Huons N is a subsidiary of pharmaceutical firm Huons - which belongs to a bigger group of companies known as Huons Global.
Focusing on the health supplements business, Huons N was established only in May 2025 through internal business units integration.
Having established itself in the domestic Korean market, with presence also in the US and other Asian markets like Malaysia and Vietnam, the company is now on track in venturing into new markets, especially Europe.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia at Vitafoods Europe held in Barcelona between May 20 and 22, the company said its strategy was to crack the European market by first targeting market segments that were interested in Korean beauty or K-beauty culture.
To do so, it will be driving market awareness through its collagen konjac jelly sold under the brand InnerSet.
“We are trying to enter the EU market with our InnerSet collagen konjac jelly product which is mainly targeted at women in their 20s and 30s, or are interested in Korean pop culture, Korean beauty and Korean cosmetics.
“At the moment, the EU market has plenty of beauty, skincare and cosmetics products that are applied to the skin externally, but we don’t see much products in the beauty supplement space, which is why we are trying to get into the market through this product,” said manager (sales) Daniel Song.
The product, which comes in pouches, contains 1,000mg of collagen and 400mg of vitamin C.
Launched over a year ago, the product is sold in Asian markets such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and is also already available in the US via supermarket chain Costco and Amazon.
Apart from being a beauty supplement, the use of konjac jelly also means that the product could be consumed as a form of meal replacement.
This also differentiates the product from other existing beauty-from-within supplements, said Song.
Konjac is increasingly popular among consumers in East Asia as a low calorie food option. It is primarily made up of glucomannan, a type of soluble fibre.
“Collagen konjac jelly products are not much seen anywhere.
“While the functionality of collagen is basically for skin beauty, we are trying to make the product into a meal replacement by using konjac jelly,” he said.
He added that reception from potential buyers have exceeded expectation during the three-day trade show.
“We were expecting to have less than 100 potential buyers but we already have over 200 to 300 people coming in here showing interest in the products for selling them into Spain, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, and the Middle East.
“It wasn’t what we have expected. We have confidence that the products would work in the EU market and we see that we can make good sales here,” he said.
Red ginseng, women and men’s health
Aside from collagen, the company also sees market potential for its red ginseng, and women and men’s health products in Europe.
The company is especially popular for its menopause support probiotics brand Menolacto in the domestic Korean market.
Menolacto contains the firm’s proprietary probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus YT1.
It is said to alleviate menopausal symptoms arising from low estrogen levels by promoting the expression of estrogen receptor beta.
Findings of a RCT published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in 2020 reported that supplementation of the probiotics had led to a reduction in total Kupperman index (KMI) as compared to the placebo group.
Quality of life, as assessed by the Menopause-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL), also showed significant improvements in all four symptoms—physical, psychosocial, vasomotor, and sexual symptoms in the intervention group.
The product is said to be a key sales driver of the firm’s health functional foods business and was poised to become a “mega brand” back in 2021.
In 2021, it was reported that the product had racked in an annual sale of KRW$7.4bn (US$6.5m), which was over 40 per cent of the firm’s functional food sales of KRW$17.4bn (US$15.4m).
Huons has also acquired a patent in Japan for this product.
“We’re selling Menolacto a lot in South Korea, even though the product is sold at a premium, and this attests to the product’s effectiveness.
“This is why we see the potential to sell it in the EU market, since menopause is part of life and everyone goes through it,” said Song.
Its six-year fermented red ginseng for immunity and sagunja extract for supporting prostate health are the other products that the company is planning to focus on for its European market entry.
“We are promoting our ginseng product because South Korea is the only country that produces six-year fermented red ginseng.
“We’re selling this product for immunity and cognitive function support. It is also a USFDA-approved product.”
The prostate health supplement on the other hand, is formulated with the extract powder of Combretum indicum, octacosanol, and zinc as its key active ingredients.
