As consumer demand for nutritional solutions that support aging accelerates, the longevity space is increasingly competitive, with new players entering and established companies doubling down on innovation.
For this year’s NutraIngredients-Asia Awards, the “Ingredient of the Year: Healthspan – in association with Nutra Healthspan Summit” category saw one of the highest number of contenders.
At the awards ceremony held in Bangkok, Thailand, on September 2, Kaneka Corporation’s ubiquinol was announced the winner for this category.
Ubiquinol is the active and reduced form of coenzyme Q10, with mounting evidence showing its positive effects on mitochondrial function.
“This award means a lot to us at Kaneka. We have been researching ubiquinol for more than 50 years, so it is very rewarding to see this science recognized in the growing area of healthspan,” Kazuki Takita, assistant manager for marketing and sales (APAC) at Kaneka Corporation, told NutraIngredients.
“It is also a recognition for our whole team—from our researchers in Japan to our teams and partners around the world. At Kaneka, we believe in Kaizen, which means continuous improvement in Japanese. We see the award as motivation to keep improving and supporting our partners, healthcare professionals, and consumers.”
He added that the award gives the company confidence that it is moving in the right direction, especially as it has observed rising interest in ubiquinol for supporting energy production, general health and well-being as people age.
“As part of the wider mitochondrial health conversation, we will continue investing in research to further understand the role of ubiquinol and mitochondrial health,” he said. “We will also continue our education programs and develop new formulations and delivery options. Our goal is to help brand holders bring high-quality, science-based, and differentiated products to the market.”
SEA an exciting region
According to Takita, South East Asia is a “very exciting market” for Kaneka, as healthy aging is an increasingly important topic across the region.
At the same time, the company is seeing growing interest from younger consumers in areas such as women’s health, reproductive health and sports nutrition.
For brand owners, this creates opportunities to develop products using ubiquinol for energy production, mitochondrial health, and overall well-being across different life stages.
“Kaneka can support them with science, formulation expertise, and our experience in the region,” Takita added.
We previously reported on the broadening use of ubiquinol in heart health supplements in China and Australia in recent years.
In China, uptake is driven by consumers seeking supplements to support cardiovascular health in the post-pandemic era, while ubiquinol gained traction in Australia due to endorsement from major pharmacy chain Chemist Warehouse.
The Nutra Healthspan Summit will take place at Convene 133 Houndsditch in London from 10 to 11 November, featuring key sessions that cover mitochondrial function, cognitive health, women’s health, wearables, personalization and AI, market insights, regulatory landscape and investment climate.
The world’s leading scientists, brands, and innovators in cellular aging will gather for the event, with confirmed speakers including Kristy Coleman (AK Collective), Joris Dewit (Accretio Ventures), Philipp Gut (Nestlé Research), Rachel Kreider (GNC), Carlos Lopez (Niagen Bioscience), Dr Rafea Naffa (Threotech), Jessica Pasco (Holland & Barrett), Prof Colin Selman (Effepharm), Prof David Weinkove (British Society for Research on Ageing & Durham University) and more.
