Vitafoods Europe 2025 live: Seppic unveils new chaga nutraceutical for immunity

At the ongoing Vitafoods Europe trade show in Barcelona, Spain, Seppic launches its first nutraceutical active ingredient, Chagadvance, for immune support and wellness. It is based on organic chaga, which the company says has been substantiated for its potential in reinforcing the immune system through an extensive bibliography. 

Chaga for the extract is sustainably harvested in Finnish Lapland forests, allowing for natural regrowth without harming the host tree. Chagadvance is standardized in beta-glucans and polyphenols, which Seppic states are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and benefits on immunity. 

In addition, Seppic is presenting new consumer data on one of its beauty-from-within ingredients, Ceramosides, showing benefits for men’s skin and hair health. A new clinical trial on its Sepibliss ingredient supports its benefits in UV protection and improving skin firmness. 

On the show floor, Nutrition Insight meets with the team to discuss the new launch, consumer research, and tasting bar for beauty aging at Seppic’s booth. 

Alice Barbier, active ingredients product manager for nutrition, tells us the “functional mushroom market is booming,” driven by consumer demand for natural, effective, and trusted wellness solutions. She highlights chaga mushrooms’ long history of medicinal use, valued for their anti-inflammatory, vitality, antiviral, and gastrointestinal benefits. 

“We built a strong scientific dossier with our R&D team. The current focus on immunity and preventive health, especially post-pandemic, makes this the right time to launch Chagadvance, offering a natural ingredient with compelling storytelling.” 

“Chagadvance is a powder suitable for capsules. We are conducting stability studies to support clients with formulation tips and plan to explore other formats like gummies,” Barbier adds.

Sustainable chaga

Seppic works with a Finnish extract supplier, sourcing wild chaga fungi from Lapland forests. Over 99% of these forests are certified organic. Chaga is the common name for a sterile canker that forms on birch trees in response to infection by the fungus Inonotus obliquus. 

Barbier says that the composition and properties of wild chaga extracts are significantly different from those of cultivated sources, which are standard on the international market to satisfy demand. 

“Some key compounds originate from the tree hosts,” she explains. “Therefore, wild chaga exhibits more interesting properties and compounds.” 

Chaga is the common name for a sterile canker that forms on birch trees in response to infection by the fungus Inonotus obliquus.Chagadvance is obtained by hot water extraction, the most similar approach to the methods used in traditional medicine, according to Seppic. Its supplier reduces the environmental footprint by recycling the water used in extraction. This system conserves the water used during the process and recirculates it in the next production batch. 

Barbier details that Seppic built a scientific dossier with over 100 publications supporting chaga’s immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, microbiota-balancing, and antioxidant effects. 

She adds: “Chaga helps modulate gut microbiota and strengthens the gut barrier. It can be combined with probiotics for synergistic immune benefits.”

Barbier says Chagadvance is available in a low dose of 150 mg daily, which benefits its versatility. 

“It can be integrated into various immune-support supplements, including for body shield protection such as natural defenses and vitality boosts, but also in body balance for immunity, mental wellness, microbiota balance, and holistic wellness in a synergistic mushroom blend or for healthy aging.”

Beauty-from-within benefits

At Vitafoods Europe, Seppic is also sharing new consumer data indicating the benefits of ceramides supplementation for men’s skin and hair health. In five earlier clinical studies on women, the gluten-free wheat lipidic extract demonstrated significant benefits for skin hydration, anti-aging, and hair health. 

The consumer study included 95 healthy men over age 35 with moderate hair loss, wrinkles, and dry skin. They took 30 mg of Ceramosides powder daily for three months. 

After three months of taking Ceramosides, 80% of male participants said their hair was healthier.Salma Zahidi, product manager in nutrition, tells us the results showed a “31% decrease in hair loss, significant after one month, 12% increase in hair density, 11% improvement in hair-related self-esteem, and 80% of participants believed their hair was healthier.” 

She adds that the study also found a 25% improvement in skin hydration and a 16% reduction in wrinkle severity, while 65% of participants felt more comfortable with their skin. 

Zahidi also details new clinical research on Sepiblis, Seppic’s patented coriander seed oil extract, which has multi-protection benefits against exposome damage and UV exposure. 

“A recent clinical study with 99 women aged 35–65 showed an 18% reduction in skin erythema after UV exposure (significant at 200 mg/day) and a reduction in wrinkles as early as two weeks with 100 and 200 mg/day doses.”

Zahidi adds that the study also found improvements in skin barrier function, firmness, and reduction of oxidative and inflammatory markers. 

Healthy aging collection

Virginie Grenier, nutrition marketing manager, says Seppic has launched a new concept at Vitafoods Europe, a Tasting Bar. The company developed a collection of food supplement concepts with its partners, where customers “can experience our ingredient portfolio in finished product concepts.” 

“We partner with several contract manufacturers specializing in nutraceutical formats such as tablets, capsules, soluble powders, and stick packs to offer diverse formulations.” 

At Seppic’s Beauty Aging Tasting Bar, Vitafoods visitors can experience ingredients in finished product concepts.“Our concept collection, ‘Beauty Aging,’ addresses beauty needs at every life stage, capturing the emerging trend of healthspan — extending the years of good health, not just lifespan,” Grenier explains. 

She adds that Seppic designed seven formulas “that answer the beauty needs at every age during life, with a high level of efficacy, functionality, and social reality.” 

The concepts cover students with “Smart beauty,” people in their 20s with “Let it glow,” people in their 30s with “Happy skin and mind,” people in their 40s with “Hair bloom ceramides,” people in their 50s with “Women 50+,” people in their 60s with “Sun shield,” and people in their 70s with “Always young.” 

Each product uses one of Seppic’s core beauty-from-within ingredients: Sepitone, a fermented bilberry extract; Sepibliss; or Ceramosides.

For example, Grenier highlights “Happy Skin and Mind,” combining a cosmetic and nutraceutical product. 

“The lemon-flavored liquid shot combines Sepibliss with well-known ingredients in the mental wellness market, like L-theanine, vitamin C, and B6. We combine this with a soothing night cream containing Sepibliss in its cosmetic grade to hydrate and nourish women’s skin while relieving accumulated tension.”