The ingredient is supported by a recent human clinical trial that showed that in as little as one week, DailyZz may promote better quality sleep and improve next-day functioning in healthy adults who have occasional sleep complaints.
The study, which was led by Dr. Michael Grandner, Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, used multiple methods to test the product's effectiveness on sleep and next-day performance. Those included computerized performance testing and validated sleep diary surveys – the gold standard for assessing the subjective sleep experience – to evaluate the effects of supplementation.
One hundred people participated in the study, and were randomly assigned to consume either 485 milligrams of DailyZz 30 minutes before bed or a placebo for 30 days.
The data reportedly showed that sleep quality and daytime functioning (concentration, reaction time and visual recall and processing) improved in both objective and subjective measures.
The participants taking DailyZz also showed improved judgement in a risk-taking scenario after a night of quality sleep, said Kemin.
“Sleep is an important part of overall health, and many people without sleep disorders are looking for ways to improve their sleep so that they can feel more rested during the day and perform better,” said Dr Grandner.
“Our study showed that DailyZz might help some of those people meet their goals of better sleep and better daytime functioning,” he added.
The study data has not yet been published in a peer-review journal.
Sleep – an important growth category
While the overall sleep aid market is dominated by non-supplement brands like P&G’s ZzzQuil, natural products and dietary supplements (including melatonin and herbs like Valerian) occupy a small but growing portion of the market. Leading the list of natural ingredients are melatonin, chamomile, valerian root, L-theanine, hops, lemon balm extract, and passion flower extract.
As reported by NutraIngredients-USA last summer, US sales of stress management supplements, which includes mood support and sleep products, were reported to have increased over 35% year-on-year, according to data provided by SPINS.
Sales of these supplements in the mass channels* and natural channels** totaled almost $400 million from January to July 2020, compared with $294 million for the same previous period in 2019, equivalent to 35.7% growth.
Globally, retail sales of sleep aids are projected to reach US$2.3 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8%, according to Euromonitor International.
“Consumers are sleeping less hours due to increasing stress at work, obligations at home and the growing use of digital devices,” said Kim Edwards, Global Product Manager, Kemin Human Nutrition and Health. “Consumers are looking for natural, non-addictive sleep ingredients to improve their quality of sleep and feel rested in order to take on the next day, and DailyZz meets all these needs.”
* SPINS definitions for mass channel: The Conventional Multi-Outlet Channel (powered by IRI) covers the Grocery Outlet (store with $2M+ annual ACV), the Drug Outlet (chains and independent stores, excluding Rx sales), and selected retailers across Mass Merchandisers, including Walmart, Club, Dollar, and Military representing over 105,000 retail locations.
** SPINS’ Natural Enhanced Channel is composed of full-format stores with $2 million+ in annual sales and 40% or more of UPC coded sales from natural/organic/specialty products. It Includes co-ops, associations, independents, and large regional chains (excludes Whole Foods & Trader Joes).
