Probiotics in SEA: Meeting Consumers on Their Gut Health Journey

Do probiotics help with bloating?

Are probiotics good for gut health?

What are probiotics?

These are some of the common questions SEA consumers are searching with regards to probiotics, as they look for products with ingredients that can support their health concerns. 

Probiotics are a booming business in Southeast Asia – a market estimated to be worth US$3 billion in 2021¹.

In Thailand alone, ‘Probiotic’ as a search topic has increased more than 3 times since the start of the pandemic², growing in tandem with interest in immunity and disease prevention.

Across Southeast Asia, consumers are turning to probiotics to support a range of health benefits, with 70% of consumers purchasing it to boost their immunity, and 71% to aid their digestive health³. Aside from these, probiotics have increasingly been linked to skin health, often in supplement or skincare products. Gen Z consumers are at the forefront of this trend; their top reason for using probiotics is to improve their skin⁴. 

Consumers across markets have different consideration factors when buying probiotics. 

• In Indonesia and Malaysia, having a natural formulation ranks in the top three important factors for consumers when buying probiotic supplements³.
• In Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, science-based claims are more important³.  

Aside from these, other important decision influencers across SEA markets are health claims, product efficacy, and product benefits³. This means that manufacturers cannot lose sight of main draw of probiotics – how well it addresses the consumers’ health needs.  

Probiotics are perceived as a natural health product, but more education is needed around it.

In Southeast Asia, probiotics are a new category of product. Most consumers are not familiar with the benefits of probiotics and perceive them as a natural health product. This can be attributed to the fact that most products marketed as probiotics in Southeast Asia (e.g., milk drinks) do not contain live cultures and are only labelled as containing “probiotic” ingredients such as bifidobacteria or lactobacilli.

While Southeast Asia’s consumers are becoming more interested in the health benefits of probiotics, manufacturers will need to do more to educate sceptical consumers about their benefits for gut health.

As consumers are taking a proactive approach to their health, they are also doing more research into foods and ingredients. Manufacturers can help consumers build their understanding of probiotics through education on the importance of strong gut health and feeding their microbiome with beneficial bacteria. 

Enhanced health claims: Reassure consumers by combining multiple functional ingredients into one product

Linking probiotics with other familiar functional ingredients is also an effective way to build familiarity for consumers. 85% of SEA consumers saying they would consume a protein product that also delivered a probiotic benefit³. Aside from the digestive, immunity, and natural benefits mentioned above, functional claims such as high in protein or high in vitamins will help to differentiate the products in the minds of consumers.

Support consumers’ health journey with extensively-researched probiotics.

Increasing awareness about immune and gut health will continue to drive the probiotics market. Consumers are taking a prevention-over-cure approach to their health, meaning they will search for ways to incorporate trending ingredients like probiotics into their diets to support their health goals.