Nutricosmetics

‘Highly promising’: The Vitamin Shoppe eyes omnichannel expansion in Asia after launches in Korea and Vietnam

20-Sep-2021 By Tingmin Koe

US retailer The Vitamin Shoppe says it is eyeing omnichannel expansion in Asia, after making its first steps into South Korea and Vietnam this year.

Probiotic for sleep? Duo-strain mixture found to decrease insomnia symptoms in eight-week RCT

15-Sep-2021 By Tingmin Koe

A probiotic mixture has been found to decrease insomnia symptoms in an eight-week RCT conducted in South Korea.

Brand new: a2MC, Blackmores, H&H, and Elixinol's financials in the spotlight

03-Sep-2021 By Tingmin Koe

This round-up looks at the latest financial performance of nutraceutical and infant formula brands, including PERKii, The a2 Milk Company, Blackmores, Swisse's parent company H&H Group, and CBD specialist Elixinol.

Dual benefit: Herbal formulation improves ageing skin in post-menopausal women – Thai RCT

30-Aug-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

A herbal blend formulation of soy germ, black cohosh, chase-tree berry and evening primrose seed was found to improve skin roughness and other skin parameters in post-menopausal women.

Blackmores FY2021 financials: Profit up 61% driven by growth in South East Asia and China CBEC sales

30-Aug-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Blackmores’ FY2021 profit was up 61 per cent yoy, with South East Asia and China highlighted as regions with good growth.

Japan focus: Suntory, Meiji, Kirin half-year financials, Ajinomoto study in focus

27-Aug-2021 By Tingmin Koe

The half-year financial performance of major Japanese health foods companies, including Suntory, Meiji, and Kirin, as well as a new study on umami and stress reduction by Ajinomoto are featured in this Japan industry round-up.

South Korea’s personalised nutrition sandbox: COSMAX to open fifth store and predicts further consumer momentum

25-Aug-2021 By Tingmin Koe

COSMAX NBT is opening its fifth and final personalised nutrition store in October under the South Korean government’s personalised nutrition sandbox project, with the firm believing that the concept is rapidly gaining traction with consumers.

Vitamin C boost: New category innovations cushion convenience store sales slump for Thai MNC Osotspa

19-Aug-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Major Thai beverage company Osotspa said that the popularity of vitamin C drinks and related products have cushioned weak convenience store sales in the country.

New normal? Meiji reports sales growth in sports nutrition and gummies, while functional yogurt and formula decline

18-Aug-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Sales of sports nutrition, chocolates and gummies in Japan have increased for Meiji, while functional yogurt and formula sales have slumped in comparison to last year’s pandemic-induced spikes.

Korea focus: Krill oil, probiotics, beauty-from-within in the spotlight

13-Aug-2021 By Tingmin Koe

This round-up of developments in South Korea's nutraceutical industry features MFDS' increased inspection of imported krill oil products, Amorepacific growing its global green tea probiotics business, and a look into beauty-from-within trends...

Beauty with immunity: India’s Adroit Biomed banks on pandemic growth with dual function formulation

02-Aug-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Indian firm Adroit Biomed believes that there are considerable opportunities for beauty and immune dual-function products amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Trend tracker: Beauty-from-within and infant formula in focus

30-Jul-2021 By Tingmin Koe

The rise of weight management needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the 'paradoxical' increase in both breastfeeding and infant formula are the key themes covered in this trends round-up.

Beauty banker: Korean investment expert and digital marketing specialist eye SEA’s beauty-from-within market

29-Jul-2021 By Tingmin Koe

An investment banker, corporate manager, and digital marketing specialist have established a South Korea-based start-up specialising in beauty-from-within products that debuted in South East Asian markets recently.

Rising problem: Viagra and other ED drugs disguised as vitamin C, bromelain supplements to enter South Korea

28-Jul-2021 By Tingmin Koe

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has uncovered products containing Viagra and other medicines used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) entering the country under the guise of vitamin C and bromelain supplements.

Nutrition Asia

WATCH: Amado Group and COSMAX on beauty, weight management trends amid COVID-19

23-Jul-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Companies are still seeing opportunities in developing supplements that address the evergreen needs of weight management and skin protection, even as consumers tighten their purse strings and spend more on hygiene and immune health supplements.

‘Candy counter’ for functional drinks: New personalised beverage service seeks to mimic sweet shop excitement

22-Jul-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Malaysian supplements and personalised nutrition outfit Nourished Asia has launched a new brand, Daile Food, focusing on customising milk, coffee, tea, fruit juice, and yoghurt with added functional ingredients.

Beauty-from-within boom: Check out APAC’s latest product launches featuring ceramides, probiotics, and white tomato extracts

21-Jul-2021 By Tingmin Koe

From major names to start-ups and a dermatologist brand, various new beauty-from-within products using ceramides, pre/probiotics, white tomato extracts, and not forgetting collagen, have made their market entry across APAC in recent months.

‘No coincidence’ that South Korea continues to crackdown on probiotics and krill oil as non-compliance cases increase

20-Jul-2021 By Tingmin Koe

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) will continue with its high profile crackdown on non-compliant probiotic and krill oil products, with a market expert telling us it is ‘no coincidence’ that these categories remain in the spotlight.

From supplements to snacks: Australia’s Nuzest goes global with Good Green Vitality multivitamin bar

19-Jul-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Australian nutra firm Nuzest will launch a multivitamin snack bar in APAC, the UK and USA this July, expanding its portfolio beyond powdered supplements for the first time.

Malaysian supplements policy: Trade body MADSA calls for sales tax removal and less stringent rules for new formulations

19-Jul-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Malaysia’s dietary supplement industry body is pushing for the removal of sales and service tax (SST), import taxes, and the approval of innovative supplement products in its efforts in promoting the use of supplements in the country.

China focus: Infant formula market, SAMR's proposal, BY-HEALTH's APAC expansion

16-Jul-2021 By Tingmin Koe

This round-up covers new developments in China's infant formula market, SAMR's proposal to distinguish solid beverages from infant formula, and BY-HEALTH's plans in expanding its presence in Asia-Pacific.

Automated personalisation: Australia’s Vitable going global with data-driven supplement service after $5.5m funding boost

07-Jul-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Australia-based personalised nutrition firm Vitable is gearing up for international expansion starting with a launch into the UK later this year, and major Asia nation’s on its hitlist for 2022, after its latest funding round.

‘Delighted with growth’: Aussie supplement firms increase market size despite pandemic trials and tribulations – new data

05-Jul-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Australia’s supplements industry has continued to grow amid the pandemic despite a dip in export revenue, with firms finding success by pivoting to immunity products and finding inroads into several new markets, including Iran, Israel and Brazil.

GALLERY: The 10 most read APAC health and nutrition stories in June

29-Jun-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Our most-read stories for June include a Philippines COVID-19 trial on how virgin coconut oil could reduce inflammation and provide symptom relief, the role of gut microbiota in affecting vaccine efficacy, and Nestlé Health Science China's launch...

Prebiotic for reducing pigmentation: Singapore’s Doki Doki’s unveils latest beauty-from-within puree innovation

24-Jun-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Functional juice company Doki Doki has developed a beauty-from-within product that reduces photosensitivity and hyperpigmentation using prebiotic as the key ingredient.

Understanding the mechanisms: Supplement firms upping their game in weight management, sports nutrition trials – Vedic Lifesciences

24-Jun-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Supplement firms are raising the bar to better understand the mechanism of actions of weight management and sports nutrition products, claims Indian contract research organisation Vedic Lifesciences.

Functional foods in Japan exclusive 2: GABA, black ginger, indigestible dextrin most popular ingredients, weight and blood sugar claims top chart

22-Jun-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), black ginger and indigestible dextrin are the top three most popular ingredients used in products notified under Japan’s Foods with Function Claims (FFC) in fiscal 2020.

Unilever’s exclusive insights: Four key trends driving APAC’s online supplements growth

21-Jun-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Unilever has identified four emerging trends from online sales of health supplements across Asia Pacific, including the younger generation viewing vitamins and supplements as lifestyle products, and how online shopping events such as Super Brand Days...

Brand New: BYHEALTH, HempFusion, Vital Proteins in the spotlight

18-Jun-2021 By Tingmin Koe

This round-up will look at the strategies of big brands BYHEALTH, HempFusion, Vital Proteins, and Tipco in expanding their market reach and developing new nutritional products.

Functional foods in Japan exclusive 1: Record number of FFC notifications in 2020 with beverage-formats on the rise

15-Jun-2021 By Guan Yu Lim

A record number of 1,067 products were notified under the Foods with Function Claims (FFC) system in Japan from April 2020 to March 2021, exclusive new data shared with NutraIngredients-Asia reveals.

BY-HEALTH’s APAC expansion: China brand sees beauty-from-within and female health markets as first steps

14-Jun-2021 By Tingmin Koe

BY-HEALTH sees huge opportunities in the beauty-from-within supplement category and the wider female consumer market – two categories it will focus on as it expands its presence in Asia-Pacific.

Japan focus: Japanese bucking 'pill fatigue' trend and new clinical trial plans

04-Jun-2021 By Tingmin Koe

See new developments in Japan's health foods market, from Lonza's observation on Japanese' preference for capsule and tablet products to Therabiopharma's plans in trialling curcumin's uses for immune, cognitive, and joint health....

Beating pill fatigue: Ex-Unilever exec on new Aussie collagen start-up’s global ambitions

02-Jun-2021 By Tingmin Koe

The WellBeing Co, an Australia firm specialising in collagen powder beverage, has underlined its global expansion plans, with South East Asia, America, and Europe on its hitlist.

Trend tracker: Firms beef up immune product range and research in probiotics for skin health

28-May-2021 By Tingmin Koe

In this round-up, we look at how companies have expanded their immune health product range with the use of botanical ingredients, lactoferrin, and vitamins. We also shine the spotlight on research in probiotics for alleviating acne and eczema.

Nutrition labelling in Taiwan: Infant, toddler foods, FSMPs to follow standards for pre-packaged foods

12-May-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Pre-packaged foods for infants, toddlers, and special medical purposes will now need to follow nutrition labelling standards applicable for all pre-packaged foods in Taiwan, the country’s regulator has ruled.

H&H on plant-based nutrition: Swisse to launch more vegan supplements while infant brands tap growing trend

10-May-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Nutrition giant H&H has said it will continue to develop more plant-based products for its dietary supplements and infant formula categories across different brands, with the firm believing consumers are increasingly looking for more sustainable solutions.

H&H’s sustainability strategy: Swisse, Good Goût, CBII to benefit from packaging innovations – exclusive interview

04-May-2021 By Tingmin Koe

H&H Group is pushing for the use of sustainable packaging, including recyclable, renewable, compostable materials, across its brands, including Swisse, Good Goût, CBII and its infant formula range.

China’s e-sports nutrition: Herbalife on big opportunities in fitness, sleep and stress relief segments

30-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Herbalife says there are vast opportunities to tap into the fitness, sleep, and stress relief nutritional needs of China’s booming e-sports industry.

Domestic strife: Blackmores forecasts weak Australian market into 2022 as borders stay shut

27-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Blackmores has forecasted a weak domestic supplement market over the next year due to lower sales from Chinese travellers and a milder cold and flu season, but has nevertheless highlighted a number of strategies to mitigate the slowdown.

We want to hear from you! Help us shape the future of NutraIngredients-Asia

26-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

2020 was a year of changing business practices, challenged global supply chains, and skyrocketing sales of dietary supplements and functional foods as consumers took more control of their own health and wellness.

Wellness, fitness, beauty: India’s Fitday unveils plans for in-store health screenings amid vast expansion push

19-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

India’s dietary supplement and health foods retailer Fitday has detailed how it plans to offer new in-store services, including hair scalp and skin condition screening, as it embarks on ambitious plans to open 50 new stores nationwide.

Multi-strain probiotics improve glycaemic control of patients with diabetic nephropathy – 12-week RCT

08-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

A combination of probiotic strains could improve glycaemic control when taken by patients with diabetic nephropathy, a 12-week RCT conducted in China has shown.

Pregnancy supplement sales slow but beauty-from-within gathers momentum in China - Ali Health insights

06-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Sales of pregnancy related supplements, such as folic acid, have seen a slowdown in China as more women delay marriage and childbirth, according to new insights released by Ali Health.

Doctor’s Best to expand NMN product line in China as sales hit nearly US$10m last year

05-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Doctor’s Best will be expanding its nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) product offering in China this year as product sales hit RMB$64m (US$9.8m) in 2020.

South Korean supplement trends: Red ginseng and probiotics popular as 69% say they use health functional foods

05-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Nearly seven in 10 Koreans said they had bought and consumed health functional foods last year, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) involving 1,500 men and women aged 19 and above.

Brand New: Swisse's halal-certified products, CP Foods' hemp foods, Life-Space's kids supplements

02-Apr-2021 By Tingmin Koe

In this round-up, we look at what brands are up to. For Swisse, it is embarking on halal-certification for its products as it expands its presence in South East Asia, while CP Foods is working on hemp-based ready-made foods as the country relaxed restrictions...

Swisse and Biostime focus: H&H reveals global expansion drive for major brands as revenue grows 2.5%

24-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Hong Kong-listed nutrition giant Health & Happiness has unveiled how it plans to expand its Swisse and Biostime brands globally, after unveiling full-year revenue growth of 2.5 per cent revenue growth.

Offline still king: Japanese supplement, beauty retailer Welcia-BHG on track with Singapore store expansions

17-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Japanese health supplement, personal care and beauty product retailer Welcia-BHG is on track to expand its offline presence in Singapore, with five new stores planned for this year, despite concerns on how COVID-19 could affect foot traffic.

Health foods litigation in China: Unregulated influencer marketing and fake goods spur nearly 1000 actions

17-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

A total of 964 cases of public interest litigation have been filed against individuals and companies for the illegal production, marketing and sales of health foods in China in the last 15 months.

Virgin coconut oil capsules: Philippines firm looks to Singapore for overseas expansion amid immunity boom

16-Mar-2021 By Tingmin Koe

Philippines company Growrich Manufacturing is planning to expand the market for its virgin coconut oil (VCO) capsules due to the growing demand for immune-health supplements, and rising consumer interest piqued by government-backed studies into the ingredient.