Consumers’ mounting health concerns, rapidly growing aging populations, the occurrence of chronic diseases, and the willingness to replace pharmaceutical agents are driving the market for nutraceutical actives in Europe and the United States.
The territories are two of the three key regional markets for nutraceutical actives, together accounting for around USD 8 billion; the U.S market is estimated to be higher in value.
Other reasons for the market increases include healthy lifestyles focusing on wellness, along with the rising number of gyms and fitness enthusiasts.
Vitamins, proteins, and minerals have similar shares in both regions, while digestive and gut-health-related ingredients rank differently in the United States and Europe.
Vitamins is the leading category both in the United States and Europe, accounting for about a third of the total market value in both regions. Proteins is the second-leading category, and minerals is the third in both markets. However, polyphenols–flavonoids and carotenoids have larger markets in Europe compared to the United States due to higher consumer interest for natural products.
Boosting the immune system is one of the main health benefits sought by both American and European consumers, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Immunity–booster actives have a high market share in the United States and Europe, as detailed in Kline’s just-published Active Ingredients in Nutraceuticals study. The demand for metabolic system support is much higher than digestive health in the United States, while in Europe, the market for digestive health actives is slightly larger than metabolic system support.
Blended products with multiple benefits, natural and clean labels, and personalization are the key trends in Europe and the United States.
In both regions, there is increasing consumer preference toward products with a blend of complementary actives providing higher efficiency and multiple health benefits rather than products with a single health benefit. For instance, a blend of different types of vitamins and minerals together with polyphenols is growing, intending to improve overall health and immunity. Similarly, probiotics, prebiotics, and enzymes are increasingly being blended to not only target gut and digestive health but to provide additional benefits such as female health, skin health, mood enhancers, and immunity boosters.
The trend toward natural and clean label products is very prominent, especially in Europe. In addition, demand for customized products, enhanced by the growing online shopping industry and modern, digital way to interact with customers, is also increasing.
The COVID-19 pandemic positively impacted the global nutraceuticals market.
The pandemic boosted the demand for nutraceuticals in both regions, and this is set to continue in the short to medium term as people become more aware of the need to strengthen their immune systems.
This benefited almost all actives categories, mostly vitamins and certain minerals, but also probiotics, prebiotics, polyphenols, and carotenoids. Such actives are increasingly blended to boost immunity and improve general health.
On the other hand, the growth of proteins in both regions was limited. The reason: The sports segment was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the temporary closure of sports facilities.
The European market is set to grow slightly faster than in the United States.
Nutritional deficiencies in the United States have long been more pronounced than in Europe due to poorer dietary habits. As a result, the U.S. market of nutraceutical actives is already well-established and mature. Looking forward, Europe will grow slightly faster at a 6.2% CAGR compared to the 6.0% CAGR in the United States. To learn more, contact us.