“The acquisition of Qunol further strengthens our portfolio in the wellness category,” said Julie Van Ongevalle, executive vice president of consumer healthcare at Sanofi. “It taps into the growing ‘healthy aging’ segment and fills one of our white spaces in the U.S., unlocking an opportunity for us to build on our U.S. presence and accelerate our growth.”
She added that vitamins, minerals and supplements “now function as long-term support for overall health and wellness where proactive preventive health has become the new norm post-pandemic” and that Sanofi will use its consumer healthcare resources to expand the Qunol brand to other chronic conditions and markets.
CoQ10 and turmeric for growth
According to Research & Markets, the global CoQ10 supplement market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.7% to reach over $1 billion by 2028 – driven by an increase in heart disease, diabetes and lung disease brought on by poor lifestyle choices. The market research firm also projected a CAGR of 4.46% in the global turmeric market to $6.27 billion across food and beverages, dietary supplements, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals during the same period.
Meanwhile, SPINS retail data for the U.S. natural channel reported a dip in CoQ10 supplement sales in the 52 weeks ending June 16, 2023 in categories including mood support, cognitive health and energy supplements. The heart and circulation category led with $115.9 in sales but was down 17.8% year on year.
“I would say some of the decline could be attributed to adjustments after the pandemic, but I would also attribute some of the decline to consumers shifting their health priorities and branching out to other ingredients/products,” Haleigh Resetar, corporate communications specialist at SPINS, told NutraIngredients-USA. She added that CoQ10 is still one of the top ingredients for heart health products by total dollar sales.
During the same period, turmeric continued to make appearances in bone, heart and circulation, immune, joint, organ support, reproductive and sleep supplements. Overall, SPINS reported $49.1 million in condition-specific supplement formulas with turmeric as functional ingredient (down 3.4%).
Quinol markets its CoQ10 as the “#1 Cardiologist Recommended form of CoQ10” in support of heart health, increased energy production and boosted exercise performance. Its turmeric product range is sold in capsule, liquid and gummy formats to support healthy inflammation response and joint health.
Expanding footprint and need states
Sanofi cited Qunol’s double-digit growth and the opportunity to strengthen its U.S. footprint and expand “into large consumer needs states, particularly within the healthy aging category, offering superior and efficacious formulations.” The multinational’s consumer healthcare portfolio is currently focused on five categories: Allergy, Digestive Wellness, Pain Care, Physical & Mental Wellness, and Cough, Cold & Flu.
“Qunol is looking forward to joining Sanofi’s consumer healthcare team and developing synergies that will further drive brand awareness for our products with our consumers and customers,” said Peter Boutros, CEO at Quten Research Institute, Qunol’s parent company. “With Sanofi, we have the opportunity to further grow in the U.S. and beyond, tapping into Sanofi Consumer Healthcare’s commercial breadth and strength.”
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals, and is expected to close Q3 2023. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.