The supplement market is booming – research suggests 1 in 4 consumers take supplements every day to improve their health.1 At the same time, there has been a plethora of health claims in supplements, growing at an exponential compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2017-2021, from skin health (+60%), brain-mood health (+50%), energy/stamina (+48%) and immunity (+46%).2 As consumers become more informed about the benefits that supplements in these areas can offer for overall health, they have a whole new set of demands which can be challenging for manufacturers to keep up with.
Clinically tested, high quality, natural ingredients that can provide multiple health benefits are the gold standard when it comes to helping brands capture the attention of savvy consumers. Well-known ingredients, like vitamins and proteins, are a safe bet for supplement brands, but how can manufacturers create a competitive advantage while meeting the demand for always new, effective nutritional solutions?
Only a handful of active ingredients tick all the boxes of this increasingly demanding market and ubiquinol – a natural, bioidentical ingredient delivering energy to every cell in the human body – is one of them. Recognised as the bioactive form of CoQ10, ubiquinol can provide health benefits in multiple areas. Its full potential, however, is far from being fully realized. Read on to uncover five ways to fully charge supplement innovation with ubiquinol to meet these shifting demands.
1. Fully charge skin cells for beauty from within
With the nutricosmetic market projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.7% from 2022-31 there is a huge opportunity for supplement brands to innovate in this space.3 But in such a crowded market, it can be difficult for brands to stand out. Trending ingredients such as collagen, hyaluronic acid and vitamin B, are currently dominating this space. The benefits of ubiquinol for skin health have gone largely under the radar, until now. And this ingredient could hold the secret to elevating the beauty from within innovation of tomorrow.
As the only biologically active form of CoQ10 with antioxidant properties, ubiquinol supports skin repair and defends against oxidative stress, keeping skin cells active for longer – with recent scientific studies demonstrating its anti-ageing efficacy compared to the oxidised CoQ10 form (ubiquinone).4 Ubiquinol is essential for energy production in the mitochondria – without it, skin cell renewal and activity are reduced. Ubiquinol has also been shown to boost collagen stimulation and elastane production to further support healthier skin.5
New scientific studies have demonstrated that thanks to its strong antioxidant properties, ubiquinol can stimulate collagen production in cultured skin fibroblasts and when used in combination with collagen supplementation, it can further enhance skin elasticity and hydration, revitalising skin cells.6 What’s more, studies have shown that ubiquinol exceeds the antioxidant activity of both vitamins E and C, supporting the maintenance of the body’s natural antioxidant levels.7
Above: Bioidentical Ubiquinol has been demonstrated to exceed Vitamin E and C antioxidant activity.
2. Boost brain health and cognitive performance
According to a 2021 report from FMCG Gurus, 53% of consumers say they are interested in cognitive health products – this marks a 13% increase over the course of three years.9 To meet the rising demand for supplements to support brain health, manufacturers are already exploring new product formulations with ingredients such as Vitamin B6 and C. But ubiquinol could be a gamechanger here too – studies have shown that the ingredient can reduce fatigue and enhance cognitive function.
For example, a 2018 study in Japan demonstrated that long-term supplementation of 100-150mg of ubiquinol may help to maintain and improve cognitive performance.10 More recently, a 2019 study demonstrated that ubiquinol can help to reduce daily stress and improve sleep quality, revitalising minds in the midst of modern-day schedules and pressures.11
Above: Demonstrating the mode of action of ubiquinol.
3. Add a special kick to sports nutrition supplements
Sports nutrition is another booming market that is expanding beyond athletes alone – research has highlighted that 60% of consumers exercise at least three times a week on average, and more than 85% of all sports nutrition products launched in the last five years.12,13
Ubiquinol can enable manufacturers to differentiate their solutions in this space too. By delivering energy to all cells at the mitochondrial level, it can reduce fatigue and increase muscle power, reduce muscle stress, and enhance recovery. A recent study looking at the effects of ubiquinol supplementation specifically on runners found that the ingredient may prevent physical damages and subjective fatigue in athletes.14
For manufacturers looking for a competitive edge for their next sports nutrition solution, ubiquinol enables them to support athletes by reducing the severity of muscle injury and the duration of recovery. What’s more, new developments have made it possible to formulate new delivery formats with ubiquinol – including snack bars and sticks, which are particularly appealing to consumers in the sports nutrition space.
4. Supporting immunity from within
In the aftermath of COVID-19, research shows that 48% of global consumers now choose supplements specifically for their ‘immunity-boosting’ properties.15 Since the pandemic, people are more focused than ever on protecting their immune systems against viruses and infections – and some are still suffering with symptoms of long-COVID.
A study carried out in October 2022 demonstrated the beneficial effect of a special spa rehabilitation program on lung function and clinical symptoms of people experiencing long-COVID and showed that ubiquinol supplementation during the program accelerated regeneration of mitochondrial health. This study adds to the growing body of science demonstrating the role ubiquinol can play in supporting immune health. For manufacturers this presents an exciting opportunity to develop new innovations in this space, leveraging the science behind ubiquinol to strengthen on-pack claims.
5. Rising demand for vegan solutions
Demand for vegan solutions is also on the rise, with an estimated 205 million vegans in Europe in 2022.16 However, plant-based diets can lack in essential nutrients. This means vegans may to seek supplement solutions to address this. Ubiquinol supplementation can allow consumers to follow the vegan lifestyle without compromising their health.
A study conducted in Japan found that ubiquinol plasma levels are 23% lower in plant-based consumers than in omnivores, and that supplementing with ubiquinol can help increase this.17 As a vegan-friendly ingredient, it can be argued that ubiquinol supplementation is therefore an essential solution to meet the demands of vegetarians or vegans who are concerned about their lower ubiquinol plasma levels.
Fully charge your next product innovation with ubiquinol
Keeping up with shifting consumer trends can be challenging. Ubiquinol is such a versatile ingredient that manufacturers can rely on it as a trusted ingredient to support multiple health areas in one go all while satisfying growing global demand for clean label, sustainable, scientifically-backed solutions. Kaneka UbiquinolTM is backed by decades of science, it is highly bioavailable, all-natural, vegan-friendly, and supports vitality inside and out. Thanks to Kaneka’s patented manufacturing process, the final product contains no synthetic cis-impurities and is easy to absorb. For manufacturers looking to develop solutions that can boost overall health and wellness, Kaneka UbiquinolTM can enable them to fully charge new product developments.
Find out more about Kaneka UbiquinolTM here.
References
2. Ibid.
3. Transparency Market Research, Nutricosmetic Market 2022-2031 Report (2022).
4. Marcheggiani F, Kordes S, Cirilli I, et al. Anti-ageing effects of ubiquinone and ubiquinol in a senescence model of human dermal fibroblasts. Free Radic Biol Med. 2021;165:282-288.
5. Schniertshauer et al. Journal of Aging Research, 2018
6. Mine Y, Takahashi T, Okamoto T. Stimulatory effects of collagen production induced by coenzyme Q10 in cultured skin fibroblasts. J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2022;71(1):29-33.
7,8 Cervellati et al. Invitro Antioxydant Activity of Ubiquinone (CoQ10) & Ubiquinol compared to Vitamin E, Helv. Chim. Acta, 2016.
9. FMCG Gurus – The Growing Importance of Cognitive Health, 2021.
10. Kinoshita et al. ICQA 2018.
11. Morikawa et al. Jpn Pharmacol Ther. Vol. 47 no. 8 2019.
12. FMCG Gurus, ‘Top Ten Trends’, 2021.
13. Innova Market Insights, Nutrition Focus: Collagen for Joint Health (June 2022).
14. Suzuki et al. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2021 Jun;91(3-4):261-270.
15. Innova Nutrition & Health Survey 2022, Innova Market Insights.
