• Millennials are spending record amounts on wellness and self-care, forcing companies to take note.
• Current vitamin A forms leave a market gap for those looking to cater to consumers with vegan,  allergen-free and other preferences.
  
• DSM’s Quali®-A with FlexiLease™ vitamin A supplement appeals to millennials.

Millennials around the world are changing the way we eat. Driven by wellness outcomes, they prefer eating natural, organic, sustainably-sourced food¹ and have increased their reliance on plant-based protein. In fact, 70 percent of the world’s population is either reducing or stopping meat consumption – and millennials are driving this trend.²

Moreover, millennials in America are spending record amounts on wellness and comprise the generation that devotes the most time and money to the $10 billion self-care industry.³ The average American millennial spends $155 per month on their health and fitness over a lifetime – totaling more than the costs of a public four year college.⁴ As one of the largest generations in history, millennial spending is reshaping the economy and, according to Goldman Sachs, forcing companies to examine how they do business⁵. 

For these reasons, product manufacturers and marketers tasked with expanding their vitamin and mineral sales footprint must consider purchasing ingredients that resonate with this vital target audience.

Vitamin A, the millennial way

Vitamins and minerals, especially, must be reconsidered for how they appeal to the millennial generation. Take for instance the case of vitamin A. As is widely known, adequate vitamin A intake has been linked to improved vision, a healthy immune system and increased iron metabolism, among other positive health outcomes. Vitamin A also has antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radicals, according to the Mayo Clinic. While food sources remain the best way to achieve optimal vitamin A intake, this is not always possible. Thus, when vitamin A supplements are needed, it is important to select the highest quality available.

Yet, most vitamin A forms in the market tend to contain pig or bovine gelatine and needless preservatives. This leaves a market gap for those looking to cater to consumers with vegan, allergen-free and other preferences, many of whom are millennials.

DSM’s Quali^®-A with FlexiLease^™ technology is the only vitamin A acetate 500 form on the market that is free of all preservatives including BHA and BHT, and is also halal, kosher, vegan, and contain conventional allergen free ingredients. This means, DSM’s Quali^®-A with FlexiLease^™ appeals to a wide range of consumers – from vegetarians to vegans to those suffering from allergies to expectant mothers to religious groups to millennials, who tick more than one of these boxes.

About FlexiLease™ technology

For many vitamin A supplements, stability plays a crucial role in defining quality. In a multivitamin/ multimineral tablet, vitamin A is usually the most fragile vitamin. When compared to other vitamins and minerals, its content decreases the fastest over time, hence limiting its shelf-life. Additionally, due to risk of vitamin A over-dose, it is crucial that the right amount of vitamin A is added. These factors make vitamin A stability a critical concern for all multi-vitamin manufacturers or brand owners for meeting required label claims.

FlexiLease™ technology is a new IP patent-protected technology developed by DSM that allows for a highly stable, longer-shelf-life form of vitamin A. It does this by putting vitamin A acetate in an emulsion with carbohydrates, coated with starch to form the core; this core is protected with a plant-based lipid coating. This higher stability means that DSM’s Quali®-A with FlexiLease™ is one of the highest performing – vitamin A acetate on the market.