Focusing on the softer aspects of brain health such as mood, rather than the traditional emphasis on brain performance and mechanisms, and offering intuitive ways to boost brain function can better stimulate consumer interest in related products and services.
Flora Zhang, Director, Food & Drink Health & Wellness
Market Definitions
The Mintel GNPD search criteria for brain health products covered in this report are foods, drinks, vitamins and dietary supplements containing the claim ‘brain & nervous system’.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Key issues in this Report
- Definitions
- What you need to know: new product development in China’s brain health product market is still in the early stages, with ample room for innovation
- Graph 1: proportion of new products using ‘brain & nervous system’ claim in food, drink, vitamins and dietary nutrition supplements, top 20 markets, 2022-25
- What you need to know: consumer insights key findings
- Current and future market opportunities
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FACTORS AFFECTING THE BRAIN HEALTH MARKET
- Buzzwords of 2024 hint at the need to focus more on mood regulation in brain health
- Premature awareness of cognitive health in younger people; age-specific personalised plans are trending
- Graph 2: recognition of cognitive-health-related signs as signs of ageing, by age, 2021 vs 2025
- Basic research on ageing is expanding to the organ level, and brain anti-ageing may become the next frontier
- Artificial intelligence will reshape consumer demand in cognitive health, especially the need to inspire creativity
- Graph 3: awareness and usage of generative AI tools (such as DeepSeek, ChatGPT), 2023-25
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Consumer insights and opportunities
- De-emphasise performance and mechanisms in brain health communication and turn to mood-regulating benefits
- Mood and sleep disorders are changes in brain health most readily noticed by consumers
- Mood and a highly related issue, sleep disorders, are changes in brain health that are most readily noticed by consumers
- Graph 4: reported changes in brain health, 2025
- Emotional and sleep problems are seen as easier to improve, while confidence in improving cognitive function varies
- Consumers believe that emotional and sleep problems are easier to improve, while confidence in improving cognitive function varies
- Graph 5: understanding of brain health, 2025
- Consumers’ health concerns are shifting from brain performance to holistic wellbeing…
- …and brain health needs to depart from mechanisms and be understood as wellbeing characterised by emotional recovery
- Graph 6: demand for health improvement by brain health aspects considered improvable − lower work efficiency, by 2025
- Opportunity: shift from general brain support to recovery from mental fatigue
- Opportunity: break the binary opposition of functionality and pleasure
- Bring perceptible enhancements to consumers’ mental state through gentle approaches
- Graph 7: key factors driving consumer behaviour around experience and rights, 2024-25
- Confidence in brain health improvement varies by age: younger audiences seek revitalisation; older ones prioritise slowing ageing
- Brain health declines in all age groups: more so in younger groups
- Confidence in improving brain health varies with age; younger groups focus on revitalisation, while older groups emphasise slowing down ageing
- Graph 8: understanding of brain health issues − can be improved, by age*, 2025
- Graph 9: understanding of brain health issues − can’t be completely improved, but there are ways to avoid getting worse, by age*, 2025
- Consumers over the age of 25 are the core consumption force for brain health products…
- Graph 10: diets for preventing brain ageing – have done and will continue to do, by age (TGI analysis), 2025
- …but do brands find it difficult to engage the 18-24 age group?
- Level up brain health solutions by targeting precise scenarios where each age group tends to notice signs of brain decline
- Graph 11: factors accelerating brain ageing, by age, 2025
- Value of health supplements will change: from rapid physiological fixes to activators for rediscovering curiosity in life
- Consumers are highly interested in more proactive and precise dietary interventions for preventing brain ageing
- Graph 12: diets for preventing brain ageing, 2025
- Interest in dietary interventions is context-driven, with scenarios for health supplements being more diverse
- Graph 13: selected diets for preventing brain ageing – haven’t done, but are interested in trying, by selected factors that accelerate brain ageing (TGI analysis), 2025
- Natural ingredients, noticeable effects and recognised certifications are the key to winning trust
- Graph 14: perceptions of the effectiveness of Western health supplements for preventing brain ageing, 2025
- The value of health supplements will change: from a rapid physiological fix to an activator for rediscovering curiosity in life
- Graph 15: selected factors accelerating brain ageing, by selected aspects of perceived effectiveness of Western health supplements for preventing brain ageing (TGI Analysis), 2025
- Brain health and nutritional supplements as hobby buddies: opportunity to lock on to scenarios and help consumers rediscover the joy of everyday life
- Integrate with the experiential industry: let consumers feel the enhanced vitality as they seek life’s pleasures
- Position superfood ingredients as joy nutrients
- Graph 16: knowledge on brain anti-ageing ingredient, by factors accelerating brain ageing – not pursuing hobbies for a long time, May 2025
- Product concept: Curiosity Quest Turmeric and Ginseng Supplement Gummies
- The brain is expected to become the next focus in anti-ageing after skin
- Brain and skin ageing are most recognised, with a noticeable increase in attention to the former
- Brain ageing is on par with skin ageing as the most recognised signs of ageing, with a noticeable increase in attention to the former
- Graph 17: perceived signs of ageing, 2021 vs 2025
- Consumers are most sensitive to the impact of the lack of exercise or a sedentary lifestyle on brain ageing…
- Graph 18: consumers’ current lifestyle vs perception that the lifestyle choice will accelerate brain ageing, 2025
- …this means that sports health services may join brain-body fitness training programmes to combat brain ageing
- Defying brain ageing through sports will also create opportunities for the expansion of the sports nutrition industry
- The concern for brain ageing and skin ageing highly overlaps
- Graph 19: consumers concerned about brain decline (a), by segmentation of consumers concerned about different signs of ageing, 2025
- Neurocosmetics will provide a second growth curve for the traditional skin anti-ageing market
- Graph 20: number of BPC products with ‘neurocosmetics’ in the description, 2020-25
- Cellular anti-ageing in the skincare/beauty market will be applied to protect the brain
- Graph 21: effective anti-ageing pathways, 2025
- Explore the application of cellular maintenance in brain health health supplements/functional food and drinks
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Product Innovation Trends
- South Asia and Southeast Asia are innovation hubs, while Japan, South Korea, Europe and America see NPD acceleration
- Graph 22: share of new products using brain & nervous system health claims in food, drink, vitamins & dietary supplements, top 20 markets, 2022-25
- European and American markets: consumers are concerned about the impact of AI on human creativity
- Consume ingredients or components that help enhance cognitive flexibility to beat AI
- Japan: product innovation keeps up with the ageing society’s demand for cognitive function maintenance
- Graph 23: demographic claims in brain and nervous system food, drink, vitamins and dietary supplements, 2022-25
- Break away from demographic segmentation: meet the needs of various personalities through lifestyle-based segmentation
- South Korea: integrate brain health and skin health benefits
- Graph 24: top claims used along with functional brain and nervous system claims in food, drink, vitamins and dietary supplements, 2022-25
- Graph 25: top claims used along with functional brain and nervous system claims in food, drink, vitamins and dietary supplements, 2022-25
- South Korean market actively uses phosphatidylserine to launch products with brain-skin health benefits
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Appendix – methodology and abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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