The $24.5 billion U.S. vitamin, mineral, and supplement market is going strong, but a few key challenges remain, reports Mintel.1 Explore the current state of the industry—including the top category players, most in-demand health benefits, favorite formats, and more!
U.S. Supplement Market Overview
Mintel assessed the vitamin, mineral, and supplement market at a healthy growth rate of 5.1 percent for 2018, but advised that manufacturers could drive additional growth by emphasizing specific product benefits and addressing trending health issues. Taking steps to boost online presence was another top recommendation.
According to SPINS data,2 the leading five companies in the category have 37 percent of the market, and 25 percent of market share is private label. Consumers’ interest in value remains a challenge to sales growth, as well as a reported lack of understanding of supplements in general. While supplement consumers have specific health benefits in mind when they purchase supplements, they often have incomplete knowledge of other health benefits that can be obtained from them.
Top Health Benefits Sought by Supplement Users
To understand which health benefits supplement consumers are after, the results from Glanbia Nutritionals’ Supplement Survey3 offers some useful insights. The health benefits rated as the most important by U.S. supplement consumers are:
- General health (55 percent)
- Heart health (37 percent)
- Healthy aging (32 percent)
Of these sought-after benefits, only one (heart health) is condition-specific. This may indicate an important opportunity for supplement manufacturers to educate consumers on other condition-specific benefits that supplements can provide. This communication could include the prevalence of certain conditions, the fact that supplements are available to address them, and information concerning how particular ingredients work in the body.
