Nearly three our of 10 FFC merchandise (27.9%) made claims associated to fats discount and weight management.
One other 7.6% made fatigue-related claims and seven% claimed to help belly and intestinal well being.
That is in keeping with “In-Depth Evaluation Report on FFCs Notified in FY2024″authored by Hisaaki Kato, CEO at Japan-based consultancy Easy Hyperlink Inc.
Pores and skin and stress merchandise have been the fourth and fifth mostly seen merchandise, with 6.5% and 5.9% FFC merchandise making these two claims, respectively.
Kato famous that intestinal well being has at all times been one of the crucial widespread claims because the FFC framework was launched in Japan in April 2015.
Through the years, stress-reduction-related merchandise have began to achieve traction, particularly since 2023.
This was additionally a cause why GABA, which might declare advantages comparable to leisure, sleep enchancment, and overeating prevention in FFCs, was the preferred useful ingredient used. Apart from single-ingredient merchandise, GABA was additionally generally formulated with lutein, zeaxanthin, or Apocynum venetum-derived hyperoside and isoquercitin.
The fatigue aid market can be anticipated to succeed in JPY$37.4bn (US$239.2m) in 2025. Generally used components in FFCs for fatigue aid embody amino acids, citric acid, and acetic acid, Kato famous.
Concentrating on way of life points
Nonetheless, the aim of FFC is constant, with most merchandise concentrating on way of life points.
“Trying on the prime 5 well being claims since fiscal yr 2015, they embody decreasing triglycerides, reducing blood sugar ranges, selling intestinal well being, and bettering belly situations, comparable to decreasing stomach fats and bettering bowel actions.
“In 2016, sustaining reminiscence and fatigue restoration have been added to those. Whereas there have been minor fluctuations—comparable to triglycerides dropping in rank and visceral fats rising beginning in 2022, and stress discount coming into the rankings from 2023 onward—the development stays constant: most merchandise goal lifestyle-related illnesses,” Kato wrote within the report.
The remaining prime 10 commonest claims made by FFCs have been eye well being (5.8%), sleep (5.4%), blood glucose administration (4.4%), blood stress administration (3.9%), and cognitive perform (2.9%).
In whole, the highest 10 commonest claims comprised 77.3% of the whole 4,021 well being claims seen in FFCs.
Though not but within the prime 10 record, a record number of immune support FFC products was seen. That is as a result of rising variety of useful components authorized to make immune well being claims. One of many newest components authorized was Euglena gracilis EOD-1-derived paramylon as β-1,3-glucan.
In whole, there have been 1,584 FFCs between April 2024 and March 2025, surpassing the whole variety of 1,433 in the identical interval within the earlier yr.
Apart from GABA, ellagic acid, astaxanthin, inulin, and diminished co-enzyme Q10 have been additionally generally utilized in single-ingredient FFC merchandise.
Systematic critiques the most typical
Much like earlier years, the usage of systematic critiques was the most typical when producers filed a notification with the Client Affairs Company (CAA) – the governing physique of FFC in Japan.
The FFC is a notification system the place producers submit paperwork on the security and proof of their merchandise’ performance utilizing findings from systematic critiques, medical trials, or each.
The bulk (98.1%) of the merchandise made useful claims primarily based on systematic critiques, with only one.6% of the merchandise counting on medical trial proof.
