovation opportunities to meet consumers across the region.”

Kicking off the discussion, Dr Bhaskaran said that hypertension was a top health concern in the region, even more so than diabetes, as the condition could lead to stroke, long-term disability, and renal diseases.

Inner beauty beyond whitening and brightening: Soaring opportunities for hair growth, weight management products in APAC - LISTEN​

Asia Pacific’s beauty supplement market is undergoing notable shift with increasing diversification of product offerings including for hair growth and weight management, according to insights shared on the latest episode of Beauty 4.0 Podcast hosted by CosmeticsDesign-Asia​.

Hair supplements are one of the growing subcategories in the beauty-from-within space, with players like Unilever’s Nutrafol and startups like India-based Soul Strips.

Another major category is weight management. This trend is especially prominent in North Asian markets like China, Japan, and South Korea.