13th of April 2024

Recent trends in sleep supplements

Sleep quality emerges as the main driver of demand and new product development.

Read this article to find out:

  • how lifestyle factors, such as screen time and geopolitical stress are driving demand for sleep aids
  • how other sleep quality parameters, besides falling asleep faster, are coming into focus, and how brands are communicating them in their new product launches
  • which ingredients are the most popular in sleep and relaxation supplements
  • how the market is developing in terms of delivery formats and integration with wearable technology

market growth and its drivers.

Sleep and relaxation supplements continue to be popular among consumers. Although, according to Euromonitor International, the mood/relaxation category only represents 2,1% of the total dietary supplement market, the category grew at a CAGR of 10,3% from 2019-2024 and is the fastest-growing in 2024. The demand is driven in part by the stresses of modern-day lifestyles. One of the major factors affecting a good night’s sleep and therefore driving the demand of the category is increased screen time. Companies are starting to address this issue through various campaigns. For example, in May 2023, Acuvue announced a social media campaign #MyVisionMySight, which partnered with Gen Z to take social media breaks to not only give their eyes a rest but also recognize the impact of screen time.

Another large factor impacting the demand in the sleep and relaxation category is the geopolitical situation. Almost 1 in 2 Europeans are worried about wars and geopolitical conflicts according to the 2023 STADA Health Report.

Anxiety levels in the recent years have risen

This fear is particularly strong in Poland (65% of surveyed agree with this) and Romania (56%), both of which share a border with Ukraine, but Germans are also rather concerned (58%). Consumers are also worried about the economic crisis, they feel anxious about supply shortages in the healthcare system, and environmental issues. The possibility of unemployment keeps 26% of Europeans awake at night.

Sleeping problems are the category where consumers are least satisfied with their current treatment (over 22% of global consumers in 2022, according to Euromonitor’s Health & Nation Survey) and are frequently looking for new solutions. According to Euromonitor, around 50% of global consumers in 2022 expressed a desire for additional sleep and mindfulness products and services in 2023 according to McKinsey’s Future of Wellnes Survey.

Many consumers suffer from sleeping issues

emerging focus on sleep quality.

The key trend we see emerging in the positioning of products recently launched by market leaders is the focus on sleep quality and its various parameters. Due to education and wearable technology, consumers are starting to recognize the value of sleep quality and its various parameters aside from falling asleep quickly. Many people are tracking their sleep with wearable devices and apps and analyzing the results. They see the various stages of sleep, how many times they woke up, and how long they were in bed. They mark in apps how well-rested they were in the morning and track progress. With all the conversation, consumers are also recognizing the effect sleep quality has on other areas of their lives, such as immunity, cognition, metabolism, and mood.

Leading brands are starting to communicate various sleep quality parameters in their new products. Recent launches by Bayer, Neuriva, and Normon all state sleep quality, restful sleep, feeling refreshed, reducing nocturnal awakenings, maintaining restful sleep, and so forth, on the front of the pack.

Communicating sleep quality parameters on the packaging

Natrol communicated the importance of sleep quality through their 2024 campaign »Wake Up Hour«. While almost half of US citizens make New Year’s resolutions, nearly 25% of them give up by the second week in January. Natrol suggests this is because they have “not got their sleep together”, therefore they lack the energy to exercise, in addition to the self-control to follow through with healthy eating plans and the stamina to have a productive day. As one of the official partners of global fitness brand Barry’s January “Find Your Strength” challenge, Barry’s locations across the USA hosted Natrol-themed “Wake Up Hour” workout classes designed to equip attendees with the tools and knowledge they need for optimizing sleep so they can conquer their health resolutions. Actor and TV host Terry Crews has also partnered with Natrol to help kick off and bring a motivating force to the campaign and awareness of the importance of quality sleep.

popular ingredients.

There are several ingredients that are commonly used in new product launches addressing sleep quality. Magnesium is one of the most sought-after due to its trendiness. For example, Blackmores included magnesium in their 2023 launches positioned to help relax the mind and support falling asleep faster, and to support deep, restful sleep every night. In 2024, Nestlé included magnesium in their product positioned to help improve natural sleepiness and sleep quality with a clinical study on the finished formulation. However, relevant support for this ingredient is still lacking.

There is also growing interest in natural support, such as ayurveda-based traditional herbals. For example, ashwagandha has adaptogenic properties, which is helpful for calming and sleep (there are many branded versions of this ingredient, such as Sensoril®, KSM-66®, and so forth), holy basil with growing support on sleep (such as Holixer™), black cumin extract, that is extending its positioning also to sleep area (such as ThymoDream™).

Other ingredients that are spreading from the East and are growing in popularity are mushroom-based products like Zylaria®.

Another trending ingredient is Lactium®. The ingredient has been around for a long time, but more product launches have been noted in the past year, perhaps due to the extent of its support, which stands out in comparison to other ingredients.

Saffron, such as  Affron®, is one of the most extensively studied ingredients in the area of mood and relaxation.

Although lately, products without melatonin are on the rise, some new ingredients are still entering the melatonin space, such as vegan versions (Somato™), and extended-release (MicroActive® Melatonin), offering some versification in this market.

Although the demand for melatonin-based products remains, there has also been an increase in melatonin-free options in the premium segment in the past years (for example, GNC, Olly, Sandland, have all launched melatonin-free sleep products).

trending delivery formats and new technologies.

Brands are also communicating the various parameters of sleep quality through new product formats and delivery technologies. Recently there have been many new product launches in layered tablets with prolonged release. For example, EG (STADA) launched a line extension of Sedatol in 2023, which comes in duo capsules – the first phase is lavender oil, and then melatonin, vitamin B6, and passionflower.

Duo capsule format is gaining traction in nutraceutical products

Normon launched Noctiben, a tri-layered tablet supplement in 2023. The first layer immediately releases melatonin, which helps reduce the time you fall asleep. Its inner layers release long-lasting passionflower, vitamin B6, GABA, and valerian that help maintain restful sleep. The third layer has tryptophan and lemon balm that contribute to relaxation and well-being. Ritual launched a sleep supplement based on melatonin in 2023 – they put 3 melatonin tablets in a capsule, designed to optimize melatonin release throughout the night to support a natural sleep-wake cycle. Such delivery technologies have a superb effect of communication between different parts of the product and various effects across certain phases so that the consumer can visually perceive the multifaceted functionality of the product.

A format that has been performing well for a couple of years now are also oral sprays. According to IQVIA, they were the fastest-growing form (+55% CAGR) from 2018 to 2022. The majority of products in this format in Western Europe were in the sleep & calming category (86%). Oral sprays are an extremely convenient format for melatonin, which is probably what is driving their success.

Oral spray format is gaining traction in nutraceutical products

There has been a slowing of growth or even decline in the most developed markets (e.g. in 2023, SPINS reported an 8,3% decrease in y-o-y sales for sleep supplements and an 8,7% decrease for stress supplements in the US) but this was to be expected after an unsustainable post-pandemic boost. However, the issue is still present even in these markets and quality solutions are appearing. What will supercharge growth is when supplement brands effectively connect to wearable devices and/or sleep-tracking apps to showcase their efficacy. The effects of supplements on sleep can sometimes be difficult to feel because so many factors can affect it, and some consumers will be quick to jump to conclusions about the products’ efficacy. Late exercise, late meals, alcohol, stress, and so forth, many things can override your supplement’s effect. Therefore, it is currently not yet possible to objectively show consumers with their own data, tracked over a few days or weeks, that the supplement had an impact on sleep quality parameters.

explore further.

>Your< Good Night Line is a line of clinically supported private label food supplements for the improvement of sleep quality
>Your< Good Night Line

Added-value solutions, clinically supported to improve several sleep quality parameters, such as sleep efficiency, duration, latency, etc.

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