30th of August 2023
Adaptogens are related to several health benefits, such as cognition and stress support, and used in various nutraceutical products. What are the current market trends and future opportunities for these ingredients?
Read the article to find out:
Adaptogens are substances that aid our bodies in returning to homeostasis following exposure to stress. Their main health benefits are related to cognitive health and the management of stress. Still, their advantages can also be leveraged in products targeting sports performance, cardiovascular health, sleep, blood sugar management, or even immunity. According to NBJ data for the US market, adaptogens are the key players in terms of sales of stress and sleep supplements, with ashwagandha leading the pack; it followed its 50,4% 2020 growth, with a 26,7% increase in 2021. According to SPINS, new supplement launches based on ashwagandha grew by 9,7% in 2022 in the US.
Adaptogens have mostly been present in finished products in a standard pill format. Development of advanced forms of finished products has been slow, as another common denominator of the group is unpleasant, bitter taste.
The use of advanced extraction techniques and pairing the ingredient with proper taste masking agents is paving the pathway to the development of direct sticks and beverages. Since improved cognitive function and stress management are two indications that are especially interesting for younger generations, such as students, availability of adaptogens in attractive, user-friendly formats that can be used on-the-go might be essential for the future growth of the category.
Among adaptogen ingredients, products based on ashwagandha have seen the most growth globally in new launches in the past 5 years (over 200% according to Mintel GNPD). Ginseng, Rhodiola, amla, and mushrooms are also often used in new product launches.
Brands, such as Life Extension, Nature Made, and The Vitamin Shoppe have all launched new products based on branded ashwagandha ingredients, such as KSM-66® and Sensoril® in 2022. Olly recently launched a completely adaptogen-focused product line Olly adaptogens, which offers products for sleep, mood, and focus. This indicates, they feel consumer demand for such ingredients exists. Furthermore, positioning for products based on adaptogens is expanding, from well-established stress, sleep, focus, energy, etc., to combined positioning or adjacent health areas, such as pain, menopause, menstrual, and so forth. For example, Blackmores positioned a ginseng-based product for focus + pain relief. Health & Her positioned a rhodiola and ashwagandha-based product for menopause. Finally, Panadol extended their leading OTC pain killer line into supplements and launched Pana Natra – a product positioned for pain and sleep, which is based on KSM-66®, a branded ashwagandha source.
We believe new sources of adaptogens will be very important in the future. While traditional Chinese/Asian medicine already focuses on the use of adaptogenic mushrooms, these ingredients are still widely unrecognized in the Western part of the world.
Growing plant-based adaptogens can be a challenging task since the plants often need to grow in specific, sometimes harsh conditions. Furthermore, harvesting the plants that grow in their natural environment can have a negative effect on the ecosystem. An interesting new approach was introduced by Botalys, a company from Belgium. They decided to take advantage of biomimetic indoor farming, thus being able to offer precisely standardized finished products in a sustainable way.
The adaptogen market is set to grow further as consumer interest in stress management, cognitive health, and other wellness areas continues to rise. Future success will depend on product innovation, sustainable sourcing, and expanding consumer awareness and accessibility.
Recently, in more advanced markets, the blood glucose supplement segment has started to develop with new launches.
Sleep and relaxation supplements continue to be popular among consumers.
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