Recently, the American Botanical Council (ABC) published the "U.S. 2023 Annual Herbal Supplement Market Report", which shows that the total retail sales of herbal supplements in the United States reached 12.551 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Compared with the previous year, consumers spent $533 million more on herbal supplements, and annual sales increased by 4.4%. The report was provided by SPINS with U.S. retail sales data, and Nutrition Business Weekly (NBJ) (the weekly is hosted by Informa/New Hope Natural Media) participated in the analysis and writing. The sales data in the report comes from market research companies, company surveys, interviews with major retailers and industry experts, etc. The retail channels involved in the report are mainly mainstream channels and natural channels. The mainstream channels include grocery stores, pharmacies and large commodity retailers. Natural channels include cooperatives, associations, independent retailers and large regional chains.
In addition to the above data, Nutreebio also surveyed the "2024 Health and Wellness Trends Report" released by The Vitamin Shoppe, a professional nutritional supplement retailer in the United States. The data comes from 700 outlets of The Vitamin Shoppe. This report is an annual report that summarizes the consumption trends of dietary supplements in the United States and provides insights into concepts. In addition, The Vitamin Shoppe commissioned Talker Research to conduct an exclusive consumer survey of 2,000 Americans in 2024 to explore the reasons behind these trends.
Based on the above reports and data, Nutreebio will analyze the recent sales trends of dietary supplements in the United States and what preferences American consumers have for purchasing dietary supplements?
1. Recent sales trends of dietary supplements in the United States
Psyllium, turmeric, and ashwagandha are popular, while beetroot, barley grass, and wheat grass are growing rapidly.
According to Figures 1 and 2, it is not difficult to find that from 2015 to 2023, except for a decline in sales in 2022, sales of herbal dietary supplements in the United States in other years have all been on the rise. Especially during the epidemic period from 2019 to 2021, the sales of herbal dietary supplements in the United States increased significantly.
From the data in Figure 3, we can see that the sales of herbal supplements in the direct sales channel will increase by 5.3% in 2023, with a total sales of US$7.027 billion; the sales of the natural retail channel (Natural, Health Food, and Specialty) will be US$3.04 billion, an increase of 1.9% over the previous year. The sales of the mass market channel (Mass Market) increased by 5.2% to US$2.484 billion. Next, let's take a look at the TOP40 ranking of the best-selling raw materials for herbal dietary supplements in the United States.
According to NBJ data, among the top 40 best-selling raw materials in the mainstream channel.
(Mainstream Channel) in 2023, psyllium remained the best-selling raw material for two consecutive years. It is used in products that support cardiovascular and digestive health. Beetroot sales growth was the strongest, reaching 108%. The sales of the other six raw materials increased by more than 20%, including several raw materials commonly used for cognitive health (Ginkgo, Bacopa and oats). There were two raw materials with a significant decline in sales, namely ivy leaf and elderberry. "Herbal supplement sales set records in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, then fell for the first time in 2022, started growing again in 2023, and now everything is returning to normal," said Smith, lead author of the American Botanical Council report. "After years of pandemic-related volatility, several signs suggest that the market is continuing to normalize, including increased consumer spending on healthy aging products. The herbal supplement segment has been growing almost exclusively since 2000, and a return to normal is clearly what everyone wants to see." Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council, said: "The growth in herbal dietary supplement sales in 2023 shows that American consumers continue to focus on using plant- and fungi-based dietary supplements to establish and maintain optimal health." "With a few exceptions, sales of herbal dietary supplements have been growing steadily over the past 20 years. This trend reflects an important change in consumer perceptions, that is, millions of Americans are increasingly paying attention to natural health."
2. Five major trends in dietary supplements in the United States in 2024
Based on The Vitamin Shoppe's sales, search and consumer survey data over the past year, the five major health and wellness trends in the United States in 2024 are:
2.1 Weight control
The United States is the country with the largest obese population in the world. According to TFAS analysis, 41.9% of American adults will suffer from obesity in 2024. It is estimated that by 2023, the number of Americans using GLP-1 diet pills is expected to reach 30 million. The Vitamin Shoppe believes that supplements including protein, multivitamins, fiber and probiotics are also important for people who take certain diet pills, so The Vitamin Shoppe's nutritional supplement category sales have soared. For example, ready-to-drink protein drinks grew 10% in 2023 compared with the previous year, while meal replacement products tailored for weight management grew 13% in the first four months of this year. According to SPINS data, protein supplements and meal replacements rose 15% across the industry in the 52 weeks ending November 5.
2.2 Healthy Aging
From aging to healthy aging, cutting-edge research, technology and tools are driving the pursuit of longer and more active lives, which is also driving consumers' high attention to dietary supplements. As a result, The Vitamin Shoppe launched products centered on this in 2024, including cognitive health, anti-aging and bone health formulas. Cognitive support products were the largest sellers of new healthy aging product lines, while the anti-aging category saw the largest sales growth in 2023, up more than 45% from the previous year.
2.3 Focus on Gut Health
With billions of views on social media, gut health has become a hot topic in the health space. The trend has increased interest in the gut microbiome and related supplements such as probiotics, prebiotics, psyllium husk and digestive enzymes. The Vitamin Shoppe’s best-selling probiotic and digestive health product line grew sales by 24% in 2023 and another 44% in the first quarter of 2024. According to SPINS, overall sales of digestive health and enzyme products increased by 9% in the 52 weeks ending November 5 (multichannel + convenience store channels).
2.4 40+ Women’s Health
This year, The Vitamin Shoppe launched three new brands and more than 40 new products specifically for women’s health products, an expansion of this product line that has not been seen in recent years. These products are designed to meet the needs of women aged 40+ as they reach special stages such as perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause, including hormonal health, emotional health and sexual health. According to SPINS analysis, more and more women are looking for supplements that meet their needs; for example, sales of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) formula products increased by 12% in the 52 weeks ending October 8.
2.5 Functional Beverages
American consumers are not only satisfied with the basic hydration function of beverages, but also want to include a range of vitamins, adaptogens, nootropics and botanicals. According to SPINS data, sales of functional beverages have increased in all channels. In the 52 weeks ending November 5, ready-to-drink functional beverages increased by 20% in the natural channel and 5% in the larger multi-channel and convenience store channels.
Summary
As a major retailer of vitamins, supplements and sports nutrition products in the United States, The Vitamin Shoppe has a unique advantage in understanding the behaviors, attitudes and goals of American consumers. In the consumer survey, 55% of U.S. respondents said they live a healthier lifestyle, 10% said they live a less healthy lifestyle, and 35% were neutral. Americans also focused on different aspects of health, such as mental and emotional health (35%), sleep and rest (33%), and weight management (25%) - indicating that health goals continue to differ among different segments of the U.S. population.
As the U.S. supplement market continues to evolve, Nutreebio remains at the forefront, providing innovative, high-quality custom gummy supplements tailored to meet the latest market demands. Partner with us as Your Custom Gummy Supplements Supplier, and ensure your product lines stay ahead of the trends.
