SuanNutra targets global growth and R&D with IFF natural ingredients portfolio

SuanNutra is preparing to expand its nutrition, business, and R&D capabilities following the acquisition of IFF Health Sciences’ portfolio of natural ingredients, vitamins, and minerals. 

With the transaction expected to close around November 2026, Nutrition Insight explores how the deal will broaden SuanNutra’s offering and support investment in clinically backed ingredients with the company’s Stephanie Guillén, chief commercial officer, and Mariana Ortega, science marketing manager. 

Guillén says that the planned acquisition of IFF’s natural ingredients, vitamins, and minerals business will allow SuanNutra to expand its portfolio and capabilities.

“We’re going to offer botanical extracts, such as passionflower or valerian, branded ingredients, and vitamins and minerals in the US as well.”

With IFF’s natural ingredients business, SuanNutra will grow from a workforce of 100 people to around 700 people, says Guillén. The company will have a global presence, with operations in countries such as Spain, the US, Slovenia, and Peru.

“At SuanNutra, we’re very focused on customers, people, science-backed products, and diversity of ingredients,” she adds. “Any customer can find any ingredient, from functional ingredients and botanical extracts to branded ingredients from Monteloeder, for example, based on science.”

“Our growth strategy focuses on additional capabilities, knowledge from the industry, and channels where we are not yet present.”

Guillén says that the acquisition of IFF’s natural ingredients, vitamins, and minerals business will allow SuanNutra to expand its portfolio and capabilities.She notes that the company also wants to expand its manufacturing capabilities so its branded ingredients can meet increasing demand and grow the knowledge and skills of the company’s staff.

Building from a base

In addition to incorporating a new portfolio into SuanNutra’s operations, Guillén says IFF’s ingredients already have a customer base to work with, clinical studies, and knowledgeable people to incorporate into SuanNutra’s team. “It’s not like starting from scratch.”

The company is in the process of closing the transaction to buy IFF’s portfolio, which it expects to finish at the end of November, says Guillén.

She notes that the company is working on the strategy to integrate both businesses, teams, and products. Guillén says that this integration is likely the hardest part. “We don’t want to disrupt the business or customers or create uncertainty in people that we are adding to our organization.”

In the future, she expects synergies between IFF’s food focus and SuanNutra’s nutrition and nutraceutical base, especially since the line between food and food supplements is very thin.

“Some customers are asking, ‘Help me with the prototypes.’ Even when they are talking about ingredients, they would like to understand how the ingredients behave in a matrix. This is something that in the future could be helpful.”

According to Guillén, the company will focus on two sectors in the future, food and nutrition. “The SuanNutra part will cover botanicals, branded ingredients made from botanicals, and vitamins and minerals. This is the core business globally. And then the food area is for antioxidants, flavors, colors, and fragrances. We are not involved in the food area now, but this is how it’s going to be structured.”

“Having everything in one business is great because you can control the whole supply chain,” she adds.

Guillén says that the company’s added value lies in the capabilities and the portfolio that it is combining. “The differentiation is very focused on that we would like to keep the nature of SuanNutra in terms of agility.”

SuanNutra is working on a strategy to integrate both businesses, teams, and products.She notes that integrating two companies is not easy, especially for the people working in these organizations. “We don’t want to be a big, bureaucratic organization — agility is key, productivity, and always placing the customer and people at the center.”

Ortega adds: “SuanNutra is a young company in the sector. But with IFF, we have new people with knowledge and expertise.”

Guillén underscores the importance of incorporating IFF’s R&D team with that of SuanNutra to help it grow.

“We are very focused on our branded ingredients portfolio. In the future, with the portfolio that we’re adding, we’re going to invest in all of them, so we need more knowledge and capabilities for that.”

Investing in a portfolio

IFF’s portfolio is already backed by certain clinical studies, which SuanNutra aims to build on, says Guillén.

“Every year we are working on new clinical studies and investing in growing our R&D team,” she says. “The intention is to invest in the portfolio that IFF already has — more studies and data, to make that portfolio the stars of the business.”

Most importantly, she notes that IFF operates in areas that SuanNutra doesn’t, or areas that may be complementary to its portfolio. For example, Guillén says that IFF offers a product to support prostate health, which SuanNutra doesn’t.

SuanNutra has developed a Visible Health strategy, a framework to highlight clinical science in metabolic health, balance, and radiance. IFF’s ingredients will be integrated into these three pillars as well.

Additionally, SuanNutra is investing in marketing and R&D. “It’s not only about the science, but also about messages and advising our customers.”

At Vitafoods Asia 2026, SuanNutra displayed branded ingredients under its Visible Radiance pillar, says Ortega.“Our marketing and commercial teams are working together all the time, together with R&D, to inform the R&D team what the trends are.” For example, she says that the marketing teams keep track of developments in the market through trade shows, trend reports, and what customers are launching or demanding.

Visible Radiance

At the recent Vitafoods Asia 2026, SuanNutra displayed branded ingredients under its Visible Radiance pillar, says Ortega, which she notes is a health area with strong traction in the region.

For example, she says that visitors were aware of Elissara from the company’s subsidiary Monteloeder. The company presented a preclinical study at the show showing that Elissara exhibits multifactorial activity associated with healthy hair growth and follicle function.

Ortega says the team observed a growing awareness of hair health all year, but that this is more pronounced in Asia, where beauty-from-within has more traction.

She also spotted more interest in Eternalyoung, a four-botanical nutricosmetic that has been shown to reduce wrinkles and boost radiance in a 12-week clinical trial.

“This is focused on a mechanism of action that is quite interesting for this region, targeting longevity, telomeres, and cellular health. Asia is a pioneer in those types of things.”

She also points to Nutroxsun365 in the beauty-from-within space, which focuses on skin radiance, skin structure support, and visible beauty outcomes linked to collagen and elastin preservation.

“The market is crowded with good ingredients based on collagen, hyaluronic acid, and peptides. But some customers want to combine those with something different. With Nutroxsun365, we show how it’s able to preserve the collagen, with preclinical data.”

Another branded ingredient with growing attention at Vitafoods Asia 2026 was Metabolaid, adds Ortega. “Last year, we didn’t have much feedback about weight management. They focused more on weight management from the beauty side, not as a health condition. Now, customers are increasingly asking about it due to GLP-1s.”