Supplement ingredients

The Supplements glossary covers Japanese-origin functional fractions, kampo herbs, FFC-notified materials, and other ingredients commonly used in capsule, tablet, powder, and liquid supplement formats. Japan does not formally recognize 'dietary supplements' as a distinct regulatory category — products in supplement format are classified as foods unless they cross into pharmaceutical territory — but a substantial industry has developed around capsule and tablet formats supported by the FOSHU and FFC frameworks. This glossary provides neutral definitions of ingredients commonly used in these formats, including production method, typical dosage range, established efficacy evidence where present, and regulatory pathways in Japan and major export markets.

Historically, Japan's supplement-format industry has roots in two parallel traditions: kampo (traditional herbal medicine) and post-war functional food science. Kampo has been continuously practiced since the 6th-century transmission of Chinese materia medica, formalized in the Heian-period Ishinpō (984 CE), and reorganized under the Edo-period Koho-ha movement. Modern kampo became insurance-reimbursable in 1976, providing a clinical evidence base unmatched by most herbal traditions. The functional food side accelerated when MITI funded systematic research in the 1980s, leading to the FOSHU framework in 1991 and FFC in 2015. Specific Japanese ingredient discoveries — sesamin from sesame, nobiletin from shikuwasa peel, reduced coenzyme Q10 produced by Kaneka, GABA enrichment of rice — became globally significant supplement ingredients during this period.

The contemporary Japanese supplement-format ingredient industry is led by Kaneka (CoQ10 and reduced CoQ10), Suntory Wellness (sesamin, lactic acid bacteria), Asahi Calpis Wellness (lactic acid bacteria, including the well-known LKM512 and L-92 strains), Otsuka Pharmaceutical (electrolytes, functional foods), Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, FANCL (capsule and tablet supplements), DHC, Tsumura (kampo), Kracie (kampo and consumer functional formulations), and a network of crude drug houses including Uchida Wakanyaku and Tochimoto Tenkaido. Most operate FSSC 22000 or Japanese supplement GMP equivalent. Patent positions are particularly strong in fermentation-derived ingredients, with Kaneka's reduced-CoQ10 (ubiquinol) production process and Asahi Calpis Wellness's specific Lactobacillus strains being widely licensed globally.

This glossary covers ingredients across major functional categories: cardiovascular (sesamin, EPA/DHA, nattokinase, monacolin-K-free red yeast rice alternatives), cognitive (DHA, plasmalogen, lactic acid bacteria for gut-brain axis), joint and bone (proteoglycan, marine collagen peptides, MSM, calcium absorbed forms), immune (fucoidan, beta-glucans, lactic acid bacteria), beauty-from-within (collagen peptides, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, astaxanthin), and metabolic (resistant starch, indigestible dextrin, GABA, chlorogenic acid). Each entry covers the ingredient's chemistry, common production methods, typical dose ranges from FFC-notified products, principal mechanisms of action with citation to peer-reviewed literature where available, and regulatory pathways for export to major markets.

Users of this glossary include supplement brand owners verifying ingredient identity for Japanese-sourced raw materials, regulatory specialists mapping FFC-notified actives to FDA, EFSA, NMPA, and KFDA categories, contract manufacturers building dossier packages, and consumer-facing teams researching the science behind Japanese functional ingredients. Each entry includes cross-references to related ingredients in Cosmetics (for shared marine and botanical actives), Food (for everyday consumption forms), and Traditional (for heritage versions of kampo crude drugs).

For users new to Japanese supplement-format ingredients, we suggest beginning with the most internationally recognized actives — Kaneka reduced CoQ10 (ubiquinol), Suntory sesamin, marine collagen peptides, fucoidan, and lactic acid bacteria strains — and then expanding into kampo-derived herbal extracts and FFC-notified specialty fractions. The glossary also notes the difference between bulk active ingredient supply (typical for B2B contract manufacturing) and finished-product supplement OEM (where the supplier handles capsule filling, blister packing, and finished-goods QA), as these are commonly confused by new buyers.