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See the latest trends in bioactive ingredients for energy, weight management, and women’s life stage health—plus new opportunities for formulating with bioactives.
Recently, LIFEAID Beverage Co., maker of “the world’s cleanest fitness drinks,” successfully launched FITAID RX Creatine +—a line of fitness drinks with creatine, caffeine, BCAAs, electrolytes, vitamins, and more.
This new line was made possible by an innovative bioactive ingredient: CreaBev®, an encapsulated creatine that, unlike standard creatine, is stable in ready-to-drink beverages. This is just one example of the importance of keeping up with consumer trends and bioactive ingredient innovations.
Bioactive ingredients are naturally occurring compounds in foods that affect metabolic processes and promote health beyond basic nutrition. They are significant to the food industry because they add functional benefits that many consumers are looking for, such as improving gut health, enhancing immune function, or boosting energy levels.
Looking to the supplement industry to gauge consumers’ health priorities, we find the top specific conditions for which consumers are purchasing supplements are fitness and energy, weight management, immunity, and gut health (while brain health, menopause, healthy aging, and mood/mental health products are showing the fastest growth).1
| Condition | % Annual Sales Growth |
|---|---|
| Brain health | 7.7% |
| Menopause | 7.6% |
| Healthy aging | 7.4% |
| Mood/mental health | 7.3% |
| Fitness and energy | 6.8% |
| Sexual health | 6.7% |
| Weight management | 6.3% |
| Gut health | 6.0% |
The importance of bioactive ingredients in food innovation lies in meeting consumers’ growing demand for foods with health benefits, expanding the availability of bioactives beyond supplements, and adding value to products, thereby driving market differentiation for brands.
Health and wellness brands are adapting to meet consumers’ evolving health needs through a variety of trending bioactive ingredients. Curcumin is trending in both healthy aging and exercise recovery products, while omega-3s remain popular in brain health, skin health, and infant nutrition products.
In addition, collagen is finding uses beyond beauty due to its role in joint health, while creatine is gaining traction in the energy market. There has also been an expansion of probiotics and prebiotics beyond gut and immune products for use in women’s health products.
With interest in women’s health products on the rise, new bioactives are gaining attention. These include probiotics, prebiotics, and botanicals specific to women's health, particularly by life stage (such as fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause).
Food, beverage, and supplements with a women-related claim have seen 18% year-over-year (YoY) growth,2 while sales of biotics (which include prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics) are forecast to grow by 8% (CAGR, 2019-2027).3
Innovations include probiotic lozenges for pregnant women to support healthy pregnancies and infant microbiomes, rediscovered adaptogenic ayurvedic herbs like shatavari for hormonal balance, and botanic-probiotic blends (such as soy isoflavones and lemon balm with probiotics) for menopausal symptom relief.
Energy and stamina are major health concerns for nearly one in three US consumers.4 The high demand for support in this area has fueled substantial growth in the already massive energy drink market.
As more brands look to energy solutions beyond caffeine to develop natural and non-stimulant energy formulas, new bioactives are filling the need.
This includes a wide range of botanicals, as well as bioactives associated with cellular energy, such as astaxanthin and OptiATPTM, a patented, encapsulated ATP that can be used in high-acid beverages.
Weight management is another priority area in which bioactive ingredients are especially valuable. Globally, weight management is the #1 physical health concern for consumers, with 10% YoY growth in new launches tracked with a weight management claim.5
Chili pepper-derived capsaicin is one bioactive trending in weight loss products, with CapsiAtra® dihydrocapsiate providing a gentler, non-pungent alternative that does not raise heart rate and blood pressure. Several dairy bioactives are also playing a role in weight loss products.
Meal replacements, which are expected to grow by $1.64 billion (est. 5.6% CAGR) between 2023 and 2027,6 represent an exciting opportunity for delivering weight management bioactives.
R&D collaboration provides a significant advantage when incorporating bioactive ingredients into non-pill formats. Formulating foods, beverages, and supplements like ready-to-mix powders and gummies is more nuanced due to taste and texture considerations.
With one in three US consumers using gummy supplements,7 it’s evident that people prefer health benefits in enjoyable formats. Partnering with an ingredient supplier with formulation expertise in these areas can accelerate the product development process and foster innovative solutions through shared insights.
Glanbia Nutritionals’ portfolio of bioactive ingredients, formulation experience, and commitment to product support can help your brand stay on trend with products that support consumers’ top health and wellness needs. We offer a wide range of solutions, including:
Contact us to learn more about our bioactive ingredients portfolio and discuss innovation opportunities for your brand.
Bioactive ingredients are compounds found in foods, plants, algae, and other sources that impact biological processes in the body. Distinct from nutrients, bioactives are used for their health-promoting properties and include ingredients such as lactoferrin, collagen, curcumin, and carotenoids.
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in the body made from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. A common workout supplement, creatine plays a critical role in supplying energy to the muscle cells during high-intensity exercise by replenishing ATP, the body’s primary energy source.
BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) consist of three essential amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—which have a unique branched molecular structure. Unlike other amino acids, BCAAs are primarily metabolized in skeletal muscle. Because of their role in protein synthesis, muscle repair, and reducing fatigue during exercise, BCAAs are a popular workout supplement.
EAAs (essential amino acids) are a group of nine amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own and must be obtained through diet or supplementation. They play a crucial role in muscle growth and repair, in addition to many other essential functions of the body.
Collagen is derived from animal-based sources, with bovine (cow), marine (fish), and poultry (chicken) collagen each offering different amino acid profiles and absorption rates. Marine collagen is known for being more easily absorbed due to its smaller particle size, while bovine and poultry collagen provide more Type I and Type II collagen, respectively, which have different functional benefits.
Bioactive ingredients deliver health benefits by influencing biological processes in the body, such as supporting immune function, heart health or bone health. These compounds, found in foods, botanicals, and other sources, work at the cellular level to help promote wellness.
Consumers’ interest in products that offer health and wellness benefits is driving the use of bioactives in foods, beverages, and supplements. This includes bioactives for immunity, energy, gut health, mood, and sleep support, aligning with the increasing focus on preventive health and personalized nutrition.
