1 Key Market Scenarios in Supplements Sector
According to SPINS data, for the 52 weeks ended October 31, 2021, the overall growth rate of dietary supplement sales in the United States was 8.5%. Among them, sales of natural channels decreased by 3.7%, regional convenience store channels increased by 3.7%, and traditional channels increased by 9.7%. Affected by the epidemic, consumers are more trusting to buy supplements in traditional channels they are familiar with, while the sales of supplements in natural and organic channels have experienced negative growth.
In addition, the epidemic has greatly promoted the sales of supplements on online platforms such as Amazon, with a year-on-year growth rate of 43%. There are 4 subcategories of supplements with annual sales exceeding $400 million. 28 subcategories with sales exceeding $100 million. 41 subcategories with more than $50 million in sales.
2 Consumption Trends of Functional Foods and Supplements
So, what functional food, beverages, and supplements are consumers buying?
The data shows that in the functional food and beverage category, the sales of products containing super mushroom ingredients have grown the fastest, with an annual growth rate of 17.6%. Mushrooms are favored by consumers for their role in enhancing immunity, adaptogens, and brain health, and functional products containing Ganoderma lucidum, Chaga, Maitake mushrooms, Hericium Erinaceus and other ingredients are continuously launched on the market. In addition, sales of products containing vegan labels and superfoods increased by 8.5% and 7.7%, respectively, reflecting consumers’ love for natural plant-based ingredients. Sales of products with labels such as gluten-free, non-GMO, no added hormones, B Corp, plant-based, and fair trade super also saw some growth.
Within the supplements category, sales of supplements containing superfoods were the fastest growing, with an annual growth rate of 147.1%. Additional supplements containing apple cider vinegar and emotional attention support increased by 165.3% and 43%, respectively. It can be seen that consumers are more inclined to obtain nutrition through ordinary food with certain health effects.
Consumers show a particular preference for supplements with labels such as natural organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, vegetarian, grass-fed, etc. Sales of supplements with these labels are well above the average growth rate for the supplement category. Consumers are also very concerned about the ingredient safety of supplements. Supplements with complete cleanliness, no eight major allergens, no artificial sweeteners, and no artificial colors all saw sales increase. Sales of supplements containing artificial preservatives fell 3.1%.
3 Emerging Trends to Watch in the Supplement Industry
3.1 Popular functional ingredients
In terms of functional ingredients, Ashwagandha has the highest growth rate, reaching 165.5%. It was followed by shiitake mushrooms and dandelions, at 65% and 60.6%, respectively. Shiitake mushrooms are a common ingredient, rich in nutrients, containing all the essential amino acids, iron, B vitamins. The beta-glucan in shiitake mushrooms has been shown to trigger the production of T cells and natural killer cells, helping to boost the body’s immunity and also helping the body adapt and cope with environmental stress.
Dandelion is also a very popular health care raw material in the European and American markets. It has many functions such as anti-oxidation, assisting in lowering blood sugar, enhancing immunity, promoting digestion, protecting the liver and gallbladder, etc. In addition, nootropics, adaptogens, superfoods, melatonin, caffeine, vitamin D, green superfoods, super mushrooms also saw some growth, while CBD and vitamin C saw sales decline.
3.2 Health areas that consumers pay attention to
Cognitive health, emotional health, sleep, hydration, and bone health are areas that consumers are more concerned about. It can be seen that during the epidemic, consumers are very concerned about brain health and emotional issues. Influenza, joint health, weight loss, and immune health saw negative growth. Immune health remains the top health concern for consumers, but the market has shrunk compared to last year during the outbreak.
3.3 Popular supplement dosage forms
In terms of dosage forms, gummies were the fastest-growing dosage form, with sales up 27.4%. Consumers also enjoyed supplements in the form of ready-to-drink beverages, up 17.7 percent. Traditional dosage forms such as capsules, soft capsules, and oral liquids also achieved a certain growth, while the sales of granule dosage forms fell by 33%. It can be seen that the convenience of consumption is an important consideration for consumers when choosing supplements.
4 Market Situations and Trends by Segment
4.1 Immunity and emotional health
In 2022, consumers are expected to remain focused on boosting immunity and emotional support. Sales of herbal medicines in the adaptogens and Nervines (neurons) categories are still growing at a high rate. Adaptogens are traditionally used to build the body’s resistance to stress and nourish the glandular system, while Nervines herbs are used to relieve stress and relax the mind. Scutellaria, lemon balm, spearmint, chamomile, jujube, and lavender are all mildly calming, while more powerful nerve relaxants are valerian and hops. Often used with other stress support ingredients such as GABA, magnesium, and vitamin D.
Probiotic ingredients are also commonly used for mood management, and they can reduce stress by helping to produce neurotransmitters in the gut. Among mood management ingredients with annual sales of over $50 million on Amazon, ashwagandha is growing the fastest, followed by zinc, electrolytes, digestive substances (probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes), melatonin, vitamin D, and Collagen.
In the immunization ingredient category, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, and elderberry were the top-selling ingredients. The immune raw materials with a faster growth rate are vitamin C (non-esterified), apple cider vinegar, elderberry, ashwagandha, vitamin D, astragalus, super mushroom, superfood, etc.
4.2 Sports Nutrition
Exercise is also an important way to improve immunity. During the epidemic, consumers paid more attention to preventing diseases through exercise as a lifestyle, and the sports nutrition category achieved a certain growth rate. In 2022, this trend will be even more pronounced, as consumers of all ages are actively exercising to maintain health and vitality, improve mental mood, and sleep. And sales of supplements in the sports performance category, which are too predominant for professional athletics and bodybuilders, are growing rapidly. The data shows that the sales of supplements used to improve sports performance and recovery before and after exercise increased by 39% year-on-year, and the sales of protein powder increased by 37%. Among sports nutrition products, whey protein has the highest sales, accounting for 52% of the market share; vegetable protein has the fastest growth rate, with a growth rate of 48%.
In the sports performance supplement category, hydration-boosting supplements grew the fastest at 626%. Collagen, caffeine, green superfoods, nerve supplements, and super mushrooms also saw faster sales growth. Hydration is an inevitable requirement to maintain a good exercise state and maximize exercise potential. Exercise should not only supplement protein but also use the power of water, especially when exercising muscle strength, you must first replenish water to keep the body during exercise. “A state of hydration” allows the body to continue the process of gaining muscle and reducing fat, so as to achieve the desired exercise goals.
Ivusion Beverages has launched a functional hydration drink formulated with electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals. For dehydration caused by heat exhaustion and exercise, contains electrolytes, vitamin B12 and B complex, magnesium, potassium, vitamins A and C, 5 HTP, L-tyrosine.
