With the improvement of people's living standards and the enhancement of health awareness, the nutritional and health care product industry is undergoing an unprecedented innovation revolution. Even according to Euromonitor statistics, as of 2021, the global consumer health products industry has reached US$273.242 billion. This number is expected to grow exponentially by 2025.
Many people do not take it seriously and only attribute the booming development of the health care products industry to the epidemics and viruses that have raged in recent years. In fact, the trend that is driving the industry forward has become increasingly prominent and continues to provide new opportunities for the field of nutrition and health care. Welcome to check in and see if any of the following 4 trends match you.
l Trend 1: People pay more attention to immune health
In the past, people's understanding of the immune system was still limited to television and newspapers, and the spread of information was slow and limited. Nowadays, the integration of the Internet and big health has given us more and more channels to understand the importance of immune health. Short videos, online articles, rapidly spreading cases, and even news that can be searched everywhere are overwhelming the mobile phone network. These forces people to understand and invest in immune health in order to enhance physical fitness and maintain a healthy body.
This change has greatly increased the market demand for nutritional supplements related to immune health. Various immune enhancers, probiotics, vitamins and other products have become the new favorites of consumers in pursuit of health.
Faced with this trend, which has specific needs, the nutrition industry is responding to this growing awareness by embracing natural active ingredients that often draw attention to various health issues. For example, probiotics help intestinal health, lutein helps protect eyes, NMN helps solve sleep problems and delay symptoms of aging... The nutrition industry uses these natural active ingredients to provide people with practical and effective solutions.
l Trend 2: People want to try health products that are different from traditional medicines
The fast pace and pressure of modern life have made people more inclined to improve their physical condition through natural and safe health care methods. This trend has promoted the vigorous development of the non-drug health care product market. From the perspective of product raw materials, natural ingredients such as plant extracts, minerals, and antioxidants are the mainstream ingredients.
In terms of feel and taste, it is the forms of liquid-filled capsules, gummy and chewable tablets, dissolvable bars, protein bars, injectables, effervescents, flavored sachets, softgels, and powdered drink mixes that will meet the nutritional needs and personal health goals of this group.
Of course, the reason why this emerging form of health care products is sought after by the public is because the public hopes to integrate nutrition into daily life and use nutrients that are easier to absorb as fuel to replenish energy, rather than relying solely on drugs to solve the problem of nutritional deficiencies.
l Trend 3: Solving nutritional supplements that cannot be satisfied by diet
Changes in modern lifestyles have made it difficult for people to obtain adequate nutrition through their daily diet. An ideal meal should include both meat and vegetables, and should also be nutritionally balanced. But the reality is that it is rich in oil and salt, which continues to increase the burden on the digestive system and circulatory system. The public's demand for various vitamins, minerals, proteins and other nutritional supplements is also growing.
In order to comply with this trend, the nutritional health industry has to innovate the integration with food and develop nutritional supplement solutions for different age groups, physiological conditions and dietary needs. Considering people's food selection, nutritional health products have also added labels such as vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, natural, organic, GMO-free and additive/preservative-free, and a comprehensive testing and monitoring system has been established for this purpose. The goal is to provide well-documented health claims that communicate the link between diet and health.
l Trend 4: Overall health awareness change
The mental burden and pressure brought by diseases highlight the importance of health awareness. People's pursuit of health is no longer limited to the treatment and prevention of diseases, but pays more attention to the maintenance of overall health. Therefore, the nutraceutical industry needs to continue to innovate and provide more products and services with overall health benefits.
For example, ingredients that improve sleep can be combined with ingredients that reduce stress, and ingredients that regulate intestinal flora can be combined with ingredients that enhance immunity. By combining a variety of nutritional ingredients or adopting a multidisciplinary approach, we develop health products with comprehensive benefits, paying attention to the connections and interactions between various systems of the human body, and achieving the effects of preventing diseases and promoting overall health.
Therefore, innovative products for overall health management, such as compound health products and personalized customized products, have emerged, paving a broad road for further innovation opportunities.
In general, the nutritional and health care products industry is experiencing unprecedented innovation and change. This is not proposed by producers, let alone sellers, but is determined by current market trends and consumption habits. The emergence of the above four major trends is not only the result of the continuous escalation of people's health needs but also the result of the continuous advancement of science and technology.