10 Nutraceutical Trends to Watch in 2024

Over the last several years, many people have noticed that their health is not where they want it to be. As a result, an increasing number of people, both in the United States and around the world, have committed to improving their physical and mental health. Part of this includes staying active and maintaining a healthy and balanced diet and taking a wide range of nutraceutical products that benefit many body parts and systems. 

This has resulted in more than 25 percent growth in the nutraceutical market in 2020, as well as another 8 percent uptick in 2021.(1) Below, we discuss in greater detail some of the top 10 nutraceutical trends that will continue to impact this industry. 

Tend #1: Addressing Gut Health Problems With Pre- & Probiotics

There is an increasing focus by consumers on how to restore gut health. This is partly driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and a recognition that gut health is positively linked to our overall immune system functioning. So if we can get and keep our guts healthier, we can be healthier.

In the past, many gut supplements were primarily based on probiotics, and consumers would use them principally after or during a course of antibiotics. However, consumers and manufacturers increasingly recognize that there is more that nutraceuticals can do to maintain healthy guts as part of a regular healthcare regimen.

As a result, more people are taking prebiotics to support friendly bacteria, which is likely to continue. Prebiotics, taken regularly, support digestive health and may boost the immune system. Also, there is a growing trend toward companies incorporating postbiotics, which are the beneficial compounds produced by beneficial bacteria.  

Trend #2: Nutraceuticals for Children's Health 

For years, there was an erroneous assumption that nutraceuticals were only for adults. However, today there is growing recognition that safe and well-tested supplements can positively affect a child’s health. As a result, the children’s nutraceutical market currently stands at almost $700 billion(2), a dramatic year-on-year increase. The majority of this market is made up of vitamin purchases. However, 10 percent of the market is now represented by probiotics.(2)

Also, parents are increasingly focused on how to protect their children’s eye health, as there is growing recognition of the potential risks associated with screen time. In addition, there are other areas of pediatric health where supplements may become increasingly important in the years to come. Some studies suggest that the average tween and teen may have more than 9 hours of screen time per day, and the pandemic has only increased these numbers as more kids have moved to online learning options. More research needs to be done to determine the exact impact of this exposure on developing eyes. However, parents are correct to be concerned. And, this concern translates into looking into eye vitamins and supplements. 

Trend #3: Addressing Sleep Issues

Sleep remains a significant concern for many people. One shocking finding in a recent study reported that 37 percent of adults(3) had self-reported chronic problems with insomnia and sleeplessness. Sleep is closely linked to many other issues, such as stress. People who are stressed may find themselves tossing and turning and unable to get a good night’s sleep. But stress is not the only reason that a person may not be able to sleep.

No matter the reason driving your sleeplessness, a lack of sleep may have a wide range of impacts on your overall health. For example, it can depress your mood and worsen many psychiatric symptoms. It can also weaken your immune system, making you more prone to viral and bacterial infections.

Trend #4: Greater Concern for Vision Health

Vision continues to be a growing segment of the nutraceutical market for various reasons. One of the major reasons that consumers have started to focus on eye health is that our modern lifestyle puts a lot of strain on our eyes, from working on computer screens and being tuned in for the latest Zoom calls to hobbies, like gaming and this strain can have myriad negative impacts. Additionally, with more people taking gaming to the next level and becoming gaming endurance athletes(1), nutraceutical companies have also shifted their focus to looking at innovative ways to maintain these athletes’ eye health. One of these approaches is utilizing lutein.

Trend #5: Growth in CBD Usage

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition by both the general public and medical professionals that CBD may have a positive impact on a wide range of health conditions. And this uptick in the use of CBD will likely continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

Getting an exact figure on how many Americans use CBD for medicinal and health purposes is challenging, at least partly because there are still variations in legality from state to state. One relatively recent Gallup study suggested that just under 15 percent of adult Americans use CBD. However, one could wonder if this estimate does not underestimates the percentage of CBD users because some people may be worried that if they disclose their CBD use, they could face potential legal consequences. 

Trend #6: Greater Demand for Plant-based Products 

The COVID-19 pandemic was disruptive to the nutraceutical market for various reasons, such as supply chain disruption. But, this was not the only change driver. Consumer preferences also evolved partly because their lifestyle choices and hobbies were impacted. For example, many people could no longer go to the gym every day since gyms in many states were shuttered during the height of the pandemic. This meant that demand for sporting supplements stagnated, at least to a certain degree.

The sports nutrition market, though, has rebounded in the last year, increasing more than 9 percent(4) in 2022. This uptick is predicted to continue at robust rates through at least 2025. More and more manufacturers are replacing animal-based proteins with plant-based sources to meet consumer demand. 

Trend #7: Addressing Menopause Symptoms

The menopause market may be experiencing a rebound after years of, at best, extremely mixed results.(1) It has always been puzzling for nutraceutical experts why this market has not boomed as more and more women go through menopause and experience a wide range of symptoms. Unfortunately, many of these symptoms negatively affect a woman’s quality of life. In fact, this downward trajectory in quality of life is often significant and can impact physical, mental, emotional, and sexual health.

It is unclear if the lack of demand was due to poor marketing on the part of manufacturers or if it was more driven by shortfalls in scientific research. Unfortunately, there is still not one dominant product that has been shown to successfully address some of the most troubling menopause symptoms. However, black cohosh root went through a short surge in popularity as the go-to ingredient for menopause health.(5) Even though black cohosh root has a long track record of being utilized by indigenous populations to deal with symptoms such as hot flashes, recent research has shown much more mixed results on efficacy. (6)

As more Gen X women move into perimenopause and menopause, the demand for effective products is likely to increase, partly because these are active advocates for their health and already consume significant numbers of other nutraceutical products. This suggests they will be willing to embrace menopause solutions if they are marketed correctly. Consumers also want to ensure that the product they are embracing will have accurate and verifiable results. Affordability also continues to factor into consumers’ decisions.

Trend #8: The Desire for Non-Pill Options

One of the most striking trends in the nutraceutical industry is how consumers take supplements and other products. For years, the majority of nutraceutical products were delivered in pill format.(7) 2019 was, in fact, the first year that more products were non-pill than pill format. In the years to come, experts anticipate that roughly 60 percent of products will be sold in a non-pill form.(7) There are many different non-pill formats, but one of the most popular is gummies.

Gummies are also the most preferred option(8), especially for people who have only recently started using nutraceutical products and may be overwhelmed by tablets, capsules, and other pills.

Trend #9: Boosting Brain Health 

In recent years, many people have reported a dramatic uptick in their stress levels, as they try to juggle seemingly countless responsibilities. Stress can have impacts on people’s physical health, such as suppressing their immune system and making them more susceptible to viruses and other infections, but it can also negatively affect their brains and cognitive functioning. 

Everyone wants to be firing on all cylinders with their brains functioning seamlessly. Because of this, we should not be surprised that there has been a significant surge in the sales of brain health supplements in 2022, and projections for 2024-2025 are even stronger.(7) One interesting aspect of this trend is that the consumer demographics of people purchasing these products have shifted. Younger and younger shoppers are now looking for ways to boost their brain health and cognitive functioning.

Trend #10: Interest in Strengthening One’s Immune Health

The last few years have taught us many things. One of the most important reminders is how important it is to have a healthy immune system to fight off everything from the common cold to more severe illnesses, such as COVID-19. This resulted in a stunning 70 percent increase in supplement sales geared toward immune system health in 2020. This increase was erased, at least to some degree, in 2021, as people turned back to more traditional medication options, such as newly introduced vaccines.

In fact, one of the success stories in recent years has been elderberry and elderberry-based products. This success has been driven in large part by very effective marketing campaigns. Like with many nutraceutical spheres, marketing often separates market winners from market losers. Therefore, manufacturers must understand that marketing approaches have evolved recently.

The 10 Nutraceutical Trends Revealed

Many Americans continue to be concerned about their physical and mental health. As active consumers of health products and advocates for their own health, they are looking for products that will boost their immunity, gut health, skin, and eye health and improve their mental health. The good news is that manufacturers are seeing this demand and responding to it with a range of safe and well-tested products.