Best-in-class gamer ingredients

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is part of the SupplySide Supplement Journal digital magazine on esports. Download your free edition here and access your toolbox for better business — ingredient science, marketing concepts, market trends and more.]

Esports has exploded in recent years, from a benign at-home pastime to a behemoth global industry, with an anticipated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% per year, and millions of captivated viewers worldwide. Gamers are a massive and growing group, exceeding approximately 2.6 billion players worldwide. Global gaming revenues are estimated to top $187 billion in 2024. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) noted America has 190.6 million active gamers of all ages, with 61% of U.S. adults playing at least an hour every week. The average player age in 2004 was 29, but in 2024, has jumped to 36. Almost one-third (29%) of gamers are 50 or older (up from 9% in 1999), and players are split almost evenly by gender. 

Brands looking to reach this lucrative sector have many formulation options. 

BioActor-Solabia 

Brainberry 

Innovation: Starting from a completely new raw material, Aronia melanocarpa, and linking it to cognition. There is a good reason why: Aronia berries are naturally higher in their anthocyanin content than most other fruit. Anthocyanins are generally known for improving cognitive parameters. Brainberry originated by detecting this gap in the market. Now, after proprietary consumer studies, gathering consumer feedback and proprietary clinical studies, Brainberry has become a strong ingredient for any cognitive formula. The commercial dose is only 65 mg (equivalent to 19 mg anthocyanins), so it will fit into any formulation. 

Related:Finding the flow in your esports formulations – digital magazine

Science: This aronia berry extract, at a low daily dose of 19 mg natural anthocyanins, improves performance for esports athletes. A consumer study in gamers tested the extract in amateur female and male gamers, showing a significant improvement in relevant measures for gaming performance such as eye-hand coordination, focus, reaction time and energy. One human clinical for 24 weeks gave 90 mg and 150 mg Brainberry and found improved psychomotor speed compared to placebo. Furthermore, 150 mg decreased brachial diastolic blood pressure compared to 90 mg. A short-term study found Brainberry beneficially affected cognitive performance as attention and psychomotor speed improved. Three more ongoing clinical studies are anticipated to publish in late 2024 through early 2025. 

Market potential: Only commercially introduced in the U.S. market late in 2021, Brainberry has already been adopted by big U.S. brands; most notably C4 Energy, which is using the ingredient in the company’s different beverage formats (Ultimate range) and C4 x WWE special powder. This is an early indication that the unique selling points of Brainberry — low dose, natural ingredient, high efficacy and diverse application potential — are attractive to the U.S. market. BioActor-Solabia has seen great success in other markets like Europe, Taiwan and Korea. A patent has been granted in the U.S. market protecting the composition and dosage of the ingredient and serving as official recognition of its ability to boost brain fitness and performance. 

Related:Gamers look for a competitive edge – product development guide

Enfinity Energy 

Enfinity 

Innovation: Enfinity brings the clarity of caffeine without the chaos. When caffeine is consumed, it’s converted into three metabolites: theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine, with paraxanthine being the dominant one (~80%) with the greatest CNS (central nervous system) effects. However, caffeine’s metabolism is wildly variable across users, leading to inconsistent results and unnecessary side effect profiles. Supplementing paraxanthine directly with enfinity safely skips this metabolic variance, leading to clean energy and focus without the distress caused by the other two metabolites. 

Related:Considerations for esports dietary supplements

Science: Paraxanthine is a “feel-good” (dopaminergic) compound, with a more consistent experience than caffeine. After consuming caffeine, metabolite distribution varies up to 20% between humans, yielding inconsistent results. Much of this is due to theobromine and theophylline’s greater half-lives and conversion back to caffeine. Directly supplementing paraxanthine avoids this. Paraxanthine dosed at 100 mg and 200 mg has been shown to improve short-term memory, reasoning and response time in multiple studies. Paraxanthine is less hypertensive than caffeine. A human clinical trial using 200 mg enfinity compared cognitive function tests hourly after one to six hours post-supplementation. Enfinity use enhanced the ability to store and retrieve random information of increasing complexity from short-term memory. As testing progressed, the response time improved during the 20 trials and over the course of the six-hour experiment. The results suggest enfinity may affect some measures of short-term memory, reasoning and response time to cognitive challenges and help sustain attention. 

Market potential: Paraxanthine is caffeine’s primary metabolite in the human body, contributing to the vast majority of caffeine’s beneficial effects. According to the company, it is a CNS stimulant with less toxicity and greater benefits than caffeine. And when ingested, paraxanthine functions more consistently than caffeine across populations, leading to fewer side effects, greater enjoyability, improved mood and a more focused mindset. 

Kyowa Hakko USA 

Cognizin 

Innovation: Kyowa Hakko is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of citicoline, produced by a fermentation process that the company says yields a pure 100% raw material ingredient. Cognizin offers a formulation advantage to the supplement industry to cater to a wide audience looking to maintain cognitive health, as it addresses major consumer needs ranging from gaining a competitive mental edge to supporting daily routines and memory. Cognizin facilitates membrane fluidity and plasticity, fortifies cell membrane structures and enhances neuron communication, as well as helps supply nutrition for the human brain to support focus and attention. 

Science: Cognizin brand citicoline has been studied by teams at Harvard Medical School, the University of Utah and other research institutions over the past decade. This work has created a pool of data to support the effect of citicoline, both in terms of its impact on cells in the brain and outcomes in users. One study showed a 13.6% increase in brain energy (ATP, or adenosine triphosphate). It also showed increased formation of brain membranes by 26%, supporting memory function and thinking. Another study showed improved attention and focus while on task by reducing commission and omission errors in standardized testing. Another study showed improved focus and attention and increased psychomotor speed in adolescents. Another study showed better memory function in healthy older adults. 

Market potential: Cognizin has demonstrated effectiveness in clinical trials in a wide range of age groups and potential target consumers, including adolescents ages 14-18; esports/gamer community and college kids ages 18-24; sports-minded active adults ages 25+; busy, engaged adults ages 35-50; pre-retirement ages 55+; and active seniors older than 65. 

Microphyt 

GamePhyt  

Innovation: According to the company, GamePhyt is the first 100% natural ingredient studied specifically on a gamer population that obtained significant results. GamePhyt harnesses the synergistic effects of a fucoxanthin-rich microalgae and guarana (Paullinia cupana), making it an incredible means of boosting gamers' performance and skills, scientifically proven with a clinical study. The microalgae extract is sustainably produced in the south of France using a unique, exclusive and patented hydro-biomimetic technology owned by Microphyt. 

Science: GamePhyt was studied on 61 experienced gamers in a double-blind randomized and placebo-controlled clinical trial. The ingredient showed multiple benefits to boost overall cognitive performance, such as significantly improving focus, memory, reaction time, accuracy, decision-making and processing speed, as well as reducing mental fatigue. GamePhyt has also shown to support a good quality of life via factors such as good mood, sleep quality and visual comfort. The benefits were clear after only a single dose at 15 minutes and were even better after 30 days of supplementation. All of these benefits came with no side effects or stimulant activity. 

Market potential: Esports involves highly skilled video gamers, whether competing head-to-head for digital titles and cash prizes, or video gaming enthusiasts playing at home. To excel at this sport, gamers need to enhance very specific skills such as maximum focus, alertness, psychomotor speed, rapid reaction time, energy and endurance. To achieve these goals, esports athletes and esports enthusiasts are turning to targeted dietary supplements — particularly those tested in a gamer population to enhance cognitive performance.