Chew your way to wellness: Gummy supplement NPD reigns due to pill fatigue

28 Feb 2020 --- Supplement use is on the rise but pill fatigue is a real concern among today’s consumers. This is driving the development of chewable delivery formats that offer an alternative to pills and powder supplements. NutritionInsight takes a look at several players who have launched gum and gummy delivery formats, tapping into health areas such as mood, athletic performance, energy and blood pressure.

Dietary supplements usage in the US has peaked at an “all-time high,” with 77 percent of US adults reporting they consume dietary supplements, according to a Council of Responsible Nutrition (CRN) 2019 Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements.

“In terms of ready-to-use formats, consumers are looking for convenient solutions that can be incorporated easily into their daily routine. Addressing pill fatigue, on-the-go solutions and having a wide variety of application forms to choose from are all current consumer needs,” Lay Kwan Goh, Head of Global Marketing at BASF Human Nutrition, tells NutritionInsight.

Favour has released a functional chewing gum powered by higher-bioavailable cannabidiol (CBD).Also addressing pill fatigue, Deborah Thoma, Marketing Manager at Nektium, highlights gummies as a popular delivery format already on the market, along with beverages, shots and capsules. “The way we are consuming supplements is also in the process of being revolutionized. With the increasing pill fatigue of consumers, product formulators are getting more creative with the dosage forms they offer. The more versatile the ingredient – especially in terms of solubility and taste – the easier it is to include them in different formats,” she notes. 

Chewables for mood and energy
US-based Favour has released a functional chewing gum powered by higher-bioavailable cannabidiol (CBD). The company says it was created to make consumers feel good in the context of mental health and stress management. Created with US-grown hemp oil from a CO2 extraction process, Favour’s unique delivery system in the form of chewing gum ensures that a higher bioavailability of CBD is delivered into the user’s bloodstream up to five times faster than ingested pills or capsules. Born out of a need for dependability, consistency and efficacy in the CBD market, Favour is third-party lab-tested to guarantee purity, quality and precise distribution of CBD in each piece of gum, the company notes.

In the same realm, wellness company Social CBD has launched a line of CBD broad-spectrum gummies. The bite-sized wellness gummies provide the full benefits of hemp and are appropriate for any health-driven lifestyle, the company says. “Whether you’re a hard-working consumer with the stresses of everyday modern life or an athlete with top performance goals, Social CBD’s gummies are designed to help everyone achieve a naturally active lifestyle,” says Angelo Lombardi, President of Sentia Wellness. “Our gummies are an accessible way to introduce the healthy benefits of CBD in an effective delivery system that makes understanding dosage and benefits simple and easy.”

Vitafusion Goodness is a new line of supplements that gives consumers a healthy and environmentally conscious way to take vitamins.HumanN, a player in functional foods and nutritional products for cardiovascular health, has released SuperGrapes Chews, a chew with a unique grape seed extract for blood pressure and energy support. In a 119-person double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, when taken as part of a healthy lifestyle, 150 mg of grape seed extract was shown to be nearly two times as effective at supporting normal blood pressure as a healthy lifestyle alone. SuperGrapes Chews feature a grape seed extract sourced from premium white grapes grown and harvested on vineyards in the French Loire Valley. The chewable formula makes it an ideal on-the-go addition to any health regimen, the company states.

Lastly, gummy vitamin brand Vitafusion has introduced Vitafusion Goodness, a new line of supplements that gives consumers a healthy and environmentally conscious way to take vitamins. Consumers can care for themselves and the planet, as Vitafusion’s Goodness delivers proven absorption for vitamins C, D3 and B12 and are made with renewable energy, as well as smart recyclable packaging, the company states.

“Our Vitafusion Goodness line builds on existing Vitafusion brand success by offering an innovative product that meets two key values for our consumers: a healthy lifestyle and respect for the environment,” says Michael Vercelletto, Marketing Director for Vitafusion.

By Kristiana Lalou