Dual-Format ‘Supplement Shots’ Shake Up South Korea’s Health Food Market

Orthomol Vital M/F (Image courtesy of Dong-A Pharmaceutical)

SEOUL, Apr. 8 (Korea Bizwire) – A novel category of dietary supplements combining liquid and pill formulations in one convenient package is rapidly gaining traction in South Korea, prompting pharmaceutical companies to ramp up sales and marketing efforts for the innovative “dual-format” products. 

The premium vitamin brand Enerthistle perfectshot from Daewoong Pharmaceutical crossed 3 million cumulative bottles sold just 11 months after its launch in early 2023.

The liquid-and-pill combo features high dosages of eight B-complex vitamins optimized for absorption, along with specialized technology to minimize nutrient interference.

Rival Samjin Pharmaceutical recently debuted its own dual-format entry, the Daily Engine Immune Booster Shot, through its in-house Wisi Healthy brand. The product blends 15 vitamins and minerals along with functional ingredients like taurine and arginine.

The key advantage of these “supplement shots” is the convenience of an all-in-one liquid and pill packaged together, eliminating the need to separately take a beverage. The single-serve bottles are also portable and allow formulators to combine a wider array of bioactive compounds. 

The dual-format is widely seen as the latest health food trend to hit the South Korean market after Dong-A Pharmaceutical launched its wildly popular Orthomol line in 2020 — imported German supplement shots that racked up over 120 billion won in domestic sales last year alone.

“Orthomol’s growth has far outpaced our other health products,” said a Dong-A Pharmaceutical spokesperson. “After it debuted, similar dual-format offerings started flooding the local market.” 

The company has been rapidly expanding Orthomol’s retail footprint, recently opening a flagship store at Shinsegae’s Centum City mall and pushing into additional channels like Olive Young drugstores and the Kakao messaging platform. 

Overall, South Korea’s “other formats” category covering items like dual-delivery systems and functional chocolate grew around 12% last year to more than 325 billion won, according to a report from the Korea Health Supplement Association.

While traditional capsules, tablets and powders still dominate with sales of over 4 trillion won combined, the compounded formats have seen steady growth since 2020.

Consumer purchasing rates for the alternative formats also ticked up slightly to 13.8% in 2022, even as rates for capsules, tablets and powders declined modestly.

Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)