Kyowa Hakko Announces the Results of Three New Consumer Surveys on Consumer Preferences

New consumer surveys reveal supplement users prefer branded ingredients 2x over generic ingredients when making purchasing decisions.

Kyowa Hakko, global leaders in the research, manufacturing, and purification of high-quality branded health ingredients, is pleased to announce that new data, from three recent consumer surveys, reveals that their branded Cognizin^® Citicoline, Setria^® Glutathione, and IMMUSE™ ingredients continue to resonate with consumer preferences.

The 2020 Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements surveyed 2,006 U.S. adults age 18+, including 1,471 adults who consume dietary supplements seasonally, occasionally, or regularly. Key findings from the report show that, when making purchasing decisions, supplement users prefer branded ingredients 2x over generic ingredients, regarding them as important purchasing factors.

Other big takeaways include that, when it comes to supporting their overall confidence in effectiveness and safety of dietary supplements, supplement users again prefer branded ingredients 2x over generic ingredients. Another 2021 survey conducted by CRN found that younger supplement users, 77% of those 18-34 and 74% of those 35-54, are more likely to have confidence in supplements with branded ingredients than those with generic ones. Additionally, 63% of supplement users are willing to pay a higher price when it comes to supplements with branded ingredients, and also agree that supplements made with branded ingredients can cost more because they are more effective and better quality.

Karen Todd, MBA, RD, Vice President of Global Brand Marketing at Kyowa Hakko U.S.A Inc., remarks, “These latest results reinforce our commitment to researching and developing branded ingredients of the highest quality. Receiving new data on how branded ingredients do, in fact, play a considerable role in positively influencing consumer purchasing habits, and their overall confidence in a finished supplement product, only further validates that our mission to provide health solutions through researched-backed ingredients is being increasingly well-received by consumers.”

Ingredient Transparency Center (ITC) also conducted a 2021 Consumer Supplements Survey to 1,000 US supplement consumers between April and June of 2021. The survey was segmented between supplement users for brain health, antioxidant, and immune products, coinciding with Kyowa Hakko’s different branded ingredient channels. The results remained consistent with the CRN survey, revealing that supplement users are positively influenced by branded ingredients when making purchasing decisions.

In fact, brain supplement users were highly encouraged to take a supplement more frequently if the products featured branded ingredients identified on the label (57%) or in marketing materials (53%), like Cognizin^® Citicoline. For Citicoline supplement users purchasing citicoline in particular, quality certifications, seals and branded ingredients significantly impacted consumer trust. Compared to all supplement users, citicoline users tend to be encouraged by branded ingredients like Cognizin^® Citicoline.

Similarly, antioxidant supplement users also tend to be encouraged by branded ingredients like Setria^® Glutathione. In fact, 49% of antioxidant users’ purchasing decisions are significantly impacted by branded ingredients. When deciding which antioxidant supplements to purchase, over 80% of regular glutathione users in particular reported that branded ingredient logos like Setria® Glutathione on the package significantly impact their decisions.

For immune health, immune supplement users make up around 80% of all supplement users in the US, and, although postbiotics are a novel sector of immune health, 21% of immune supplement users are very or extremely familiar with them and 33% of Postbiotics supplement users always look for branded ingredients, like Kyowa Hakko’s branded IMMUSE™ ingredient, when purchasing.

Celebrating over 60 years of innovation with trusted branded ingredients backed by science, Kyowa Hakko’s ingredients are made from an innovative fermentation process for the utmost quality and safety. Kyowa Hakko has conducted over 50 clinical trials that have been published in peer-reviewed journals, backing the efficacy and health claims behind its ingredients.

“Our unique processes, alongside our science, quality and safety have allowed us to deliver ingredients you can consistently count on. Not only are our ingredients clinically-studied, but we also have self-affirmed GRAS and Novel Food status for many of our ingredients, making them safe to use in multiple delivery formats, a must for today's manufacturers and consumer,” comments Todd.

Kyowa Hakko also follows the latest marketing trends in Cognitive Health, Sports Nutrition, and Immune Health areas to further scientific research on their ingredients, strengthen current ingredient claims, and assist their manufacturers with co-developing unique products to fill gaps in the marketplace. “This is what we like to call the Kyowa Advantage,” adds Todd.

With its line of innovative branded ingredients including Setria^® Glutathione, Setria® Performance Blend, Cognizin^® Citicoline, Velox^® Patented Performance Blend, and two new scientific breakthrough ingredients, IMMUSE™ and EYEMUSE™, along with its line of Kyowa Quality^® ingredients, Kyowa Hakko is continuing to pave the way in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of high-quality, branded ingredients that consumers can count on.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

For media inquiries, please contact Sara White at sara@adinnyc.com or 914.621.1323

About Kyowa Hakko USA

Kyowa Hakko USA is the North & South American office for Kyowa Hakko Bio Co. Ltd., an international health ingredients manufacturer and world leader in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and food products. For more information visit www.kyowa-usa.com.