CapZion debuts in Europe: Unibar and Josh Naturals expand eye health reach

05 Oct 2021 --- US-based Unibar is partnering with Josh Naturals in Germany to offer capZion in Europe, the first eye health capsanthin product to be made available in the continent in oral form.

“Capsanthin is the only ingredient that is clinically supported to help manage intraocular pressure (IOP) via an oral application. The importance of IOP is underrepresented in the industry because there wasn’t previously a solution for it,” Unibar president Sevanti Mehta tells NutritionInsight.

Until now, lutein and zeaxanthin have been the main ingredients in the eye care industry, however, capsanthin breaks the mold by helping manage IOP, he adds.

First time in Europe
Despite the benefits of capsanthin, a potent xanthophyllic carotenoid sourced from chili peppers, the ingredient has been under-researched, particularly in the IOP area.

“The eye health benefits of capsanthin are a recent discovery compared to other xanthophyllic carotenoids. We were the first to do the research,” Mehta notes.

“We then introduced capsanthin, in the form of CapsiClear, to the US in 2020. At that time we were also preparing to introduce it in Europe. We are happy to now make it available to European product manufacturers, starting with Josh Naturals.”

According to Wesely Suresh, managing director of Josh Naturals, the European market was “missing out on several aspects of vital support, like managing IOP, by not taking a closer look at the carotenoid capsanthin.”

CapsiClear is the branded capsanthin ingredient developed at Unibar, which received regulatory approval to be sold within the European market. The finished product is branded as capZion, launched along with Josh Naturals.CapZion is the first eye health capsanthin product to be available in Europe in oral form.

“The clinical data we have gathered on CapsiClear speaks for itself,” flags Mehta. “We have developed an unprecedented ingredient for holistic eye health support and, having experienced the benefits of CapsiClear myself, I look forward to seeing the positive effect it has as European consumers look to capZion for their eye health needs.”

A multitude of benefits
CapsiClear is seen to offer a four-in-one eye health solution, supporting vision health and performance. It also helps the mechanisms that reduce IOP and improve photostress recovery for decreased eye strain in addition to increased MPOD, along with improved protection from the negative effects of blue and white light.

The added benefit of using capsanthin over the usual ingredients of lutein and zeaxanthin spans beyond just IOP but also eye fatigue and macular pigment optical density (MPOD), Mehta states.

“Capsanthin delivers the same benefits as the other two ingredients and then more. It helps with MPOD and blue light like lutein and zeaxanthin, but then it takes things further by also helping with IOP and eye fatigue.”

Long-term importance
The capZion product is targeted towards adults who wish to prepare against the effects of aging on vision, Mehta adds, with key importance on long-term eye health.

IOP that is high or imbalanced can increase the risk of glaucoma, while a decrease in MPOD is associated with eventual decline of eye health and increased risk of macular degeneration.

These issues can potentially cause long-lasting eye damage and irreversible vision loss, which capZion aims to tackle.COVID-19 has caused the industry to turn to eye health care in earnest.

“Our human clinical research on CapsiClear showed that subjects who consumed capsanthin experienced improved reading times under blue and white light conditions compared to subjects using the placebo. Improved photostress recovery time is also important because of the role it plays to potentially decrease eye fatigue, which often occurs as a result of too much digital screen time,” he further explains.

COVID-19 shifting focus from screens to eye care
Particularly since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a surge in interest for supplements that can help support eye health, as people have been glued to their screens all the more.

“No other ingredient has been clinically shown to support functions within the eyes that help to reduce the risk of eye fatigue and to manage IOP. Addressing eye fatigue is something that many consumers are looking for because the time spent in front of digital screens has increased a lot over the last 18 months and so more people are experiencing the effects of excessive exposure,” Mehta says.

The industry is rushing to meet eye concerns across the population, with companies such as PharmaLinea telling NutritionInsight that the pandemic has indeed caused rising demands in the market, as the company launched its own line of preventative eye health supplements.

In a few months, industry has seen Neurohacker Collective targeting digital eye strain with its own product launch, while Cosmax Bio developed an ingredient for inhibiting or preventing age-related eye damage and degeneration.

This is seen against the backdrop of a rise in self-education in health related matters, particularly since the emergence of COVID-19.

According to Innova Market Insights, 54% of global consumers say that due to the pandemic, they have spent time educating themselves on ingredients and procedures that can boost their immune health, with a strong tendency toward combining both natural and tech-driven approaches.

The CapsiClear study highlighting the ingredient’s uniqueness in helping support the maintenance of IOP via an oral application is available in the Journal of Food Biochemistry.

By Andria Kades