Vitamins in Singapore

2021 DEVELOPMENTS

Increasing prevalence of vitamin D deficiency due to home seclusion

As a result of home seclusion and increased time spent indoors due to the pandemic, there has been increasing prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Singapore as consumers experience reduced exposure to the sun. The trend proved to be increasingly serious given that Singaporeans have a history of lacking in vitamin D.

Dynamic demand for single vitamin C products witnessed in 2020 starts to slow

A year after the outbreak of the pandemic, 2021 is predicted to see a noticeable slowdown in demand for vitamin C, as consumer need for single-ingredient immunity-based products starts to dwindle. Instead of consuming immunity-positioned products with a single dominant ingredient such as vitamin C, Singaporeans are shifting their purchasing behaviour towards products that offer a combination of ingredients or vitamins which are also positioned as boosting immunity.

Multivitamins targeting specific health needs maintain popularity

As the consumer mindset shifts away from stockpiling immunity-specific products, Singaporeans are starting to search for products with a varied positioning such as claims of boosting other aspects of one’s health apart from immunity, including energy boosting and stress relief. For example, OLLY Vitamin, a recent entrant, has proven to be popular with Singaporeans as it has positioned its products to address specific health needs such as improving sleep, daily energy, beauty, skin or stress relief.

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Further potential for paediatric segment

The increasing awareness of the benefits of consuming vitamins amongst local parents is contributing to further demand for paediatric vitamins in Singapore. This can be attributed to the issue of fastidious eating habits amongst children, a condition termed as Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), whereby individuals often displace healthier food options such as food rich in vitamins with less healthier options.

E-commerce continues to gain share from other distribution channels

As a result of increased digitalisation driven by the emergence of the pandemic, e-commerce is continuing to gain value share in terms of distributing vitamins, leading to major channels including drugstores/parapharmacies losing ground. In addition to popular online marketplaces such as Shopee and Lazada, another highly popular online platform for sales of vitamins is iHerb, an online vitamins and supplements website carrying a wide range of products at competitive prices.

Immunity-based products to remain popular in the long-term

Given the ongoing pandemic continuing to loom across the country, and the emergence of the Delta variant in Singapore in 2021 which has been affecting younger age groups mainly consisting of children, it is likely that demand for immunity-positioned vitamins will continue to perform well as long as the number of community cases remains at an alarmingly high number. Both single vitamins and multivitamins with an immunity positioning are likely to experience further demand, not only from the adult population, but also children, as parents prioritise their health by attempting to boost protection against new strains of the virus.