Japan Firm to Launch Products for Immune System in Taiwan; Market Set to Extend to Australia, Thailand, from 2026

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:51 JST, February 5, 2025

Kirin Holdings Co. will release products in Taiwan that contain an ingredient which claims to help maintain immune system functions.

The company will sell supplements and other products containing L.lactis strain Plasma in Taiwan by the end of the year, and expects to begin sales in Australia, Thailand and other countries from 2026.

L.lactis strain Plasma has previously been sold to overseas companies mainly as an ingredient, but Kirin is set to accelerate the commercialization of the products. The company plans to sell the products overseas by utilizing the sales channels of Blackmores Ltd., a major Australian health food manufacturer that it acquired in 2023.

In Japan, the alcoholic beverages market is expected to see less growth as the population declines and people become more health conscious. Kirin sees its health-related business as a pillar of growth and last year acquired FANCL Corp., a company that sells health foods and cosmetics.

The company is also considering selling FANCL brand products in the future through Blackmores’ sales channels in Southeast Asia, where there is a high level of beauty consciousness.

“Together with Blackmores, FANCL will create a synergy effect,” Kirin Holdings Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yoshinori Isozaki said in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun. “It’s significant for us to be able to commercialize and sell products out of materials that Kirin possesses.”