Mitochondria have become a hot topic in the nutrition industry as cellular health comes into focus for targeted health support. At Vitafoods Europe 2026, Nutrition Insight meets with Kaneka Ubiquinol Europe, who yesterday won an innovation award, delving into why mitochondria are important target areas of supplement launches and how companies can differentiate themselves on the market amid saturated marketing claims.
Live from the showroom floor in Barcelona, Spain, Filip Van hulle, general manager at Kaneka Ubiquinol Europe, states that although there is a growing buzz around mitochondria in product development, they have always been essential to health. For a long time, they were mainly discussed in the context of rare, inherited conditions.
“What has genuinely shifted is the breadth and quality of emerging evidence now positioning mitochondrial energy production as foundational to everyday health and well-being — encompassing cardiovascular function, cognition, metabolic health, reproductive well-being, energy levels, and healthy aging.”
“That scientific evolution, combined with a broader consumer and practitioner movement toward proactive, mechanism-led health management, has brought mitochondria firmly into the mainstream conversation. People are increasingly asking why they feel the way they do, and science is finally giving us meaningful answers.”
At Vitafoods Innovation Awards ceremony, Kaneka Ubiquinol Europe won the award for the Most Innovative Consumer-Ready Nutraceutical Finished Product, with the company Eqology. This synergistic Pure Arctic Oil Heart & Energy formulation combines CodMarine ingredient with organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, vitamin D3, and yeast-fermented Kaneka Ubiquinol, delivering 1,420 mg of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) per serving.
Differentiating in crowded markets
With the rise of cellular health research and awareness, the phrase is also commonly used in product marketing language. According to Van hulle, it is a “fair challenge” for consumers to ask how products ensure real-world effects.
Kaneka Ubiquinol Europe and Eqology won the award for the Most Innovative Consumer-Ready Nutraceutical Finished Product.“‘Cellular health’ risks becoming a catch-all phrase if it is not anchored in a mechanism. For us, it is grounded in function. Kaneka Ubiquinol is the more bioactive form of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), bioidentical to the endogenously active ubiquinol that is naturally produced in the body.”
“The ingredient has a clinically established triple mechanism: supporting mitochondrial ATP/energy production as a key component of the electron transport chain, acting as the body’s only lipid-soluble endogenous antioxidant, helping reduce oxidative damage to cells, and supporting mitochondrial quality and performance by facilitating the generation of new mitochondria (biogenesis).
Van hulle adds that 45+ years of research and 100+ clinical studies on ubiquinol differentiate it from positioning statements. “In a crowded market, the science is what separates a credible claim.”
Recently, GenM awarded Kaneka Ubiquinol with the MTick certification, joining select ingredients and brands shaping the menopause category. The certification is becoming a trusted sign of menopause-friendly products to help consumers navigate and purchase products with more confidence.
Nutrition Insight previously explored a recent review on ubiquinol, which revealed that clinicians and formulators are increasingly seeing fertility as a mitochondrial issue, not just a hormonal or structural one. Studies indicate that some nutritional products targeting mitochondrial performance may lead to fertility outcomes.
Market insights
Van hulle points out that healthy aging remains the most commercially significant driver for mitochondrial health products. However, he also sees that women’s health is showing compelling science and commercial momentum at the moment, and the cellular health category is projected to grow as well.
“Asia-Pacific markets and cross-border e-commerce channels are also growing strongly, with consumer demand for premium, evidence-led ingredients proving particularly robust,” he shares, according to market projections cited in the Kaneka Ubiquinol industry market analysis.
As the Mitochondrial Health Category Sponsor at Vitafoods, Kaneka is highlighting the science and market potential of ubiquinol and mitochondrial health at its booth.“Ubiquinol plays a unique role inside mitochondria, and any combination formula targeting mitochondrial health — or any condition where mitochondrial function is implicated — should contain ubiquinol. The opportunity is real, and sustainable growth in this category will belong to those who lead with science, not just with story.”
Central areas of focus
Van hulle sees the strongest real-world results for Ubiquinol in cardiovascular health, healthy aging, reproductive health, and energy metabolism.
“These are areas where mitochondrial function is central and where ubiquinol’s role in supporting cellular energy production and antioxidant activity is well-documented across multiple studies and populations. What is particularly exciting right now is the momentum building in women’s health across all life stages — from reproductive health through to aging — as the science connecting mitochondrial energy production to these areas continues to mature.”
Van hulle sees the strongest real-world results for Ubiquinol in cardiovascular health, healthy aging, reproductive health, and energy metabolism.
“Practitioner interest here is accelerating quickly, and the clinical conversation is becoming increasingly sophisticated. These are no longer emerging areas; they are becoming pillars of the category.”
Evidence creates new baseline
The rapid advancement of science has raised the bar for everyone, notes Van hulle, which he believes is a good thing, as it reinforces the importance of scientific evidence as a baseline for ingredients — “not a structurally related compound or a category proxy.”
“Kaneka Ubiquinol carries its own complete clinical foundation, supported by a proprietary yeast fermentation process and pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing standards that ensure consistency, stability, bioavailability, and bioactivity.”
“As the science expands across life stages — from preconception through to healthy aging — it is also reshaping how our partners communicate ubiquinol’s relevance: Not as a broad-spectrum wellness ingredient, but as targeted, life-stage-specific cellular health support, grounded in credible, translatable science.”
Talks at the show
At Vitafoods Europe 2026, Kaneka Ubiquinol has been hosting its Mitochondrial Innovation Forum.
The first day explored mitochondrial health science in healthy aging, ubiquinol’s role in women’s health, and sports nutrition, alongside engineering quality innovation and mitochondrial health leading nutraceutical innovation.
In upcoming presentations, expert speakers will discuss these topics, plus opportunities for growth in China.