One in Three Newborns in Korea Chooses ‘DUOLAC Duo D-Drops’

DUOLAC, the stronger probiotic brand of Cell Biotech, announced that its newborn probiotic product, DUOLAC Duo D-Drops, recorded annual sales of 87,000 units last year. Based on Korea’s 2025 birth statistics released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which reported 258,242 births, this means that approximately one out of every three newborns in Korea chose a DUOLAC product.

This achievement is attributed to the growing awareness of the importance of probiotic intake for newborns. In particular, as ingredient safety and the reliability of a company’s research and manufacturing capabilities have emerged as key factors in purchasing decisions, DUOLAC Duo D-Drops currently ranks No.1 in probiotic sales on Naver Shopping.

 Newborns first acquire beneficial bacteria through their mothers’ birth canal during delivery. It is known that Bifidobacteria account for approximately 70–90% of the gut microbiota in healthy newborns, playing a vital role in suppressing harmful bacteria, supporting immune function, and breaking down human milk oligosaccharides (HMO). However, with the rising rate of cesarean deliveries, cases in which newborns fail to develop sufficient levels of Bifidobacteria have increased, driving growing interest in probiotics specifically formulated for newborns.

Reflecting this rising demand, DUOLAC Duo D-Drops continues to demonstrate a strong presence in the probiotic market, ranking first in sales within the probiotics category on Naver Shopping. As its recognition as a must-have item for new parents has grown, prepared inventory has quickly sold out, with the product recently offered through pre-order sales due to its popularity.

DUOLAC Duo D-Drops is an oil-based probiotic drop developed by Cell Biotech in 2017—the first of its kind in Korea. It minimizes the foreign-body sensation often associated with powder formulations, allowing newborns to consume it with ease. The product also contains 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D (400 IU), an essential nutrient for infant growth.

Given that probiotics involve the intake of live bacteria, strain safety is a critical consideration. DUOLAC Duo D-Drops is formulated with 100% Korean-developed CBT probiotics and includes four Bifidobacterium strains (CBT-BF3, BR3, BG7, BT1) that are listed under the U.S. FDA’s GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) system. The safety of these strains has been confirmed through a human clinical study conducted in collaboration with Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, involving 106 infants aged 0 to 12 months. The strains have also been proven capable of breaking down human milk oligosaccharides (HMO).

Lee Hye-jung, head pharmacist at Barunonnuri Pharmacy, commented,“As the importance of gut health in infant growth and immune development becomes widely recognized, more mothers are now including newborn probiotics as an essential item in their childbirth preparations. DUOLAC enjoys high trust among mothers due to its 31 years of research-based safety, convenient liquid formulation, and FDA GRAS-listed strains, making it very popular in pharmacies as well.”

A Cell Biotech official stated,“DUOLAC’s long-accumulated technological expertise, safety, and its ‘221 times stronger probiotics’ achieved through dual-coating technology have earned strong popularity among mothers. Going forward, we will continue to expand life-stage-specific probiotic research—from newborns to infants, children, and adults—and contribute to public health by strengthening the scientific evidence and functionality of CBT probiotics.”

Meanwhile, Cell Biotech, founded in 1995, is Korea’s leading microbiome company. Based on its probiotic research, the company is expanding its R&D achievements into the biopharma sector, including the development of novel colorectal cancer treatments. Leveraging its proprietary dual-coating technology, which delivers 221 times higher survivability, the DUOLAC brand continues to strengthen its leadership in the domestic probiotic market while also reinforcing its global presence, having ranked No.1 in global exports for 12 consecutive years.