Bayer Consumer Health tackles energy and bone health market gaps in Brazil and Singapore

Bayer Consumer Health is addressing local consumer needs in energy and bone health in Brazil and Singapore with recent Redoxon product launches. Both markets have acutely unmet health needs in these areas, but miss the right solutions for consumers’ specific demands, says the company. 

Nutrition Insight meets with Julia McCalmont, VP of R&D LATAM and Global Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements at Bayer Consumer Health, to discuss how Redoxon Energy and Move Well meet localized market demands. 

McCalmont says the fundamental consumer needs in these regions are very consistent with those in more saturated territories where products already address energy and bone health. “They need sustained energy and strong bones as they age.” 

However, zooming into these markets made it clear that they are underserved compared to those saturated territories. 

“Brazil is a good example,” she details. “In Brazil, the energy supplement market accounts for only about 6% of the market growth, but overall, that market is growing at 17% annually. That means we have massive untapped potential to take solutions into the market.” 

Meanwhile, the Redoxon Move Well formulation responds to unmet bone health needs in Singapore’s aging population. McCalmont notes that 69% of Singaporeans are in the pre-aging or active-aging stages of their lives. 

“There is widespread vitamin D deficiency despite having year-round sunshine,” she says. “Vitamin D plays a critical role in how your bone health can continue to evolve and prevent frailty in the future.” 

“This creates a significant medical unmet need in that population that enables us to come in and identify solutions where we can genuinely help.” 

Adapting to local energy needs

McCalmont explains that new formulations for these local needs must consider how consumers want to use them. 

“That’s where consumer insight comes into play. The basic need, ‘I need energy,’ is present, but how I need it and see energy coming to life is different.”

In Brazil, consumers look for sustained energy solutions as the culture is lively at night — a mid-afternoon crash does not fit their lifestyles.For example, she says the North American market for energy solutions heavily relies on caffeine and sugar, primarily targeting sport performance or temporary spikes. “The demand is more focused on specific ‘I want to stay up all night, I have an exam, I have an acute need,’ with products such as energy shots for five-hour or acute energy needs.” 

Although other parts of the world also need energy solutions, demand is more about sustained energy. “Every day I need to wake up and be my best, get through my day, go to work, and get to the end of my workday.” 

For example, McCalmont explains that in Brazil, where the culture is lively at night, a mid-afternoon or mid-evening crash does not fit consumers’ lifestyles. 

“In Singapore, you spend a lot of time outside. That’s draining for your activities,” she adds. “There are also families that work at many different times in the day. You have a lot more juggling of the family system. Sustained energy becomes more important than the energy of going to the club or studying for exams.” 

In developing its formulations, McCalmont explains that Bayer Consumer Health focuses on how ingredients work synergistically within the body. She elaborates: “What does the body require, and how do we help to provide that solution in a way that the consumer will see fit into their day-to-day life?” 

As a result, Redoxon Energy offers an alternative to high caffeine or sugar solutions. “We focus on a blend of B vitamins, controlled amounts of caffeine, and supporting micronutrients that work with your body’s natural energy systems.” 

Healthy bones to prevent frailty

McCalmont details how Bayer Consumer Health found similar opportunities in the Singapore market to support bone strength in its aging population, as consumers seek solutions to improve bone health at a younger age. “We’re looking at different ways to create preventative opportunities for people in the future.”

McCalmont explains that the Move Well solution in Singapore focuses on improving bone health at a younger age to help prevent frailty in seniors.“Often, when we think of aging, we’re either thinking about those more superficial signals of aging, like skin health and wrinkles, or the more medical aging symptoms, such as heart failure or osteoporosis.”

“There’s a space in between,” she notes. “If you look at bone health, frailty is one of the key indicators of aging that many doctors consider when looking at their patients’ aging process. Frailty starts with your bones.” 

Bayer’s Redoxon Move Well solution targets a population where the intervention can have long-lasting implications on reducing frailty to “help them live their best lives as they continue to age.” 

Bone mass peaks around age 30 and remains stable until people reach about 50, explains McCalmont. “That means that between the ages of 30 and 50, you are doing the most important bone building that will last you the rest of your life.” 

The Move Well formula combines vitamin D3 with calcium, highlights McCalmont. “The science is crystal clear that calcium alone is largely wasted without adequate vitamin D3 for absorption and helping your body to utilize it.”