In a modern scenario outlined by the rising awareness toward enhancing the nutrition profiles of consumers, vitamins have become instantly popular. These products are vital for good health and daily bodily functions, like cell reproduction and growth, as well as the processing of energy. In fact, they are known for playing a crucial role in facilitating female health, mainly in areas of menstruation, ovulation, oocyte quality and maturation.
This growing prominence of vitamins along with the thriving demand for lipid-soluble antioxidants will positively influence the progression of the vitamin E industry in the near future. In addition to assisting in maintaining healthy skin, red blood cells and eyes, this fat-soluble form of vitamin boosts the natural immune system. When used as a supplement it helps to alleviate the risk of pregnancy complications that involve oxidative stress, such as pre-eclampsia.
In recent years, the preference for vitamin E has picked up an immense pace in dermatology as it boasts the ability to improve the appearance of the skin by keeping it healthy and youthful with reduced fine-line appearances, wrinkles and other signs of aging. It also protects the skin from several deleterious effects that are caused by solar radiation by behaving as a free-radical scavenger.
The vitamin E market is thus witnessing substantial traction as this component is used as an essential ingredient in multiple cosmetic products to offer hydrating, protective and antioxidant benefits and to revive brittle hair. To illustrate, in August 2022, a well-known skincare brand, COSRX introduced its new Vitamin E Vitalizing Sunscreen SPF 50+ to meet the rising requirements for broad-spectrum protection.
Lately, the demand for vitamin E capsules is garnering considerable momentum for regular consumption, given their easy and abundant access on multiple e-commerce websites, such as Amazon. These capsules have proved beneficial in reducing hair loss and boosting growth, and have thus carved a niche as a cure-all for damaged, frizzy and unmanageable hair. As they are packed with benefits, they exhibit promising effects on the skin, and work as immunity boosters and offer antioxidant support.
Surging Penetration in Dietary Supplements to Boost Vitamin E Industry Size from Human Nutrition
The use of antioxidant vitamins has substantially increased to limit free radical damages in the initial stages of atherosclerosis as they can lead to a host of chronic conditions, including cancer and vision loss. To that end, vitamin E—mainly alpha-tocopherol—is largely incorporated in dietary supplements as it acts as an antioxidant to enhance immune functions as well as prevent the formation of clots in arteries.
Vitamin E supplements, given their antioxidant profile, boast capabilities to prevent heart diseases, cataracts and diabetes, among many other conditions. Lately, the influx of low-fat diets and the increasing count of people diagnosed with digestive problems and cystic fibrosis have raised the importance of catering to rising vitamin E deficiencies. In fact, these supplements are also suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets. In addition, recent studies have suggested that low doses of supplementation of dietary vitamin E help limit the burden of exercise-induced muscle damage while having a greater impact on athletes.
What Does the Future Hold for the Vitamin E Market?
Besides being suitable for different uses in supplements, various chemical forms of vitamin E are increasingly favored for the fortification of a diverse range of foods and beverages. Considering their higher application scope, a slew of innovations in vitamin E forms, such as spray-dried powder that show great uniformity and stability in dry and liquid applications have gained momentum. They can also be accessed as gluten-free, non-GMO and Kosher/Halal-certified products.
Of late, the rising number of research activities for novel drug delivery systems are also contributing to improvements in vitamin E delivery on account of their anticancer properties. In effect, vitamin E isoforms, mainly D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethene glycol succinate is gaining increasing interest to surge the bioavailability of chemotherapeutic agents in the development of drug delivery systems.
In light of these advancements, a large number of vitamin E industry contenders are constantly coming up with various initiatives and R&D activities for revolutionizing the product demand, while catering to the rising consumer requirements. Stating an example, in January 2022, a U.S. study revealed that the supplements made from annatto tocotrienol, which is found in vitamin E, help reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women. In another instance, BASF, in July 2022, created Nutrition Ingredients, a global business unit to focus on products such as vitamins, including vitamin E, to reinforce its standing in the nutrition industry.