Krill oil sales are on the rise and trends promoting a healthier way of life are helping to drive that growth. From prevention and connected wellness to women’s health, several trends are positively impacting the way customers and consumers look at ingredients such as krill oil. And while health trends and innovation are top of mind for many, sustainability is still a ‘must have’ when it comes to EPA/DHA products.
Prioritizing prevention
According to Innova Trends Survey 2024, more than 1 in 3 consumers claim to be “proactive” in preventing health issues and the most important areas include heart and bone health.
Furthermore, 2023 data from FMCG Gurus shows that 30% of global proactive health consumers say they want to improve their heart health, and these consumers are taking a holistic approach to well-being. They are doing this on multiple levels including changing their diets and lifestyles, but another major part of this transformation is seeking out products with multiple health claims that are backed by science.
As we age, our focus is maintaining our health, especially for seniors who need consistent, daily support, but for young people, it's all about prevention. When you’re young, developing good habits early can protect your body and wellbeing as you get older.
Connected wellness proves that “Everything affects everything”.
According to a New Hope Natural trend report, when it comes to health, there is a growing consumer awareness that “Everything affects everything”. From managing your physical and mental wellbeing to fueling your body with the right food and nutrients, it’s all about connectedness.
When it comes to krill oil, we know that cellular health influences all other health systems in the body and what connects our bodies to overall wellness. We are seeing that more and more customers (and consumers) have an understanding how the natural nutrients in krill oil: phospholipids, omega-3s, choline and astaxanthin benefit our health at the cellular level, and that the health of our cells matter. A healthy cell means better organ health, better heart health and even improved mood and mental health. Indeed, it’s all connected.
Healthy aging
Globally, we are facing the challenges associated with that of an aging population such as increased risk of lifestyle diseases. Fortunately, these risks can be managed with a healthy lifestyle including exercise and diet, along with nutritional supplements like krill oil.
While healthy aging solutions might be top of mind for older demographics, younger audiences are thinking about prevention. When we’re young, developing good habits early can help safeguard us as we get older, but as we age, our focus shifts to maintaining a healthy lifespan; the portion of our lives spent without disease or disability.
Slowing down the aging process may reduce incidence of age-related disease and extend healthy lifespan bridging the gap between biological and chronological age. Phospholipids in krill oil help maintain cell membrane fluidity by balancing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in these membranes which is directly linked to proper cell functioning including communication between the cells. In addition, choline is a precursor for the important neurotransmitter acetylcholine involved in muscle control, memory, and other neural functions.
Women's Health
According to McKinsey data, “Historically, women’s health has been underserved and underfunded. Fortunately, that is changing as the global women’s health market is on the move, led by general awareness and proactivity pertaining to women’s health and wellness.
We are seeing an increased interest in krill oil phospholipids solution for women’s health and the science speaks for itself. In fact, science shows that krill oil can significantly reduce the emotional symptoms related to PMS and is significantly effective for the management of dysmenorrhea and emotional PMS symptoms. EPA & DHA have been found to play an important role in improving the inflammatory symptoms caused by the hormone-driven menstrual cycle.
In addition to hormonal health, women are increasingly focused on protecting and maintaining healthy skin, and krill represents a natural complex of nutrients that can give us the boost we need to maintain that much sought-after glow. Clinical tests on Aker BioMarine’s marine phospholipid skin care supplement, have revealed that this unique combination of nutrients improves hydration, elasticity, and water retention in the skin.
Cognitive Health
Brain health is an increasingly critical topic in the medical community, especially as we live longer and develop in our understanding of how our food choices, lifestyles and stress levels may impact our cognitive capacities and abilities.
This has created an increasing demand for science-backed nutritional products that can help support brain health throughout our lives.
We are seeing lots of excitement around brain health solutions with new products targeting healthy aging, improved mood, stress, memory, and focus. Numerous published scientific studies show how omega-3 fatty acids are recognized as food for the brain, which is a great direction for the category, and especially for krill oil.
Brain-boosting nutrients like phospholipids, omega-3 EPA & DHA and choline naturally occur in krill oil, and they are naturally found in the brain as well, making it a winning combination.
Combination Formulations
Consumers are also looking for personalization and combination products to help target key health benefit areas, and solutions that can meet the expectations of individuals in line with their specific health needs in an easy, convenient format are becoming more popular as a result.
We notice an increased interest from customers in combination and condition specific supplements, as a way of enabling brands to innovate and develop unique, on-trend products that address the personalization trend. We see this trend coming alive condition specific areas such as Eye health products, heart health, cognitive, and more.
Krill oil is a great stand-alone supplement or perfect as the complementary ingredient for a blended multi-nutrient product, playing a big role when it comes to innovation and unique delivery format.
Natural, Pure and Sustainable
Sustainability is a topic that should never be overlooked when it comes to health and wellness products. At Aker BioMarine we notice that sustainability is becoming increasingly important for many consumers and customers alike which is extremely important for our industry. Before even considering getting into business in the nutraceuticals industry, emerging brands need to check off all the boxes that consumers are looking for, with sustainability at the forefront.
At Aker BioMarine, sustainability is part of our DNA. Equally important to the human health perspective of our company, is the health of the oceans, and we approach this on multiple levels. Science proves that the krill fishery is one of the world’s most well-managed and sustainable fisheries in the world. In addition to monitoring and supporting science, we are actively monitoring climate change, reducing our CO2 emissions, improving our technology platforms, acting transparently, and letting our certifications speak for themselves.
There is no question that krill oil is connected to all these topics and much more. If you are looking to add krill oil to your portfolio, now is the time. Or if you are looking for new krill oil innovations, you have come to the right place!
