Introduction
Vegetable capsules are derived from pullulan, a safe, water-soluble polysaccharide. Such vegetable capsules are preservative-free, gluten and starch free, and completely biodegradable. Vegetable capsules are vital in order to get one’s daily dose of essential oils. The market for vegetable capsules is expected to grow enormously as they are rapidly replacing hard shell gelatin capsules and also helping to meet the dietary and cultural needs of vegetarians. Furthermore, various pharmaceutical companies are establishing long-term contracts with vegetable capsule manufacturers for competitive pricing, which would in turn boost the market growth.
Market Dynamics
The market for vegetable capsules is growing at a significant pace. These capsules are helpful in masking odors and bad taste; easy to swallow; and readily dissolvable. In addition, vegetable capsules can be used for a variety of products, which are moisture sensitive, hygroscopic and liquid formulations. The vegetable capsules market has completely taken over hard gelatin capsules due to various benefits associated with the former. Major consumer population have claimed vegetable capsules to be ideal for improving the bioavailability of oil soluble ingredients, superior in disintegration properties to other non-animal technologies, and extremely stable in hot climates with no stickiness attributes. Hence, these factors altogether would propel the growth of global vegetable capsule market. However, the high price of such capsules might hinder the growth of market in long run.
Market Classification and Overview
The vegetable capsules market is segmented on the basis of product type, end-user and geography. Based on product type, the market is segmented into pullulan, starch, and hard gelatin and hypromellose (HPMC). The HPMC market is anticipated to grow swiftly during the forecast period owing to its vast applications in the field of pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements. QUALI-V, manufactured by Shionogi Qualicaps, is the first HPMC capsule developed for use as a pharmaceutical product.
Based on end-user, the global market has been bifurcated into pharmaceutical companies, nutraceutical companies, cosmetic companies, and others. The nutraceutical companies dominated the global market due to its greater expansion and development around the world, specifically in regions such as China, India, Brazil, and the Middle East.
Regional Overview
Regionally, the market for vegetable capsules is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle-East and Africa (MEA). North America is dominating the global market owing to the presence of huge number of companies specializing in innovative delivery technologies, and rise in per capita health expenditures. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR owing to the supportive government initiatives to improve medical infrastructure, increasing disease burden, and economic developments in this region.
Report Coverage
Market |
Vegetable Capsules Market |
Analysis Period |
2015 – 2026 |
Historic Data |
2015 – 2016 |
Base Year |
2017 |
Forecast Data |
2018 – 2026 |
Market Stratification |
Product Type, End-User, Geography |
Regional Scope |
North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa (MEA) |
Report Coverage |
Market Trends, Drivers, Restraints, Porter's Five Forces Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Player Profiling, Value Chain Analysis |
Market Participants
Qualicaps LLC, CapsCanada Corporation, Bahrain Pharma, ACG Worldwide, Capsugel, Catalent Inc., Healthcaps India Ltd., Suheung Co., Ltd., Shanxi GS Capsule and Sunil Healthcare Limited are the key players engaged in manufacturing vegetable capsules.
Market Segmentation
Market By Product Type
· Pullulan
· Starch
· Hard Gelatin and Hypromellose (HPMC)
Market By End-User
· Pharmaceutical Companies
· Nutraceutical Companies
· Cosmetic Companies
· Others
Market By Geography
· North America
o US
o Canada
o Mexico
· Europe
o UK
o Germany
o France
o Rest of Europe
· Asia-Pacific
o China
o Japan
o India
o Australia
o Rest of Asia-Pacific
· Latin America
o Brazil
o Rest of Latin America
· Middle East and Africa (MEA)
o South Africa
o Saudi Arabia
o Rest of MEA