30th of July 2024
How are prebiotics evolving and where are the opportunities and challenges within this segment?
Read this article to find out:
In the last 5 years, the use of prebiotics has grown significantly. According to Mintel GNPD, new product launches containing prebiotic ingredients grew by almost 190% from 2019-2023, while probiotic product launches only grew by 80%.
However, most commonly prebiotics still appear as supporting ingredients for probiotics in synbiotic products, which makes sense both from a scientific and marketing perspective. Cases where they appear as star ingredients are mostly in brands with very wide portfolios such as NOW or Country Life or with gut health specialists such as OMNi-BiOTiC® from Institut Allergosan. When positioned alone, they most often target digestion, constipation, and regularity, but also immunity, such as NutriLeads’ BeniCaros ingredient. We also see that several ingredients that aren’t primarily prebiotics now communicate prebiotic side effects that previously weren’t mentioned because there wasn’t so much awareness.
The latest trends in prebiotics include using ingredients from new sources – fruits such as kiwi or citrus. Consumers are also looking for prebiotics that are effective in lower dosages and support the growth of a specific microorganism(s). As prebiotics influence probiotics, which are involved in the gut-axis effect, the popularity of prebiotics, which offer benefits above gut health (skin, mind, sleep, cognition) is also on the rise.
Brands are starting to perform studies on prebiotic ingredients for effects other than digestive. For example, Clasado Biosciences’ prebiotic Bimuno GOS has recently been studied for its impact on sleep disturbances.
There are many beneficial microorganisms, that have great probiotic potential, but their direct supplementation isn’t always the best solution. In such cases it’s important to understand that specific prebiotic solutions can resolve such challenges.
For example, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia muciniphila both prevalent in the healthy microbiome and linked to the immune system, grow predominantly in anaerobic conditions, are less suitable for mass production as probiotics, and don’t have a history of usage confirming their safety (no QPS status in Europe). Instead of supplementing with F. prau, one can increase the F. prau population by supplementation with kiwi fruit prebiotics, such as Livaux®. This means that prebiotics aren’t only used as an addition to probiotic products but can be successful and efficient in standalone products.
It’s evident, that technology is starting to tap into wellness across all sectors. One of the ways it’s tapping into the biotics is through microbiome testing.
For example, in 2023, a microbiome beauty brand Gallinée launched an at-home skin health testing kit in partnership with biotech company Sequential Skin to provide personalized recommendations and evolve its product development and science backing. In their 2024 trend report, McKinsey named at-home microbiome testing and personalized nutrition as the two areas where companies can build on the growing interest in the segment.
Smaller dosages of newer, next-gen prebiotic ingredients allow for inclusion into various supplement formats, so we are seeing even gummies, which of course have very limited capacity for active ingredients. Examples include P&G’s Align Fast-acting Biotic (launched in 2022), and Goli’s Pre+post+probiotic (launched in 2023). When the jelly format takes off in the rest of the world (right now it’s booming in Asia), we will see a lot of prebiotic claims related to that, because the fibers included in jellies for gelation purposes have the additional benefit of prebiotic efficacy. From an ingredient standpoint, smaller active doses mean that new and more attractive product forms can be used for delivering the target amount of prebiotics. Unlike with probiotics, finished product stability is not an issue. Furthermore, increased research on prebiotic ingredients can expand their positioning to new indications.
From a marketer’s perspective, the largest challenge is lower consumer awareness and the need for education from brands launching prebiotic products. Prebiotics are still less recognized for effects outside gut health than probiotics, thus more marketing is required and research supporting the beneficial effects of prebiotics is sadly still lacking.
In November 2022, FMCG Gurus performed a survey in which across all age cohorts, approximately half of consumers have heard of the phrase ‘prebiotics’ (for instance, 48% of Generation Z answered that they have heard of this). However, a lot of education on the effect of the ingredient is still required. Only 8% of Generation Z consumers included in the survey stated that they understand the difference between prebiotics and probiotics and their key role in one’s health.
The prebiotic market is rapidly expanding with promising innovations and opportunities, particularly in personalized health products and new delivery formats. However, the industry’s growth is tempered by the need for increased consumer education and more robust scientific research. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for the continued success and broader adoption of prebiotics in health and wellness products.
PharmaLinea has partnered with Euromonitor to deliver a webinar on new nutraceutical products launch strategies for 2022.
Episode #4 of our podcast with a special guest Will Cowling of FMCG Gurus.
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