Probiotic e-commerce undergoes a degree of market correction in the second half of 2021, after

two consecutive 6-month rises of over 60%. Product de-listings and losses of reviews by some
brands adversely affect the marketplace. Despite these challenges, customer reviews grow by
16% in Americas and 12% in Europe in the second half of 2021. Reviews in APAC decline by 6%,
hit by China. Globally, probiotics record a good 67% growth of reviews in the full year 2021.

FULL YEAR 2021 DATA LIVE Novel health applications still drive the global growth. The fastest growing applications, if from a
NOW small base, include relaxation/fatigue reduction, food poisoning and nervous system. White
spaces for product innovation include vegetarians and animals.
– KEY FINDINGS
Innovation is continually fuelled by increasing market presence of non-classic probiotic species
and their ferments, yeast and prebiotics with products containing proprietary strains driving the
global engagement.

EWA HUDSON

Note: This analysis is based on products currently available for sale and excludes products withdrawn from the market since December 2017. 1
 Probiotic consumers influenced by 11 million reviews, December 2021

• Customer reviews form a key block of a digital brand equity in the e-commerce. Reviews continue
to influence purchase decisions of new shoppers and contribute to the product listing order on
retail platforms.

4,359 • Lumina recorded a strong growth of reviews of 67% in the full year 2021, after three years of
Products
exceptional growth of 118% in 2020, 176% in 2019 and 116% in 2020. In actual terms, reviews for
Available for Sale probiotics and underlying consumer activity exploded in three years, from 0.5 million in Dec 2017
to 11 million in Dec 2021.

• Whist the annual 67% growth rate is strong, the performance differed in each half of the year. In
the first half of 2021 customer reviews went up by 69% across 25 countries and 4 categories to
reach 11.1 million. This means that in June 2021 consumers were influenced by 4.5 M more
reviews than in December 2020. The second part of 2021 saw a market correction, and
consequently a loss of 1.3% at the global level, equal to 149 thousand reviews.

• The loss of reviews was driven by China, which went down by 11% in the second half of 2021,
after a solid rise of 28% in the first half. The decline is attributed to the product de-listings across
the online retailers and falls in the number of reviews for some brands on Tmall, China’s leading e-
Probiotics, Annual Growth Rate of Reviews (%) tailer. Since 2017, 27% of probiotics in China were delisted, flagging high market volatility, which is
nearly double the global average of 14%.
118% 176% 116% 67%
in 2018 in 2019 in 2020 in 2021 • Probiotics continue to be highly rated by consumers at 4.6 stars out of 5, which is in line with the
ratings recorded in the previous two research periods (Dec 2020 and June 2021). This is very
Probiotics, 6-month Growth Rate of Reviews (%) important for the probiotic industry as product satisfaction is key to product re-purchase.
65% 32% 37% 101% 32% 63% 69% -1.3%
H1 2018 H2 2018 H1 2019 H2 2019 H1 2020 H2 2020 H1 2021 H2 2021 Interactive data: https://insights.lumina-intelligence.com/probiotics/country-analysis/
(KeyStats tab)

PROBIOTICS INCLUDE: PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTS – PROBIOTIC JUICE – KOMBUCHA – COSMETICS WITH PROBIOTICS
 Exponential growth in reviews of probiotics for adults, whilst
vegetarians and animals see the fastest % growth rate.

• Whilst growth in the second half of 2021 levelled off

across all target populations, three niche groups are of
note: vegetarians, animals and specific medical condition
• Lumina captures only 3 products for vegetarians, 95 for
animals and 68 for specific medical condition, which
VAGETARIANS
+176% reviews are based on. The small number of products on
in FULL 2021 offer already indicates a potential white space for product
+89% in H2 2021
development.
• Across the three, the emergence of ‘animals’ as a target
population is noteworthy and could present a sizable
market opportunity. The lockdowns and social isolation
during the pandemic led to a rise in pet ownership in
many countries including USA. According to the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA),
23m US households acquired a pet in 2020. There has
been a swing toward pet premiumisation, with many
owners splashing out on top-shelf foods, treats and
supplements to optimise their ‘fur babies’ health and
ANIMALS wellbeing. Targeted pet health conditions include digestive
+11.5K % health, joint health, dental health and immune support.
in FULL 2021
+71% in H2 2021 • Whilst niche probiotics for men saw good signs of growth
in the first half of 2021, the growth wasn’t maintained in
Interactive data: https://insights.lumina-intelligence.com/probiotics/country-analysis/ the second half.
(select ‘Target Population’ on the vertical list of bullets and ‘Review Total and Growth’ on the horizontal list, sort on % growth H2 2021)
Exploring white spaces for brand development? Think relaxation, food
poisoning and nervous system…

What are the fastest growing

niches by health application?
• The fastest growing health
applications by percentage
rise of reviews in H2 2021 are
the emerging categories of
probiotics supporting
relaxation/fatigue reduction
(77 products, +121%
reviews), food poisoning (17,
+109%), nervous system (15,
+68%), oral health (100,
+66%) and pancreas (4,
+58%).
• The whole gut-brain axis is of
note, as nervous system, gut-
brain, mood, migraine,
cognitive and sleep
applications are amongst fast
rising.

Where are digestion and

immunity? Check next slide.
 Digestion and immunity continue to lead

• By size, based on the

number of reviews,
digestion and immunity
continue to lead, with
immunity growing stronger
than digestion in H2 2021.
• Easing off covid restrictions
and return to work from
office for many have
contributed to this shift,
compared to the first half of
2021 when digestion
overtook immunity.
• Gut flora is perhaps one of
the ‘older’ applications
traditionally linked to the
bacteria being wiped out
after the use of antibiotics
concept. The category is
well suited for a ‘refresher’
under the more modern
microbiome diversity
umbrella to appeal to the
younger audience.

Interactive data: https://insights.lumina-intelligence.com/probiotics/health-benefits-analysis/

(select ‘Health Benefit’ on the vertical list of bullets and ‘Review Total and Growth’ on the horizontal list)
 Proprietary strains rated higher than generic strains on the global level

• Whilst proprietary strains

are present in 38% of
products on the market,
these products generate
51% of customer reviews!
• Products containing
proprietary strains are
rated higher by star rating
(4.59 stars for proprietary
vs 4.55 for generics).
• December’s findings are in
line with June’s findings.

Interactive data: https://insights.lumina-intelligence.com/probiotics/country-analysis/

(Species – KeyStats tab)
 • Bifidobacterium adolescentis
• Enterococcus faecalis
• Lactobacillus crispatus
• Lactobacillus jensenii
• Lactobacillus johnsonii
• Lactobacillus kefirgranum
• Lactobacillus kefiri

20+ NEW • Lactobacillus parakefir

• Lactococcus ferment lysate
• Lactococcus lactis biovar diacetylactis
INGREDIENTS • Lactococcus lactis cremoris
• Leuconostoc dextranicum

BROKEN OUT • Leuconostoc mesenteroides

• Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp.
Cremoris
• Pediococcus acidilactici
• Saccharomyces boulardii
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• Saccharomyces exiguus
• Saccharomyces turicensis
• Saccharomyces unisporus
 •Anti-Ageing
•Antimicrobial
•Arthritis
•Blood
•Blood Glucose
•Breast Health
•Cell Division
•Circulation
•Clostridium dificile infections
•Cognitive
•Cold Symptoms
•Colon
•Detox
•Energy
•Enterocolitis
•Eye
•Fertility

40+ NEW HEALTH

•Food Poisoning
•Gastritis
•Gastrointestinal
•Gout
•Hair

BENEFITS BROKEN •Healing

•Healing
•Hormonal health
•Joint

OUT •Kidney
•Longevity
•Mastitis
•Menopause
•Microbiome Diversity
•Mood
•Nervous System
•Oncology
•Osteoporosis
•Oxidative stress
•Pancreas health
•pH Imbalance
•Prostate Health
•Relaxation/Fatigue Reduction
•Satiety
•Sleep
•Stress/Anxiety
•Thyroid
•Travellers' Diarrhoea
•Tumor
NEW STRAIN TOTAL: 150+ IDENTIFIED STRAINS, 1300+ STRAIN
COMBINATIONS

•Tumor