Aging is an inevitable process for the human body. For a long period of time throughout human history, people had no solutions for this process. However, with the rapid advancement of life sciences and the continuous improvement of consumer awareness, people have higher expectations for anti-aging products. Especially, anti-aging foods that are closely related to consumers have quietly entered a new era of vigorous development. 

The technological iteration is developing rapidly. 

On April 17, 2025, researchers from the Sorbonne University in France published a review paper titled "From geroscience to precision geromedicine: Understanding and managing aging" in the top international academic journal Cell. They expanded the aging indicators to fourteen major ones: genomic instability, telomere wear, epigenetic changes, loss of protein homeostasis, loss of autophagy, dysregulation of nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, changes in extracellular matrix, depletion of stem cells, alterations in intercellular communication, chronic inflammation, dysbiosis of the microbiota, and psychological-social isolation. 

The development of any matter is inseparable from the underlying logic of technological iteration. The same is true for anti-aging foods. When terms like "cell rejuvenation", "mitochondrial optimization", and "telomere protection", which were once obscure and difficult to understand, appeared in the food industry, it indicated that anti-aging in food was possible, and a large number of related brand foods have emerged. 

For instance, the anti-aging product "Baosheng Tai" employs liposome nano-coating technology to enhance the bioavailability of the NAD+ precursor, β-riboflavin mononucleotide. Within 30 minutes, it can initiate the synthesis of NAD+ in cells and activate the mitochondrial energy metabolism system. The NMN product developed by Japan's Mitsui Pharmaceutical uses nano-delivery technology to increase the absorption rate by 70%. Combined with co-factors such as coenzyme Q10 and astaxanthin, it can activate longevity proteins, repair DNA damage, and delay mitochondrial decline. 

The anti-aging food market is about to "explode" 

Although the demand for anti-aging foods remains high, their interaction with regulations remains a key factor influencing the market. As "foods" derived from laboratories, whether in terms of research depth or clinical application, their final assessment conclusions still struggle to gain recognition at the regulatory level. After all, regulations are based on protection rather than the market economy. 

As a leading product in the field of anti-aging, the popularity of NMN (β- nicotinamide mononucleotide) has remained consistently high. As a key precursor of NAD+ (coenzyme I), NMN directly participates in cellular energy metabolism, DNA repair, and mitochondrial function regulation. Its mechanism of action has been confirmed by top journals such as "Cell" and "Nature". Public data shows that the global market size of NMN health products has exceeded 300 billion yuan in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of up to 45%. 

Even so, the regulatory restrictions on NMN in the international community have been continuously tightening. Currently, only a few regions have opened their doors to NMN. 

In 2020, the Japanese market included NMN in the "List of Health Food Raw Materials - List of Components Not Considered as Drugs". On August 16, 2024, the Japanese Consumer Agency first approved NMN, which has three functional properties, as a "functional" food raw material, officially including it in the category of functional foods. 

In 2021, Canada included NMN in the Natural Health Products (NHP) raw material database. This means that NMN can be used in natural health products, and natural health products in Canada require registration applications before they can be legally marketed. 

In July 2025, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released the public consultation document numbered PC-1537, officially initiating the authorization application process for β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) as a new type of food. This was a pioneering move by the EU region regarding NMN. 

On September 29, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its regulatory stance on NMN, confirming that it does not fall under the "drug exclusion clause" in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and can be legally used as a dietary supplement. Although NMN products were already available in the US in 2017, the regulatory framework did not relax. This FDA statement did not waive its regulatory obligations either. NMN is still classified as a new dietary ingredient (NDI). This means that before selling NMN products, companies must meet the pre-market notification requirements and submit a new dietary ingredient notification (NDIN) to the FDA. Moreover, companies cannot rely on their self-certified GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status to avoid the NDIN requirements. Products that fail to submit the NDIN as required may still face adulteration accusations and enforcement actions. 

The regulation of NMN in China has always been cautious. In 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a document clearly stating that the sale of unapproved NMN food products in the domestic market is prohibited; in 2022, the National Medical Products Administration allowed NMN to be used in cosmetic formulas, but the National Health Commission rejected its application as a food additive in the same year. This measure may stem from the "ban" issued by the FDA in November 2022: NMN does not belong to dietary supplements because it has been classified as a research-based new drug (IND); on January 17, 2025, the National Health Commission issued a notice on the acceptance of the new variety of β-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) as a food additive, indicating that NMN has also entered the approval stage in China. 

Diversification of anti-aging product portfolio 

With the continuous advancement of scientific research, the anti-aging product matrix has been continuously improved. Currently, there are not just one but multiple star anti-aging ingredients on the market. Core ingredients such as NMN, L-ergothioneine, PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone), astaxanthin, sulforaphane, spermidine, and ginsenosides all occupy their own positions in anti-aging formulas, thanks to their respective antioxidant, mitochondrial activation, and cell repair functions. Moreover, anti-aging products have moved beyond the early stage of "only focusing on concentration", and entered a systematic competitive era that emphasizes "technological breakthroughs, formula synergy, and efficacy verification". With the synergistic effect of components such as coenzyme Q10 and glutathione, their anti-aging capabilities have reached a new level. 

At the same time, product differentiation will further highlight the product's advantages. For instance, the Japanese brand Selari, considering the metabolic characteristics of Asians, has added ingredients such as rice bran extract and curcumin to reduce the common "heat-up" reactions found in European and American products. Thus, it can be seen that in the future anti-aging food market, it will no longer be a simple combination of ingredients, but rather a deep integration of science, technology and regulation, making true "anti-aging" a reality.