A societal shift towards prioritizing health and wellbeing has reshaped our perception of an active lifestyle. What was once confined to sports stadiums and athletes has now expanded into a broad and diverse spectrum of consumers taking a proactive approach to their health. Consequently, the joint health market is expanding to include a new wave of health-conscious active adults. Within this dynamic market, there are pockets of whitespace for brands to tap into, but first, it’s important to understand—who are these new active lifestyle consumers?
The current demographic of active consumers stretches far beyond the walls of the gym. It includes younger individuals who actively prioritize their health for the long term—so they can keep doing what they love for longer, whether hiking in the mountains, playing with their kids, or dancing in the kitchen.
One of the most important factors to staying active is maintaining mobility—and the new demographic of active consumers is catching on. Lonza’s proprietary research indicates that nearly as many younger consumers (aged between 25 and 42) are looking to actively maintain their joint health compared to their older counterparts.[i] What’s more, a significant proportion of these younger consumers have already experienced joint discomfort (50%) or are concerned about developing future joint discomfort (81%) or reduced mobility (70%).1
The case for collagen
For brands looking to impact the redefined active lifestyle category, ingredient choice is key. Collagen presents an exciting opportunity, with projections expecting an impressive 10.2% annual growth by 2030.[ii] While younger active consumers show baseline collagen familiarity and awareness of its benefits for joint health and mobility, significant knowledge gaps persist. Over 75% of existing users still desire more education about collagen products.1 By clearing the fog surrounding the different collagen types and their associated benefits, brands have a chance to connect with this younger demographic seeking mobility solutions.
Beyond ingredients, consumers of today’s younger active lifestyle expect supplements that deliver a convenient daily dose, enjoyable experiences, and science-backed claims. However, not all collagen ingredients can meet these demands. Why? Because not all collagen is created equal. Many collagen products fall short of convenience, with high dosage requirements. While others don’t have the robust brand-specific research that consumers want.
Discover the power of undenatured type II collagen
Lonza’s UC-II® undenatured type II collagen can help brands keep up with the new era of active lifestyle consumers, supporting their everyday mobility while satisfying their needs for an easy-to-use, efficacious supplement. Lonza uses a gentle, patented manufacturing process, designed to maintain the collagen’s triple helix structure as well as the bioactive binding regions—called epitopes—which are essential to the ingredient’s efficacy. This results in a unique mechanism of action that triggers the immune system to build joint cartilage.[iii],[iv] But that’s not all. UC-II® undenatured type II collagen can help brands:
- Stand out with science backed benefits
Backed by the most comprehensive body of evidence-based research*, spanning nearly two decades and over twenty studies—including eleven human clinical studies—Lonza’s UC-II® undenatured type II collagen leads the way in the undenatured type II collagen market. Not only that, but UC-II® is the only brand of undenatured type II collagen studied in a variety of demographics, including healthy and active consumers as young as 20 years old.
The results? A randomized controlled trial in adults aged 20-55 revealed that UC-II® undenatured type II collagen improved flexibility 15 times better than placebo—making joints feel significantly younger.[v],[vi] In addition, UC-II® undenatured type II collagen reduced joint discomfort after physical activity and supported participants’ ability to hit their daily step goals.5,[vii]
*As of January 2024
- Deliver unparalleled consumer-centric dosage forms
Lonza’s UC-II® undenatured type II collagen is a versatile ingredient that meets the demand for a convenient solution thanks to the mobility benefits it provides at a very low 40 mg daily dose, which is considerably less than other joint health ingredients and hydrolyzed collagens on the market.
- Breakthrough in the active lifestyle market with innovative dosage formats
The low-dose functionality of UC-II® undenatured type II collagen makes it a formulation-friendly solution that can be used in a wide range of popular dosage formats and applications that appeal to the younger demographics.[viii]
- Gain an edge against the competition
UC-II® undenatured type II collagen is the number one undenatured type II collagen brand globally in terms of market penetration.[ix] Its strong overall performance has earned Lonza the Frost & Sullivan’s 2023 North American Product Leadership Award for the best-in-class undenatured type II collagen for the joint health industry.
By Emily Navarro, Global Product Marketing Manager, Nutrition Products & Services at Lonza
[i] Lonza. (2023). Proprietary Lonza survey data via Suzy, n=1,493. [Unpublished].
[ii] Grand View Research (2023), Collagen Market Size, Share and Trends Report.
[iii] Yaremenko et al. (2021). Efficacy, tolerance and influence on cartilage metabolism of undenatured collagen type II UC-II (Mercana) in knee OA. PAIN, JOINTS, SPINE, 11(3), 5-12..
[iv] Lugo, J. P. et al. (2013). Undenatured type II collagen (UC-II®) for joint support: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy volunteers. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 10(1):48.
[v] Schön et al. (2022). UC-II® undenatured type II collagen for knee joint flexibility: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. J Integr Complement Med. Online ahead of print..
[vi] Soucie et al. (2010). Range of motion measurements: reference values and a database for comparison studies. Haemophilia, e-pub. Republished by Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Normal Joint
[vii] Knaub et al. (2022). UC-II® undenatured type II collagen reduces knee joint discomfort and improves mobility in healthy subjects: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. J Clin Trials. In press
[viii] Pates, et al. (2023). UC-II® undenatured type II collagen data show retention during functional food and beverage prototype processing. Data Br, 48, 109216.
[ix] Frost & Sullivan, 2023
