“Indonesia is at a stage where localized and high-quality nutraceuticals can be built,” said Sulya Fei, vice president of general management at Cool-Vita, a health and beauty supplement startup that has become one of the more popular players on the local market.
Since launching three years ago, the company has amassed 1.4 million followers on TikTok, which generates most of its e-commerce sales.
Fei said that Cool-Vita chose Indonesia as its starting point partly because of the country’s much larger population compared to neighboring Southeast Asian countries, as well as its younger demographic profile.
Last year, Indonesia’s population reached 288.3 million, with 69.03% of residents falling within the “productive age” bracket of 15 to 64 years old.
Aside from the spending potential of a large population, Cool-Vita also believes that there is currently a gap in high-quality and affordable products in the market.
Legacy brands and multinationals join in
While newer entrants like Cool-Vita and gummy vitamin brand Youvit have made waves in Indonesia’s health supplement space, legacy players like traditional herbal jamu medicine company Sido Muncul are also expanding nutraceutical portfolios.
The company began introducing soft capsule products made with advanced processing technology in 2020, followed by a wider range of tech-enabled supplements between 2023 and 2025. These include soft capsule vitamin D3 + k2 to support bone health and improve calcium absorption, vitamin C 1000 + collagen and the herbal formula Natural Kidnera for kidney health.
Multinationals have also set up footholds in Indonesia over the last decade, either by entering the market directly, forming joint ventures or building local distribution or manufacturing partnerships.
The clearest example is the partnership between Australian firm Blackmores and Jakarta-based Kalbe Farma, which created PT Kalbe Blackmores Nutrition in late 2016 specifically to target Indonesia’s growing premium supplement market. Blackmores contributed brand reputation and product expertise, while Kalbe provided local distribution, regulatory knowledge and retail access.
Discussing the results of its Q1 2026 financial report, Kalbe Farma shared that net sales for its consumer health business were up 3.2% year-on-year, driven by the growth in the health supplements category.
Going forward, it said that it would continue its brand rejuvenation initiatives, preventative-health product development and expansion into lifestyle-oriented and liquid ready-to-drink products to drive growth.
“Our extensive product portfolio, which caters to all life stages, has the opportunity to capture long-term growth, which is in line with the increasing awareness of healthy lifestyles,” the company stated.
Bayer has also steadily transformed its Cimmangis site in West Java into a major regional consumer-health manufacturing and R&D hub for Asia and export markets.
The facility, which received a €5 million ($5.9 million) investment earlier this year, also serves as a tropical-climate formulation and stability-testing center, as well as a manufacturing base for maternal nutrition products.
Nestlé Health Science, another multinational expanding its presence in the country, is ramping up production and investment in the ready-to-drink beverage segment to meet rising demand from health-conscious consumers. Last year, Nestlé Indonesia launched MILO Pro, a high-protein beverage designed to support active lifestyles for teenagers and young adults.
“High-protein foods and beverages are growing in popularity around the world due to the benefits this essential nutrient provides,” Serena Aboutboul, senior vice president and head of the nutrition business at Nestlé, said following the launch. “In Southeast Asia, 57% of teenagers are looking to include more protein-rich foods into their diets. At the same time, however, research shows that adolescents in Indonesia—as well as in many other parts of Asia—are not meeting their daily protein needs."
Market demand: ‘more multi-layered and diversified’
According to Cool-Vita, beauty-from-within and children’s nutrition are among the most popular supplement categories in Indonesia—areas in which the company also specializes.
Some of its best-selling products include DHA and collagen gummies, though it also offers powder sachet and effervescent tablet formats.
Fei highlighted that Indonesian consumers are now moving from single-function to multi-function supplements amid an ongoing trend of consumption upgrade. This means that they are not just looking at the price tag but also at the quality and brand reputation.
“While consumers continue to be price conscious, they no longer focus solely on low price products but are increasingly seeking more reliable quality and products,” she said. “As a result, market demand is becoming more multi-layered and diversified, with higher expectations on brands in terms of product portfolio and the ability to maintain long-term, consistent engagement with the consumers.”
For this year’s product development pipeline, the company will focus on formulations that combine synergistic ingredients and products tailored to specific life stages.
According to the e-Registration of Traditional Medicines & Health Supplements (ASROT), an online database run by the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM), there were 4,914 health supplements registered as of May 20.
Of these, 706 are registered as single or multivitamin products. Other key categories include minerals like zinc (131 products), calcium (92 products) and magnesium (38 products). Other notable ingredients include DHA (45 products) listed and popular beauty-from-within ingredients collagen (39 products) and glutathione (29 products).
Among the companies with the largest number of registered health supplements are local Indonesian companies Dipa Healthcare (137), Vita Shopindo (97) and Bayer Indonesia (70).
TikTok-powered growth
Cool-Vita attributes its huge growth in e-commerce penetration in Indonesia to the TikTok boom, where interest-based e-commerce has now become one of the primary channels for purchasing health supplements in the country.
“TikTok is really influencing Indonesia, where the number of users is already around 170 million,” Fei said.
At Cool-Vita, between 60% and 70% of sales come through e-commerce, with TikTok accounting for more than 40%, followed by Shopee, Lazada and Shopify.
Fei noted that most health supplement purchases on TikTok are driven by Gen Z consumers, while around 20% to 30% of users are aged 25 and older.
The app is also used to accelerate product adoption and influence consumers across various touchpoints, including content and social engagement. The company has leveraged the platform by creating short films that embed its products directly into the storyline.
Youvit, which also focuses on gummy supplements, has also noted soaring sales on TikTok—even surpassing that of major Indonesian e-commerce platforms Tokopedia and growing at a faster rate than its offline sales, which remain the main contributor to its business.
According to the E-commerce in Southeast Asia 2026 report from Momentum Works, e-commerce gross merchandise value (GMV) in Indonesia has been on the rise, generating US$57.7 billion last year, up from US$51.9 billion in 2022.
Indonesia also recorded the largest e-commerce GMV among all Southeast Asian countries, followed by Thailand (US$35.5) and the Philippines (US$21.1 billion).
In Indonesia, Shopee led the e-commerce market by GMV with a 54% share, followed by TikTok Shop at 21.4% and Tokopedia at 15.6%. Across Southeast Asia, Shopee had the largest GMV among e-commerce platforms.
Other modes of engagement
Offline pharmacies such as Watsons and Guardian also play an important role. Fei described well-established pharmacies as “high-quality filters” of products and brands.
“Many consumers still believe that physical retail is a critical touchpoint for building brand awareness and trust,” she said.
This year, Cool-Vita is also hoping to strengthen consumer engagement through its collaboration with Disney IP to introduce collectible cards with Disney motifs in its products. The cards are designed with a QR code that links to the brand’s membership website, where consumers can earn product points and redeem merchandise. Cool-Vita will also be introducing a subscription model.
“The goal is to support long-term brand building for the Indonesian market,” Fei said. “Overall, Cool-Vita aims not only to deliver health and beauty benefits, but also to associate the brand with a youthful, fashionable lifestyle and become a long-term partner in the consumer health journey.”
