Lingering at the Olive Young Shelf, Then Straight Into the Basket... "Not Cosmetics"—Pouch Products Captivate Millennials & Gen Z

Pouch-Type 'Danshae' Captivates Women in Their 20s and 30s


Convenience Meets Healthy Pleasure Trend, Driving Popularity

Sales Rise Across Distribution Channels Like Olive Young and Seven-Eleven

Pouch-Type Share Increases Among CJ

#On the morning of the 23rd, the third floor of the Olive Young N store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, featured a tightly arranged display of colorful pouch-type protein shakes. A female customer in her 30s stood in front of the shelf, picking up and examining several products for about five minutes before walking away with a ‘1+1’ promotional item in hand. An Olive Young store employee explained, “Many nearby office workers buy these as meal replacements, and foreign tourists are also showing interest. Products included in the ‘1+1’ promotion tend to sell particularly well.”

On the 23rd, a female consumer is selecting a pouch-type protein shake product at the Olive Young N store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. Photo by Hyunjin Jung

Pouch-type protein shakes, which can be consumed simply by adding water or milk, are rapidly emerging as popular products. The market is quickly expanding as not only men interested in fitness but also female consumers in their 20s and 30s—representing the Millennials & Gen Z—are drawn to these products.

According to the retail industry as of April 27, sales of pouch-type sports drinks and protein shakes at CJ Olive Young last year grew by 95% compared to the previous year. There are about 90 protein shake brands available on both CJ Olive Young and its wellness platform Olive Better. The total number of products offered by these brands reaches approximately 1,300.

In stores located in areas with a high concentration of young consumers, such as Olive Better Gwanghwamun and Gangnam branches, there are large sections dedicated to pouch-type protein shakes. When sorting the ‘protein shake’ category by sales on the Olive Young application, 9 out of the top 10 products are pouch-type shakes.

An Olive Young representative said, “There is growing demand among Millennials & Gen Z who are interested in fitness and self-care for convenient meal solutions, which is driving the popularity of protein shakes. Among the diverse flavors available, pouch-type and other portable options are receiving significant positive feedback from consumers.”

Pouch-type protein shakes have also established themselves as a key product category in convenience stores. As representative ‘healthy pleasure’ products, more Millennials & Gen Z interested in health management are choosing pouch-type protein shakes as meal replacements. According to sales figures for Seven-Eleven’s ‘Maeilhan Meals Protein Shake’ (chocolate, grain, sweet corn), launched in January and April, sales in March increased by 56% compared to the initial launch period in January, and by 85% in April (from the 1st to the 22nd) compared to January.

Pouch-type protein shake products displayed at Olive Young N store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. Photo by Hyunjin Jung

As more consumers seek pouch-type protein shakes, manufacturers are competitively launching new products in this category. The proportion of related sales in the food manufacturing sector has also grown. Since October last year, CJ CheilJedang’s pouch-type protein shakes ‘Danbaekhany’ and ‘Balancemeal’ have reached a cumulative sales volume of 1 million units as of mid-April, just six months after their launch. CJ CheilJedang offers three types of Danbaekhany shakes (Signature, Chocolate, Matcha) and three types of Balancemeal shakes (Oat, Chocolate, Nut). The share of pouch-type sales among CJ CheilJedang’s protein shake products surpassed 50% for the first time in February, and this trend continued through March and April.

Whereas the protein powder market was previously dominated by male consumers focused on fitness, the structure has shifted recently as women in their 20s and 30s now account for more than half of consumers. According to market research firm Embrain, as of December last year, 30.7% of pouch-type protein shake purchases over the previous year in major retail channels were made by women in their 20s or younger, with women in their 30s accounting for 20.5%. It is also notable that new terms such as ‘Danshake’ (short for protein shake) have emerged, reflecting how protein intake is spreading as a lifestyle consumption trend.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the domestic protein food market grew from about 120 billion won in 2019 to 450 billion won in 2024 and is expected to reach 800 billion won this year. Embrain’s analysis indicates that estimated sales of pouch-type protein shakes through major retail channels over the past year totaled 23.2 billion won, a 112.8% increase compared to the previous year. This represents a more than fivefold expansion compared to 2023 (4.3 billion won) over two years.

An industry insider commented, “As protein products have shifted from being functionally oriented to convenient meals for everyday life, the product format itself has become a competitive advantage. In particular, pouch-type products are driving market growth by creating new demand based on portability and convenience.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.