Prior to its launch in June 2025, the brand spent a year studying the supplements market, which involved speaking with various dietitians and nutritionists. Its board of advisors now comprises a clinical dietitian and a pharmaceutical formulation scientist.
“We could have gone with the easier route of choosing a single OEM to work with, but after talking to many manufacturers, we believe that each manufacturer has their own benefits and also constraints. Some of them have specific ingredient suppliers or specific technologies that they can use,” Joyce Tan, co-founder of Needful, told NutraIngredients.
“It took a lot of time to build our supply chain, going through all the suppliers and manufacturers to get everything right, in terms of logistics as well as quality checks to make sure our standards are met.”
According to Tan, she works with trusted partners in Taiwan, Japan and France that not only have strong manufacturing capabilities and in-house labs for testing, but also allow for full traceability back to the ingredient suppliers.
Needful has an ingredients library on its website, where detailed information about each individual ingredient, such as source and supplier, can be found — a level of traceability that Tan believes is not prevalent in the supplements space.
While there is a high consumption rate of supplements in South East Asia (SEA), Needful noticed that the market is dominated by legacy brands or western brands.
“The problem with legacy brands is that they may not be capturing what the younger generation needs or their loyalty, so we do see the opportunity to build a brand that adapts to consumer shifts. What we mean by that is a brand that is better reflects newer value,” Tan said.
“We see a whole younger generation looking for supplements. Our consumer base is predominantly females aged between 18 and 45. Consumers want to be more informed now. They are reading past the labels; they are looking for transparency, better sourcing, sustainability, and greater accessibility through online platforms.”
Beating competition
To stand out in the market, Needful is working on various aspects, including addressing evolving consumer needs, such as an increasing preference for plant-based supplements that are perceived as “much cleaner” options.
For its Omega-3 DHA + EPA product, instead of a gelatin material, the firm uses algae oil encapsulated in advanced liquid capsules that is not only plant-based but also helps in solubility and bioavailability.
Another area that Needful is putting effort into is consumer education and fostering engagement with its customers.
“As a long-time supplements user, I understand that [choosing a product] can get quite confusing. Most people do know that they should take supplements or they currently do, but they don’t know how to look for the right brands or how to judge a product.
“What we try to do is to help consumers understand that supplements are made to supplement, so the first thing they should look at is their diet. A food-first approach lets them see what the gaps in their diet are in order to supplement,” said Tan.
In the initial phase, the brand is focusing on staying online, although there are plans to enter retail shelves as well as neighboring markets like Indonesia and Malaysia in the future.
“I think the way to stand out is not through increasing our sales channels, but raising the quality of connections that we have with our customers. For example, when a consumer subscribes to us, we check in with them either through WhatsApp or e-mail once every other month to see how they are doing with our supplements and what feedback they have.
“Having this connection with consumers is something that we can do as a smaller and younger brand.”
At the same time, Needful is looking to expand its portfolio to include supplements containing nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin D3 and vitamin C, which are highly sought-after by its customers and subscribers.
Based on the quiz on its website, the brand also found that consumers are looking for products that help with energy and mental clarity.
“Functional products are definitely something that we want to look into, but we are aware that it takes a lot of time to develop them. To stay true to our brand mission, we want to be able to run clinical trials in order to support our claims before expanding to formulating functional products.”
