Reinventing nutraceuticals through innovation and consumer insights: Vitafoods 2024

Written by Alexandra Lecomte on June 27, 2024.

“Innovate, network, and learn.” Three propositions that the 2024 edition of Vitafoods did not fail to present to its 20,000 visitors. Like every year, key trends emerged from the event, shaping the future of the nutraceutical offer. However, keeping up with the changes in a dynamic sector while differentiating themselves from the competition is challenging. One key: identifying, trusting, and responding to consumer insights in the most appropriate way possible.

Present at Vitafoods, the BOTANI BRANDS team analyses two trends observed at Vitafoods 2024.

Gummies get a makeover: innovation at Vitafoods

Unsurprisingly, gummies remain in the spotlight once again at Vitafoods this year – a success also reflected in the sell-out figures of French pharmacies: in just two years, the market has grown from €38 million in 2021 to over €88 million in 2023. This impressive growth of more than 132% is primarily driven by the sleep category, which accounts for 35% of the market, followed by products for sore throats and those for energy and vitality.^1,2

Gummies are no longer just about being tasty. The new generation of this initially fun dosage form aims to be more technical and especially more nutritional. This specific positioning is reminiscent of acacia gum lozenges, which, in addition to being rich in fibre, are very low in calories, flavour-revealing, and have a significant environmental and societal impact (see our full article on this topic here)³.

Thus, Vitafoods presented liquid-filled gummies (allowing the incorporation of thermosensitive or naturally incompatible actives), multi-layered gummies to enhance a complex mode of action, or soft-textured gummies that can contain enough actives to limit the dosage to a single daily intake.

Other manufacturers played the “nutrition” card to bypass one of the most limiting characteristics of this dosage form: excessive sugar content. As a result, some 2.0 gummies sport a Nutri-Score A, while other European industrial experts do not hesitate to exploit the double potential of fibres (especially inulin) both as a texturiser and as a prebiotic ingredient.

Prebiotics fuel innovation: a focus on the new ingredients zone at Vitafoods

Prebiotics are also in the spotlight. Alone or combined (with probiotics or post-biotics), their presence in the nutraceutical landscape is increasing.

Driven by advances in research and the growing awareness of populations about their intestinal and immune health, this market is booming: it posted a global growth of 29.5% over the period 2017-2022, with a value of $2.58 billion in 2022⁴.

These fibres promote the growth of “beneficial” gut bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium being the most well-known) by serving as their food substrate.

Galacto-oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharides, beta-glucans, chicory fibre, and inulin… all these compounds have a prebiotic effect and are increasingly seen as future pathways for mineral absorption, blood sugar regulation, digestion, immune function enhancement, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. A study by Kirsten Berding et al. published in Psychopharmacology (Berl) in January 2021 even revealed that specific dietary fibre supplementation (polydextrose) improved cognitive performance⁵.

The New Ingredients Zone at Vitafoods carved them a place of choice. Some examples include:

Biombalance® grape seed polyphenols from Berkem (since polyphenols have also been recognised for their prebiotic effect since 2017 by the ISAPP – International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics).⁶
Benicaros® from Nutrileads, a prebiotic derived from upcycled carrot juice that claims a low daily dose (300mg) and no intestinal discomfort.
Dulse algae cultivated by Arcadian, rich in xylan, a polysaccharide that constitutes its cell wall, and whose complex structure allows it to pass through the upper digestive tract intact to the lower intestine, where it serves as a substrate for the gut microbiota.
Hydrolysed guar gum from Zymebase, whose distribution in the body is improved thanks to its molecular weight of 20,000Da.

Health indications, daily dosage, assimilation by the body, source, and origin of prebiotics…: the innovation levers are numerous and promising for the future of this category.

Consumer insight: a catalyst for innovation and brand loyalty

A professional innovation trade show like Vitafoods, although rich in ideas and new concepts, represents only the “tip of the iceberg.” The innovation of tomorrow lies primarily in the habits, motivations, values, and needs of consumers.

Consumer insight could be defined as “the perception of an unresolved problem or dilemma in a product category. Consumer insight is thus the discovery of a need the consumer wasn’t aware of “⁷.

These insights are revealed through an in-depth analysis and knowledge of the target market and its consumers, their psychology, and their purchasing behaviour.

Through this reflection prism, some products highlighting innovation at Vitafoods take on a new dimension.

For example, orodispersible mini-granules in sticks offered by an Italian CMO to address the recurring (and still unresolved) issue consumers face in swallowing their dietary supplements. Capsules and tablets may hold over 60% of the market share in Europe⁸, but these classic and “reassuring” dosage forms are not necessarily easy to ingest. Should consumers have to crush a tablet or open a capsule to swallow its contents?

This practical barrier aligns with a more strategic insight for the dietary supplement sector: the pleasure of consumption (see our full article on this topic here)⁹. It’s no coincidence that food matrices like fruits (from Paradise Fruit), chocolate (from Althae Nutrition), creams, or jellies (from Gricar) are making inroads among traditional pills. These new forms reinforce the natural and historical links between “food and food-supplement,” bringing back pleasure and familiarity to consuming food supplements.

Consumer insights in the food supplement sector are numerous and understanding them is essential in building an innovative product offer.

With its in-depth knowledge of the nutraceutical market, the BOTANI BRANDS team offers to assist you in this process and to develop innovative health solutions with you, from A to Z, that are naturally aligned with the deep aspirations of your consumers.

Would you like to discuss tomorrow’s innovations and benefit from exclusive technologies through our privileged network of industrial partners?

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