At Vitafoods Europe, menopause emerged as one of the most significant untapped opportunities for nutraceutical product development. Expert panel discussions and innovative product showcases highlighted a broad range of solutions designed to address the diverse and unique needs of women in this life stage.
 
The overall market of products and services for menopausal women is approximately $60 billion. But new product launches in Europe were barely represented by products with menopause claims, noted Benjamin Milhau, regional marketing lead at IFF Health, during a session titled “Menopause: the untapped market opportunity.”
 
Two years ago, IFF Health partnered with GenM, a U.K.-based organization advocating for easier access to menopause-friendly products through its MTick certification program for retailers and brands.
 
“GenM research shows that hormone replacement therapy is not a silver bullet, and many women instead favor natural products like supplements,” Milhau said, noting that 49% of U.K. women told GenM they didn’t or wouldn’t use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to manage symptoms, while 44% of women preferred supplements to HRT.
 
“Less than 1% of supplements launched in the past 10 years targeted menopause, so there is clearly white space here,” he said, noting that an estimated 1 billion women will be living with menopause or perimenopause symptoms by next year.
 
The health supplement marketplace in the U.K. has been ahead of the curve in developing menopause-friendly products, Milhau noted, with established, emerging, and private label brands all setting the tone for what’s anticipated in the rest of Europe. Consumer education and online activity surrounding menopause management has been at an all-time high, connecting consumers to apps with symptom checkers, quizzes, telehealth, and more.
 
In IFF’s experience over the past few years, making it in the menopause market is about offering options, and the company has developed a suite of botanical-biotic combination concepts tailored to different clusters of the 48 known menopause symptoms, which include hot flashes, stress, sleep disruptions, mood disturbances, and more.
 
One product concept, for instance, was called The Mystic, and was a finished formula combining SoyLife isoflavones, which have been clinically-studied for impact on menopause symptoms, with HOWARU Calm, a probiotic blend shown to regulate subjective feelings of stress, and lemon balm, which has a long history of use to support relaxation and sleep. “We’ve done all of the work on stability and quality, so brands can access the market quickly,” Milhau said.

Heeding the Call to Action

Heather Jackson, co-founder of GenM, spoke about the role of certification, research, and other strategies the dietary supplement industry can take to more effectively reach the 1 billion menopausal women who widely report that they lack solutions for their symptoms.
 
Based on Gen M’s consumer research, “Menopause is more feared in 2024 than it was in 2020,” she said. “This isn’t the kind of experience that we want for the people in our lives.”
 
“IFF was one of our 48 founding partners when we launched two and a half years ago,” Jackson said. “We’ve since united brands and some of the biggest retailers out there in the U.K., to commit to making menopause more visible through signposts, packaging, and more.”
 
In a Gen M survey of menopausal women, 87% said they feel overlooked by brands, and 88% demand more trust. Over half (56%) favored alternative solutions to HRT. Just 14% of women in the U.K. and 4% of women in the U.S. are on HRT. Meanwhile, 66% of women believe both online and offline brands aren’t making it easy for them to find menopause products, and 80% would be happy to shop for a product that was labeled as menopause friendly.
 
Jackson noted that menopausal women experience symptoms over a time frame that averages about 7 years but can last up to 15 years. “This is a consumer who deserves your attention for an incredible amount of time,” she said. “Women are more aware of their symptoms and are more actively researching them. Supplements and foods are among the first places women go to when addressing their symptoms.”
 
GenM’s certification, MTick, is designed to offer women an easier means of finding products deemed helpful by a third party for menopause symptoms.
 
Eligibility requires that a product is:
 

• Backed by authorized medicinal, cosmetic, and/or European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)-approved health claims;
• Tried and tested by menopausal women in clinical trials that generate statistically significant evidence for specified symptoms or signs;
• Is trialed and verified technology or functionality to support one or more of the 48 symptoms or signs of menopause; and
• Is surveyed by a representative number of menopausal women to generate at least a four-star Trustpilot rating in relation to a specified symptom or sign.

 
“There is a continually improving process in how our criteria are assessed,” Jackson said. “We publish our criteria for full transparency, and work with external experts to ensure our processes are the best that they can be.”
 
“Commitments to GenM from retailers show that they need and want more products on the shelves for their shoppers. None of them can afford to ignore this audience anymore,” Jackson said.

Trending Ingredients and Product Concepts

Several suppliers showcased new product concepts designed to tackle some of the most challenging signs and symptoms of menopause.
 
ADM and Sirio Pharma partnered to launch the world’s first gummy containing ADM’s Novasoy Soy isoflavone concentrates, which have been clinically shown to selectively bind to estrogen receptors, helping to ease certain symptoms associated with estrogen depletion by slowing down the rate at which it occurs.
 
In clinical studies, the ingredient is associated with reductions in hot flash severity and frequency as well as arterial flexibility, while preliminary studies suggest it may play a role in the promotion of skin health and calcium maintenance in bones.
 
The new gummy is part of a new women’s health platform that Sirio Pharma launched at the event, which features 25 ingredients to help manufacturers develop personalized women’s health products for various life stages, from puberty to post-menopause.
 
Puredia launched Omegia, a USDA and EU-certified organic sea buckthorn formula rich in plant-based omega-3, 6, 7, and 9 fatty acids as a candidate for menopause support products. In addition to supporting measures of vaginal health and subjective experience of menopausal symptoms, the ingredient is also shown to improve measures of skin hydration by 49%, skin elasticity by 26%, and wrinkles by 14%, according to the company.
 
Kaneka Nutrients marked the 15th anniversary of its electron-rich CoQ10 ingredient, Ubiquinol, by revealing the results of a new consumer study in which 200 postmenopausal women were instructed to take 200 mg of Ubiquinol daily for 2 months and report back on their observations.
 
At baseline, 94% of women reported poor skin quality, with similar numbers reporting sleep disturbances (90%) and stress/anxiety (85%). By the completion of the study, 80% of participants reported that supplementation improved their stress, irritability, and sensitivity, with the same number reporting that they felt more emotionally stable by day 30. By the study’s end, 70% of the women reported better sleep quality, muscle pain, and improved overall wellbeing.
 
Among other product concepts, contract manufacturer DCC Health and Beauty Solutions showcased its Menopause 50+ Vegan Capsules, which feature Lifenol, a hop extract studied to reduce hot flashes; vitamins B6 and B12 for regulation of hormonal activity and reduced fatigue; and zinc to support immune function and reduced oxidative stress.
 
AB-Biotics exhibited a range of prebiotic and probiotic products targeting multiple areas of women’s health, under a newly-launched range called Gyntima. One formulation, Gyntima Menopause, was found to significantly slow down estrogen declines over 12 weeks compared to placebo in 100 healthy peri- and postmenopausal women in Japan, in a human clinical study awaiting publication. The bacteria used in the formulation, L. plantarum KABP 051, L. brevis KABP 052, and P. acidilactici KABP 021, were all selected by AB-Biotics due to previously-established roles in modulating circulating hormone levels.
 
Evolva by Lallemand highlighted recent evidence supporting the potential role of Veri-te resveratrol in menopause-friendly formulations, and the fundamental importance that such ingredients are actually tested on women whose estrogen levels have plummeted.
 
“Women are still strongly underrepresented in clinical research,” noted Marcia da Silva Pinto, senior technical manager at Evolva. “While publications are increasing, there’s still a major gap in the specific needs and concerns related to hormonal variations. Even in vitro studies have historically excluded female animals to avoid dealing with hormone variations as a variable.
 
Veri-te is one of the only resveratrol ingredients to be tested in a clinical study on postmenopausal women, in a study called RESHAW (Resveratrol Supporting Healthy Aging in Women). In 125 postmenopausal women, a twice-daily dose of the ingredient was linked to significant improvements in measures of cerebrovascular and cardiometabolic function, as well as improvements in cognitive performance, verbal memory, and insulin sensitivity.
 
The ingredient is also associated with improvements in bone mineral density over time, as well as skin antioxidant capacity, both of which can be challenging areas due to hormonal fluctuations.

aspurūs is a novel ingredient offered by Waleria Healthtech that offers clinically substantiated benefits for menopausal symptom relief. The full-spectrum extract of Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus Willd) root is standardized to contain not less than 5% Shatavarins (steroidal saponins.)

aspurūs is designed to address a wide range of symptoms associated with menopause, including reducing hot flashes and night sweats, enhancing mood, and boosting cognitive function. Aspurūs is a versatile ingredient with a range of formulation options at a recommended dose of 500 mg.

A gold-standard 8-week study enrolled 70 pre- and post-menopausal women aged 40-65 to test the effects of aspurūs on menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, fatigue, and mood swings. The study focused on the efficacy and safety of aspurūs in managing these symptoms and regulating the HPO axis.

Results showed significant reductions in hot flashes (85% in 4 weeks), night sweats (90% in 8 weeks), and insomnia (60% greater reduction than placebo). The test group also experienced significant improvements in overall wellbeing, as measured by the Utian Quality of Life scale.

“As the awareness of women’s health needs around menopause grows, so does the marketplace for products aimed at addressing these needs,” said Komal Baldwa, founder of Waleria Healthtech. “The increase in consumer demand highlights the necessity for promoting the use of supplements that are backed by ancient literature and modern clinical studies for their efficacy and safety over the course.”
 

About the Author: Mike Montemarano has been the associate editor of Nutraceuticals World since 2020. He can be reached at mmontemarano@rodmanmedia.com.