Nutrition Industry Executive (NIE) reached out to Sébastien Bornet, vice president of global sales & marketing at Switzerland-Horphag Research (exclusive worldwide supplier of Pycnogenol) to talk about women’s nutrition.

NIE: Female end-users are not defined by hormones formulations catering to PMS or menopause are still important. Briefly talk about ingredients addressing these areas.

Bornet: In addition to the robust women’s health portfolio of Pycnogenol research that lends health benefits to women of all ages, the ingredient has been extensively studied for PMS and menopause.

Examples of recent research include:

• Pycnogenol is specifically shown to improve all menopausal symptoms, including hot flushes and nightly sweating, menstrual problems, memory and concentration problems, anxiety, sleep problems, mood swings and others. Importantly, Pycnogenol has been shown to have no impact on hormonal levels.

• A 2017 study found that perimenopausal women who supplemented with Pycnogenol saw a significant reduction of cardiovascular risk marker, homocysteine.

• Another study on perimenopausal women found that all climacteric symptoms improved with Pycnogenol. Climacteric symptoms were evaluated by the Women’s Health Questionnaire (WHQ).

• A recent study, conducted with menopausal women, found oral intake of Pycnogenol to significantly increase hair density, decrease transepidermal water loss in scalp skin and optimize microcirculation of the scalp. Hair density increased from the baseline of 225.8 hairs/cm2 to 293.6 hairs/cm2 after two months of supplementation with Pycnogenol—a statistically significant increase of 30 percent.

• Another study showed treatment with Pycnogenol lowered pain during menstruation, which was reflected by a significant reduction of NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) used.

• Published in the International Journal of Women’s Health, a 2014 study showed Pycnogenol to increase the efficacy of oral contraceptives to improve the symptoms associated with endometriosis, including severe menstrual pain.

NIE: Talk about the science and market for ingredients geared to urinary health.

Bornet: The market for UTI (urinary tract infection) ingredients and supplements is growing because the need is growing. UTIs are the second most common type of infection and cause more than 8 million visits to the doctor each year. Nearly 50 percent of women worldwide contract at least one UTI in their lifetime. Many UTIs are reoccurring. About 25–30 percent of women have at least one episode of recurrent urinary infections.

A 2021 study found Pycnogenol to be effective at reducing the number of UTI episodes, increasing the number of infection-free and symptom-free patients, and decreasing oxidative stress in patients with urinary tract infections.

Specifically, after 60 days of daily oral supplementation with 150 mg of Pycnogenol the study showed:

• A 62 percent reduction in the number of urinary tract infection/interstitial cystitis episodes (vs. 45 percent reduction in the cranberry group and 29 percent reduction in the control group);

• That 100 percent of participants showed infection-free urine (vs. 35 percent of participants in the cranberry group and 36 percent of participants in the control group. At study start, 40 to 50 percent of the patients showed infection-free urine);

• That 91 percent of participants were symptom-free (vs. 80% of participants in the cranberry group and 82 percent of participants in the control group); and

• An 11 percent decrease in oxidative stress (vs. 4 percent decrease in the cranberry group and 2 percent decrease in the control group)

NIE: What are the sales outlook and market trends in this category?

Bornet: Today, the women’s health and wellness market is showing rapid growth with increased demand for innovative product solutions. One half of the world’s population is women but women account for almost all consumer purchasing decisions in the healthcare industry at 80 percent.

Women spend up to 40 percent of their life in menopause and, by 2025, 1.1 billion women worldwide will be going through this transition. Millions of women are entering a life stage where arthritis and cognitive health are becoming a larger personal focus along with fitness, sleep, stress management, and other proactive steps toward healthy aging. Consumers are also looking for more efficiency with a simple daily routine they can stick to and still achieve desired results.

NIE: What are your projections for the women’s health mega category?

Bornet: The women’s health category will undoubtedly undergo many changes in the next few decades. Just has it has in recent years as we’ve seen how the evolution of how society perceives women’s health topics and the increased demand by women for better solutions that are driving new waves of innovation.

The market has been predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7 percent from this year to 2030. Major companies in the women’s health category are focused on developing innovative new products such as perimenopause-focused supplements. Surging demand among women and new product innovations will not only continue to grow but are also expected to drive a new level of growth in this market in the next three years alone.

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