Champagne, white, red, rosé, beers or cocktails: when the glasses are on, tomorrows are disappointing. You suffer from what scientists call “veisalgia”, a term taken from the Norwegian words Kveis (discomfort after debauchery) and the Greek algia (“pain”). In other words, the hangover. “The French spend 1,066 hours, or 3 days of their lives, in this state”, likes to point out the young entrepreneur Henri Puigsarbé. So why not make a business out of it? From this realization, in 2020, Nonna Lab was born, a laboratory specializing in hangovers that manufactures the preventive drink Alcoool.
Other young French shooters set out to conquer the misty morning market. Like Hydratis, which offers rehydrating pills at more than 2,000 points of sale (pharmacies and large retailers) or Allo Maman Bobo, a startup specializing in comforting kits. The Swedish debutant Myrkl, who landed in France at the beginning of October, dreams of swallowing his competitors to turn the inevitable hangover. The product, sold in about twenty French pharmacies and present in 25 countries around the world, wants to become the next “Red bull” for hangovers, is carried away by Frédéric Fernandez, spokesman for the laboratory De Faire Medical, which manufactures Myrkl pills.
A booming self-medication market
Admittedly, only a handful of players are competing for the market. But the sector, driven by the rise of self-medication, is booming. Weighing more than 3.71 billion euros in France, sales of prevention products delivered without a prescription increased by 7.1% in 2021. “Covid-19 and medical desertification have boosted the use of self-medication and replaced the pharmacist in a central role in the path to health ”, analyzes Xavier Moinier, professor at the University of Poitiers. 25% of French people are now resorting to over-the-counter medicines, according to this economist specializing in strategic marketing.
Hangover remedies are also benefiting from the boom in the wellness industry. Consumers are turning to the preventive rather than the curative. “They are in the power to act. With hangover remedies, they anticipate the consequences. The economy of the business is very succulent”, defends Xavier Moinier. The economist points to a gradual shift towards an Anglo-Saxon model, where self-medication is more widespread. Like hangover remedies, which number in the hundreds in the United States and Canada. This specific market was valued by an American company at 1.5 billion euros in 2020 worldwide. A number that should jump 14% by 2028. Enough to attract many entrepreneurs who embark on the activity with promises of efficiency and great ambitions.
fierce competition
If the De Faire Medical laboratory does not communicate its current turnover, it aims for several billion euros by 2027. The company prides itself on having created the first preventive pill to break down 70% of alcohol consumed in 60 minutes. The pills consist of probiotics, an amino acid called L-cysteine and vitamin B12. They should be ingested, in pairs, at least two hours before alcohol consumption. A box of 30 capsules costs 35 euros. The lab targets consumers in their 40s who want a drink after work without feeling sick the next day. Frédéric Fernandez praises the 75% customer satisfaction rate. “A month after launch, we were already out of stock”, he enthuses.
Still, the clinical trial cohort – 24 people – is too small to draw reliable conclusions. “In fact, the test was carried out on 14 people, since in 10 of them the amount of alcohol ingested was not detectable in the body”, strongly tempers Patrick Dallemand, professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Caen-Normandy. For him, it is “possible” that bacteria break down alcohol, but the study did not demonstrate this. Another size limit for the test: it was financed by the company that commercializes the product, a practice that is not accepted in the scientific community, recalls Patrick Dallemand. In addition, for the professor, the real objective pursued by Myrkl would be to reduce the alcohol exhaled during a breath test while driving to escape the positive test. This is enough to encourage excessive and more dangerous alcohol consumption.
If Myrkl landed in France in autumn, the competition is already well established. “We are the number 1 laboratory specializing in drinks in pharmacies”, boasts Henri Puigsarbé, founder of Alcoool. This 100 ml preventive drink is developed from the Nashi pear, grown in South Korea, Japan and China. A fruit that would act on two enzymes and facilitate the breakdown of alcohol, reduce the presence of acetaldehyde (a toxic metabolite of alcohol) and mitigate the consequences of alcohol consumption, when ingested shortly before drinking. “We are the first in Europe to accept the Nashi pear as an ingredient in a patented product”, guarantees Henri Puigsarbé, specifying that we have established a partnership with 2,000 French pharmacies. Two years after launch, Alcoool sold 400,000 bottles at 6.90 euros and intends to double that amount in two years.
It’s not a miracle potion
The laboratory is closely followed by Hydratis, another major player in the sector. The start-up specializing in rehydration solutions in flavored pills invoices 2 million euros in 2022 against 400 thousand euros in 2021. That is, a multiplication by 5. A tube of 20 pills costs 9.90 euros. “Knowing that you have to take 2 pills after drinking, that gives 1 euro of a hangover”, smiles Théo Heude, co-founder of the start-up three years ago. Unlike its competitors, Hydratis targets all forms of dehydration, not just foggy mornings. “Medicines like Myrkl or Alcoool have an enigmatic side”, laughs the young entrepreneur. The company, which wants to conquer all of France before exporting abroad, aims to earn 5 million euros in 2023.
Be careful, however, reminds Professor Patrick Dallemand, Hydratis is not a miracle potion. No more than alcohol. He warns: “These two remedies are rehydrating and toning drinks, like Coca-Cola or carrot soup”. They relieve, of course, but they act little, or little, against acetaldehyde, responsible for nausea, vomiting or sweating after heavy alcohol consumption.
However, if effective, these antidotes could indirectly increase productivity at work… and cost French companies less. In 2019, the London Institute of Alcoholism estimated the cost of hangovers at work to be €1.12 billion a year in the UK. Although there is no similar study in France, the scene is set.