The global market for functional sleep beverages is expanding. While health supplements in pill form were common in the past, recently, ready-to-drink beverages have gained popularity. Sleep drinks, already a significant market in advanced countries, are relatively new in Korea. The U.S. sleep food market reached approximately $1.2 billion in 2021, with sleep drinks accounting for $400 million and growing annually by 23%. Startups like Dream Water and Olly Nutrition in the U.S. have already demonstrated their potential by being acquired by Harvest One and Unilever, respectively.

In Korea, the sleep drink 'CozaSleep' has been a market leader since its inception in 2021. Winning the DIGICO KT Award for technological excellence at Seoul National University's startup competition 'The Beginning,' CozaSleep has attracted investment from Naver's affiliate, Spring Camp, and has continuously enhanced its product through R&D with Seoul National University Hospital. With eight patent applications and one registration, CozaSleep surpassed sales of 1 billion Korea won within a year and is also registered as an FDA Dietary Supplement, gaining traction on Amazon in the U.S.

CozaSleep stands out for two primary reasons. First, unlike other domestic sleep products that simply mix ingredients, CozaSleep enhances the effectiveness of components through proprietary processing technology developed at Seoul National University's Food and Life Science Lab. For example, they focus on increasing the concentration of effective components like Jujuboside A in Ziziphus jujuba.

Second, unlike foreign sleep products that contain melatonin, CozaSleep uses a unique lactobacillus fermentation process. While melatonin-containing products have been the global standard, they pose risks of side effects and addiction. In contrast, CozaSleep's fermentation technology offers a healthier and effective alternative. It was the world's first to commercialize the sleep-inducing effects of probiotics.

"Screening ingredients revealed that 5 out of 12 top patents related to insomnia (41.6%) involved fermentation and lactobacilli. We foresaw this as an upcoming trend and focused our research on this technology. While melatonin has been the global norm for sleep products, the trend is shifting towards natural extracts like Ashwagandha. We believe the next trend will be probiotic-based sleep products. People will continue to seek effective and healthier products, and CozaSleep aims to be at the forefront of this trend," says Romansive CEO Soohyun Lee.

With its unique technology and buzz, CozaSleep has been selected to represent Seoul at 'CES 2024', introducing Korea's lactobacillus fermentation technology in sleep beverages to the U.S. market.

CES, held in Las Vegas, USA, is the world's largest tech event, showcasing international technology capabilities and sharing industry trends across development, supply, technology, content, hardware, consumption, software, and more. While the 2023 CES focused on web3, the metaverse, digital health, mobility, sustainability, and human security, this year's event is expected to highlight AI, food, adtech, health, and wellness tech.

As CozaSleep expands beyond Korea, the world anticipates the future of this leading wellness sleep brand.

황성수 글로벌에픽 기자 hss@globalepic.co.kr