When you walk into a store for snacks and spot hyaluronic acid yogurt, chocolate, or even beer, will you shake your head and think it's a tax on stupidity, or reach out with the mindset that since you're eating snacks anyway, you might as well make them healthier? Don't laugh—this may soon become another dilemma you face. In January, the state officially approved hyaluronic acid for use in everyday foods, including dairy, beverages, alcohol, chocolate, and candy. Many media outlets cheered the new direction for oral beauty products, and major brands began preparing their own hyaluronic acid foods. So, will hyaluronic acid foods be a blue ocean? Iceberg believes that the development space for hyaluronic acid foods is limited, but if brands can delve into niche categories and create standout products, there may still be opportunities for blockbusters.

-01- Pioneers of Oral Beauty Collagen Products To gauge the prospects of hyaluronic acid foods, let's first look at another beauty ingredient that has aggressively entered the food sector—collagen. Collagen is a fibrous protein in the human body that improves skin and muscle elasticity and protects bone health. It is widely used in clinical medicine, beauty, food, and chemical raw materials. Since collagen loss accelerates after age 25, leading to sagging skin, eye bags, and wrinkles, supplementing collagen is a major demand for beauty-conscious individuals. Today, collagen products come in both topical and oral forms, but oral products are far more popular than topical ones. The concept of "beauty from within" is not just talk. Among oral products, health supplements are the most popular, with consumers favoring this format. Collagen has also entered everyday foods, with rapid growth in meal replacements and snacks, making beauty a part of daily life. In the health supplement category, collagen products are diverse. Australian supplement giant Swisse offers a wide range of collagen supplements, including oral liquids, powders, jellies, and tablets—whatever you prefer. Another major player, By-Health, is not to be outdone, selling collagen gummies that rank first in sales. With so many options, what do consumers actually prefer? Iceberg compiled Tmall sales data for 2020. Although oral liquids and powders still lead, jellies and gummies are the rising stars. These snack-like formats not only lack the unpleasant taste of typical supplements but also make consumption fun—delicious and entertaining. In collagen gummies and jellies, several brands have firmly established themselves. Duoyanshou's enzyme collagen jelly has won over weight-loss enthusiasts, with fitness KOL Jung Da-yeon's personal guidance attracting followers; established brands like By-Health and Nature's Bounty launched collagen gummies that quickly gained fans; the viral Unichi bear gummies, with their cute design, became a hit on Little Red Book, sparking a trend; and Japan's Esthe Pro Labo salmon collagen jelly strips, with exquisite packaging and elaborate copy in Japanese, English, and French, give an impression of high quality. However, from another perspective, snack-like supplements, being relatively new, face immature production processes and regulation, leading to more issues. Many buyers of Duoyanshou's collagen jelly reported severe diarrhea. Is weight loss just about diarrhea? Another challenge with snack-like supplements is that when they taste good, consumers tend to overconsume. For example, one buyer found the gummies so tasty that they ate half a bottle at once and got a stomachache. Perhaps they can only console themselves that the gummies contain real ingredients. Looking at the top 10 supplement brands, besides wealthy established brands, emerging brands mostly focus on a specific type of supplement, becoming more professional in a single product and creating blockbusters. Now let's look at collagen snacks and beverages. They mainly include candies, drinks, dried fruits, biscuits and chips, dairy, and meat snacks. Candies dominate, including gummies, mints, and marshmallows. It's noticeable that, except for biscuits and chips, most products are moist, sticky, or elastic, with healthier processing, aligning with collagen's image. Thus, the rise of biscuits and chips is particularly unique. One product breaking this stereotype is a biscuit marketed as low-calorie, sugar-free, and oil-free, with added collagen and satiety, plus high aesthetics, appealing to beauty-conscious young women. Its appearance doesn't resemble traditional baked goods but looks more like compressed powder, emphasizing its healthiness. In contrast, no one would believe that spicy collagen chips could truly supplement collagen. Among the top 10 collagen snack and beverage brands, besides Liangpin Shop, Genki Forest, and Be & Cheery, the rest are emerging brands, with products concentrated in candies. It's clear that established brands don't have an absolute advantage; products like Coca-Cola's Sleepy Skin drink, Blink's mints, Mengniu's Nuanyan yogurt, Watsons' Huawu water, and Meiji's fruit gummies failed to stand out. From collagen products, we can draw the following lessons:

  1. In the supplement sector, snack-like gummies and jellies have already appeared and gained market acceptance, so in the food sector, gummies and jellies are relatively safe bets with prior experience.
  2. In category selection, focusing on creating a single blockbuster product makes it easier to break out.
  3. During new product development, attention must be paid to the compatibility of ingredient properties and product form, since consumers buying collagen snacks are mostly for health and beauty.
  4. High-quality packaging design adds significant appeal.
  5. Emerging brands still have opportunities.

-02- The Rising Latecomer Hyaluronic Acid Products Hyaluronic acid, scientifically known as hyaluronan, is also a component of the human body with three major effects: moisturizing, lubricating, and viscoelastic. It is a key substance for supple skin, with one molecule capable of locking in 1000 times its weight in water. Similar to collagen, hyaluronic acid levels decline with age, leading to skin aging and wrinkles. To date, hyaluronic acid products are mainly concentrated in skincare. Although oral supplements exist, their sales rank only fifth. Skincare and medical aesthetics, which are common uses, are ahead, but it's surprising that adult products and hair care products have higher sales and year-on-year growth than supplements. Furthermore, in 2020, sales of hyaluronic acid supplements were only 4% of collagen supplements, indicating a narrow market. Despite hyaluronic acid being approved as a health food ingredient in 2008, the concept of oral hyaluronic acid hasn't been widely promoted. When consumers are unfamiliar with its effects, brands need to invest heavily in building awareness. In the hyaluronic acid supplement sector, tablets/capsules dominate, while oral liquids, powders, and jellies are sluggish. However, gummies have broken through, again becoming the hot new favorite. Meanwhile, hyaluronic acid often appears with other ingredients, especially collagen, which is very frequent. Consumers aren't very enthusiastic about supplements with only hyaluronic acid. Strong binding with other ingredients makes it more acceptable. In February, a hyaluronic acid food appeared on the market—Wonderlab's hyaluronic acid gummies, from the meal replacement brand. Within a month of launch, Wonderlab performed well, quickly taking the top spot and leaving other brands far behind. In 2020, HUM held a 61% market share and Olly 38%. As a popular meal replacement brand, Wonderlab already has a large fan base of young, beauty-conscious women. With its strong health food background and loyal fans, the rapid success of its hyaluronic acid gummies was a natural progression. Consumer reviews are mostly positive, praising the taste and design, but some mention "tax on stupidity" and "expensive," questioning efficacy and price. As one buyer pointed out, the biggest issue with hyaluronic acid snacks is the blurred line between supplements and snacks. Additionally, this month, Hankou No.2 Factory and Bloomage Biotech have both launched hyaluronic acid beverages. While their market performance is unknown, we can look at Genki Forest's product, Chongji Collagen Water. Chongji Collagen Water costs 12 yuan per 410ml bottle. Compared to the popular sparkling water, Chongji has been quiet, with no introduction even on the official website. Since its launch in 2017, it has remained lukewarm. Consumer reviews often mention expiration, taste, and price issues. Unlike gummies, beverages have richer tastes and flavors. Finding a balance among diverse preferences is where brands need to focus. Solving this fundamental issue is key to making consumers willingly pay for high-priced health drinks. Now let's look at Hankou No.2 Factory and Bloomage Biotech's beverages. Hankou No.2 Factory's hyaluronic acid sparkling water is already on Tmall, priced at about 11 yuan per 400ml bottle, similar to Chongji. With 68mg of hyaluronic acid per bottle, the conversion formula of one bottle equaling four face masks is enticing. However, the most confusing aspect is that this sparkling water is "lemon geranium flavor." While geranium is a niche ingredient that sounds sophisticated, it's hard for consumers to intuitively grasp the taste and empathize. During discussions, Iceberg and colleagues mentioned "a feeling of not being suitable for consumption" and "sounds like dish soap." The few reviews only mention "the taste isn't very fresh," not resembling lemon. So what flavors are more popular? Iceberg compiled common flavors in collagen supplements, finding that fresh fruit flavors are more favored. Bloomage Biotech's hyaluronic acid drinking water hasn't launched on e-commerce yet, with price and taste unknown. The brand claims "minimal formula—pure water + hyaluronic acid, no additives, no preservatives, aseptic filling," with 66mg per 330ml bottle, higher concentration than Hankou No.2. The promotional copy emphasizes "a 0 sugar, 0 fat, 0 calorie drinking water." But Bloomage's ambitions go further. In trademark applications, Bloomage spans beer beverages, alcohol, convenience foods, and food. As a leading hyaluronic acid raw material supplier, Bloomage's entry brings inherent advantages. Looking at neighboring Japan, there are already numerous hyaluronic acid foods, including beverages, dairy, convenience foods, biscuits, frozen drinks, potato and puffed foods, candy products, tea and related products, alcohol, cocoa and roasted coffee products, and pastries, indicating the future direction for hyaluronic acid foods. Therefore, the development of domestic hyaluronic acid foods should note the following:

  1. Consumers are not yet familiar with oral hyaluronic acid, so early market development requires significant effort, especially regarding its efficacy and characteristics.
  2. As daily indulgences, snacks and drinks need to prioritize taste more than supplements.

-03- Who Will Be Next Skincare Ingredients Entering Food The trend of oral beauty is unstoppable, and many brands are striving to bring well-known skincare concepts into edible forms. So who will be the next skincare ingredient to enter the food sector? Iceberg compiled ingredients in existing skincare products. Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and amino acids top the list, far ahead. Hyaluronic acid has already entered the food sector, amino acids are naturally part of proteins and widely present in daily diets, leaving niacinamide. Is oral niacinamide realistic? Iceberg also compiled common ingredients in collagen supplements and was surprised to find niacinamide is also a star ingredient, indicating some foundation for the concept of oral niacinamide. As a skincare ingredient, niacinamide has comprehensive effects, including moisturizing, whitening, anti-acne, anti-aging, and sun protection, which are the most common needs. Perhaps it's foreseeable that niacinamide will soon become a snack choice.

-04- Conclusion Rather than seeking novelty or creating gimmicks, brands should focus on how to make a good product, differentiating from supplements and ordinary foods in terms of taste and price, and conquering consumers with the product itself, rather than merely selling anxiety. There should still be a long way to go before hyaluronic acid foods become everyday items.

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