30th of May 2024
How to address eyesight support and what are the latest developments in the segment of eye health nutraceutical products?
Read the article to find out:
As the pandemic dramatically increased screen time, the Google searches for “blue light” during that period grew for more than 15%. The consumer interest, according to Google Trends data, has not stopped since then – the searches for the same keyword grew for another 25% in the past 2 years.
Pharma companies are capitalizing on the increased awareness and are driving further education. For example, in June 2022, Bausch Health launched the #GodzinaDlaOka (An hour for your eye) social media campaign, encouraging Poland consumers to give their eyes a daily hour-long rest from various screens. They included eye care tips at godzinadlaoka.pl.
According to a FMCG Gurus survey, published in January 2023, 7 in 10 consumers who have heard of blue light are concerned about its negative effects on their eye health. Furthermore, the same research illustrates that over half of North American consumers claim that they will try to improve their eyesight over the next 12 months and a third of them is adapting proactive approaches to prevent eyesight issues before the problems arise.
Consequently, the eye health dietary supplement category is growing. Euromonitor shows it grew at a 6,4% CAGR in the past 5 years – above the average dietary supplement rate of 5,1% – and was the 5th fastest growing category in 2022 with 4,7% y-o-y growth. However, it is still among the smaller categories in dietary supplements. It is still quite niche but developing quickly. The frequency of launches is increasing steeply. According to Mintel, the share of new supplement launches with eye health claims saw a significant jump in 2022 and reached a record high of 5,6%. The difference is that traditionally mainly specialized companies in eye care were launching eye health supplements (e.g., Bausch+Lomb or OmniVision), however, now this has expanded to companies that cover the entire spectrum (e.g., Blackmores or Nature’s Bounty). There are also some movements in the pharma world – for example, in April 2022, a French-based company Urgo Healthcare acquired FB Vision, whose portfolio includes several premium eye health supplements.
An analysis, published in Lancet in 2022, has shown the global prevalence of deficiency in at least one of three core micronutrients (iron, zinc, and vitamin A) to be at 56% among preschool-aged children and at 69% among non-pregnant women of reproductive age. Knowing the importance of vitamin A and zinc for eye health, such numbers are extremely high.
Promoting a balanced diet, as well as supplementation with products that safeguard the vision is highly important. Supplementation with a combination of high-quality lutein and zeaxanthin, which are rarely obtained in sufficient quantities from the diet, even if it is rich in vegetables, and selected vitamins and minerals would be best suited.
Apart from the most researched and renowned carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin, there’s also growing support and recognition for carotenoids from other sources, like saffron or algae. We also see a surge in brands such as Nutritears from OmniActive, or Eyemuse by Kyowa, who have a fresh approach towards the eye health benefits, both supported by scientific research.
Recently, there has been a lot of product development in the eye health segment – regarding the product format, ingredients, and positioning.
The market is still saturated with pills (softgels and capsules) but the number of product launches in liquids, direct sticks (e.g., OmniVision’s CentroVision was the no. 1 eye health supplement brand in Germany and in November 2020 they launched direct sticks with orodispersible powder), and chewables or gummies (for example, Nestlé launched Release U gummies in China in 2022) is increasing.
A growing number of formulations are based on added-value ingredients. For example, FloraGLO® Lutein, Lutemax 2020®, and MaquiBright®. These ingredients have either optimal ratios of carotenoids or some standardization or clinical trials or enhanced absorption etc. An example of the latter is Bausch+Lomb’s 2023 introduction of an enhanced PreserVision® AREDS 2 with patented OCUSorb™ technology for better absorption of the included nutrients.
Moreover, there is an increase in specific positionings, such as blue light protection or dry eyes – for example, Webber Naturals launched a product addressing both issues in 2020. Companies are starting to explicitly communicate several eye health components or vision parameters on the product packaging. For example, Menarini did this with their vision product Sustenium in Asian markets, where the packaging conveyed triple action – comfort, fresh moisturized eyes, and bright vision. This shows market maturity, consumer understanding and a demand for support of specific aspects of eye health. Products with combined positionings are also increasingly appearing, such as combination with cognition, stress (Fonterra, the dairy giant from New Zealand, launched two BioKodeLab SKUs in 2022, combining eye health with either cognition or stress and focus), energy (for example, Blackmores has a product with combined positioning for vision and care + energy), or, in case of children, healthy growth and cognitive development (for example, Blackmores launched a product called Superkids Study buddy for all-rounded brain, eye and nervous system development in children in 2022).
The vision supplement market is expanding rapidly in response to heightened consumer awareness and increased screen time. Companies are innovating with new formulations, user-friendly formats, and targeted benefits to meet diverse consumer needs. Continued growth in this sector will depend on providing clinically supported, effective solutions that address specific eye health concerns while appealing to a broader audience.
Strong scientific support stands out in the vision market and is recognized by ophthalmologists.
Each month we prepare a curated selection of only the most relevant news, new clinical studies, and new product launches in the nutraceutical industry.
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