Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/26/2014 -- Vitamins and dietary supplements registered fractionally negative current retail value growth in 2013 due to the poor performance of tonics and bottled nutritive drinks, vitamins and paediatric vitamins and dietary supplements. In contrast, dietary supplements, the largest category, registered positive growth driven not only by the popularity of beauty supplements but also increasing spending on anti-ageing supplements among elderly consumers. As elderly consumers are becoming vital customers of vitamins and dietary supplements, some manufacturers design their products for the convenience of elderly people. Fancl Corp offers its vitamins and dietary supplements in relatively small sizes and with the minimum dosage so that elderly consumers can swallow the products without difficulty. Another popular format is bottled drinks as liquid is easier to swallow than tablets.

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Competitive Landscape:

Taisho Pharmaceutical Co Ltd continued to lead vitamins and dietary supplements in Japan in 2013 with a retail value share of 10%. The company's leading brand Lipovitan remained the top brand in tonics and bottled nutritive drinks. Lipovitan D, which is the largest Lipovitan sub-brand, suffered negative growth in 2013, reflecting the poor performance of tonics and bottled nutritive drinks. Meanwhile, other Lipovitan brands increased in current retail value terms in 2013 driven by the company's efforts to explore new customer segments. One such example was Lipovitan Feel, which was launched in April 2013 for young female workers. Unlike Lipovitan D, the package of Lipovitan Feel is purple and orange to attract women. In addition, Lipovitan Feel contains no caffeine and only 18kcal per bottle. In its TV commercial Taisho suggested a new way of taking the product - a young actress drinks the product with a straw before going to bed then goes to work the following morning. With Lipovitan Feel, the company successfully expanded its customer base, which contributed to the positive growth of other Lipovitan brands in 2013.

Industry Prospects:

Vitamins and dietary supplements is expected to register a fractionally negative CAGR at constant 2013 prices over the forecast period. Paediatric vitamins and dietary supplements, tonics and bottled nutritive drinks and vitamins are expected to show negative growth while dietary supplements is expected to grow further. That said, vitamins and dietary supplements in Japan could register rapid growth over the forecast period. Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration, in mid-2013 the cabinet approved deregulating the restrictions on health and nutrition claims of health and wellness foods and supplements. This is part of his initiative to promote self-medication. Under the current regulations, any health and wellness foods, vitamins and dietary supplements are not allowed to claim their health or nutritional benefits unless they are certified as Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) or food with nutrient function. The deregulation would enable manufacturers to claim their health or nutritional benefits as long as the effectiveness of ingredients is scientifically proven. The deregulation is expected to enable manufacturers to communicate the effects of their vitamins and dietary supplements more effectively and encourage manufacturers to introduce more products into the market. The new rules are currently under discussion between the government and experts in the industry and are estimated to be in force by the end of Japan fiscal year 2014-15.

Retail value sales of dermatologicals in Japan increased by 1% in current terms in 2013. Hair loss treatments remained the largest category in terms of retail value sales. The category's steady growth turned negative in 2012 due to the negative growth of RiUP by Taisho Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, the largest brand in hair loss treatments compared to the significant sales increase of the brand in 2011. The remarkable performance was because of research findings by the Japanese Dermatological Association that certified the effectiveness of the key active ingredient in RiUP. Therefore, compared to 2012, sales of hair loss treatments recovered in 2013. While men's hair loss treatments accounted for the majority of the total sales, women's hair loss treatments expanded its value share in 2013 with several new products launches. In addition to women in middle-age and above, an increasing number of young women in their 30s are using hair loss treatment products for prevention purposes.

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