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UK’s Sleep Well milk aims to launch in Asia

Functional milk brand Sleep Well, which uses the active ingredient valerian to promote good sleep, has made launching its products in Asia a priority. Already, the U.K.-based brand has confirmed to Beverage Daily that it will launch in convenience stores in Hong Kong and has its eye on several other large Asian markets.

Sleep Well Milk’s co-founder Allan Watts told the publication that “I would expect us to be available in Asia within the next three to six months.” In particular, the brand is eyeing the South Korean market and is in discussions with a retail chain there. Additionally, there are discussions with retailers in the Singaporean market. In 2022, the brand is looking to focus its energies on tapping into the markets in Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam.

In China, regulatory hurdles have prevented the firm from making headway in contract negotiations.

Not getting enough sleep is a costly choice. In the U.K., a study by the Rand Corporation found that sleep deprivation leads to the U.K. losing around 200,000 working days a year. Just by increasing the duration of a night’s sleep from under six hours to between six and seven hours could add £24 ($33) billion to the U.K. economy, the study found. These statistics become even more noteworthy when comparing British sleep habits to those in Asia.

A 2014 study published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology highlighted that sleep schedules vary widely across countries. In Asia, bedtimes during the week are later than those in the U.K. but, on the weekend, individuals sleep on a similar schedule indicating that people in Asian countries are sleeping less on average compared to their western counterparts.

Sleep Well is hoping to improve individuals’ quality of sleep. However, the brand positions itself not as a medication but as a part of a bedtime routine primed to increase restfulness. While the product does not make any direct health claims, it does promote its formulation which includes valerian root and whole milk from Jersey cows. Valerian root has been widely used for centuries as a remedy to help individuals relax and improve sleep quality. Nevertheless, there is no conclusive scientific evidence showing how this botanical ingredient functions. Jersey milk is high in protein and tryptophan, a chemical that is known to help induce and improve sleep.

While Sleep Well is focusing on expanding the geographic region where it sells its functional dairy milk, in the U.K. the brand has branched out into non-dairy alternatives. Earlier this summer, the company rolled out a vegan, oat milk-based version of its functional sleep aid milk in Holland & Barrett stores.

Both the dairy and non-dairy versions of this functional milk are shelf-stable and can be consumed at room temperature, warm or cold. The dairy version of Sleep Well is available in vanilla and chocolate flavors.