The consumer industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by convenience, environmental sustainability, and aesthetics, and the growing importance of food safety and transparency, personalized nutrition, and digital food management technologies. In the last three years alone, there have been over 662,000 patents filed and granted in the consumer industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Health & wellness in consumer: herbal medicinal products. Buy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 116,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the consumer industry, there are 30+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Herbal medicinal products is a key innovation area in health & wellness

Herbal Medicinal Products are medicines made from plants, as well as extracts from plants or parts of plants. Herbal products include dietary supplements, herbal medicines, and other products that contain plant materials and are intended to treat or prevent diseases or promote health.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies.  According to GlobalData, there are 340+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established consumer companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of herbal medicinal products.

Key players in herbal medicinal products – a disruptive innovation in the consumer industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.   

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.  

Patent volumes related to herbal medicinal products

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Royal DSM 93 Unlock Company Profile
Nestle 73 Unlock Company Profile
The Fyn­der Group 46 Unlock Company Profile
Unilever 45 Unlock Company Profile
Monde Nissin (UK) 44 Unlock Company Profile
Japan Tobacco 41 Unlock Company Profile
MycoTechnology 33 Unlock Company Profile
Ecovative Design 33 Unlock Company Profile
Qingdao Jinjiahui Food 29 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Life Sciences 26 Unlock Company Profile
Ajinomoto 25 Unlock Company Profile
Nisshin Seifun Group 23 Unlock Company Profile
Kewpie 20 Unlock Company Profile
Givaudan 18 Unlock Company Profile
Harbin Haotuo Biological Science & Technology Development 17 Unlock Company Profile
Guangdong Yuewei Edible Fungi Technology 17 Unlock Company Profile
Kotobuki Realty 16 Unlock Company Profile
Angel Yeast 15 Unlock Company Profile
Zhejiang Shouxiangu Pharmaceutical 15 Unlock Company Profile
Lesaffre Group 15 Unlock Company Profile
Jiangsu Kanion Pharmaceutical 14 Unlock Company Profile
Mizkan 14 Unlock Company Profile
Emergy 13 Unlock Company Profile
Roquette Freres 13 Unlock Company Profile
Grape King Bio 13 Unlock Company Profile
Wittington Investments 13 Unlock Company Profile
Nerthus ApS 13 Unlock Company Profile
Harvard Bioscience 13 Unlock Company Profile
BIOHM Health 13 Unlock Company Profile
Terramino 12 Unlock Company Profile
Vivatis Pharma 12 Unlock Company Profile
Guangxi Guilin Natural Food 12 Unlock Company Profile
Yakult Honsha 12 Unlock Company Profile
Fugenbio 12 Unlock Company Profile
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation 11 Unlock Company Profile
Government of South Korea 11 Unlock Company Profile
Wuhu Sanshan District Green Food Industry Association 11 Unlock Company Profile
Clara Foods 11 Unlock Company Profile
BP North America 10 Unlock Company Profile
Canadian Pacific Algae 10 Unlock Company Profile
Uni-President China 10 Unlock Company Profile
Harbin Weiping Technology Development 10 Unlock Company Profile
Asahi Group 9 Unlock Company Profile
L'Oreal 9 Unlock Company Profile
RAG-Stiftung 9 Unlock Company Profile
Menon Renewable Products 9 Unlock Company Profile
BASF 8 Unlock Company Profile
Zero Egg 8 Unlock Company Profile
Wuhe Master Tong Food 8 Unlock Company Profile
DMK Deutsches Milchkontor 8 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Royal DSM is one of the leading patent filers in herbal medicinal products. Some other key patent filers in the space include Nestlé, The Fyn­der Group, and Unilever. Nestlé has introduced a powdered plant-based protein as part of its Mahler brand. The product enables consumers to enhance egg-based dishes such as omelettes, offering an economical yet nutritious way to create such meals.

In terms of application diversity, Menon Renewable Products leads the pack, with Harvard Bioscience and BIOHM Health in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Kewpie holds the top position, followed by Givaudan and Mizkan.

Herbal medicinal products will find increased adoption among people, as they are becoming more interested in natural and traditional forms of healthcare. Herbal medicines often align with this preference, as they are derived from plant-based sources and have been used in traditional healing practices for centuries.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the consumer industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Consumer.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.