Mood and sleep solutions center on holistic health, experts spotlight emerging ingredients and formats

29 Sep 2022 --- The global mood and sleep market has evolved in recent years, owing mainly to increased consumer emphasis on mental well-being. NutritionInsight speaks with experts from FrieslandCampina Ingredients, PharmaLinea, Lubrizol Life Science and Gencor, who shed light on emerging ingredients, consumer demand and delivery formats within the mood and sleep space. 

According to FrieslandCampina Ingredients, the mood and sleep space is intrinsically linked to mental and holistic well-being trends.

“This category is expanding beyond its historical beginnings in supplements and hot drinks. As ingredient science advances at pace, we see more innovative supplements emerge, including gummies and powder shots,” says Sophie Zillinger Molenaar, global marketing lead Biotis at FrieslandCampina Ingredients.

“Consumers are also looking for products that go beyond mood and sleep with inclusions that support stress management, focus, energy and more.”

PharmaLinea details that global awareness and demand for mood or relaxing supplements have risen in recent years due to the pandemic and economic crisis.

“According to the 2022 STADA Health Report, 37% of consumers say their stress levels got worse during the pandemic and 59% say they have experienced or felt close to a burnout,” says Matevž Ambrožič, marketing and PR director at PharmaLinea.

Hormonal balance and magnesium
The stress and sleep category has exploded since the pandemic, notes Gencor.

“The shift has happened in two ways. Firstly, there are more effective ingredients for sleep with fewer side effects than the older ingredients, such as valerian and passionflower,” says Maggie McNamara, marketing director at Gencor.

FrieslandCampina Ingredients says consumers seek products beyond mood and sleep with inclusions that support stress management, focus and energy.“These new offerings offer the consumer scientifically substantiated ingredients (Affron, Levagen+ and CPO lavender oil) that do not cause drowsiness in most instances, allow for people to have a reduction in stress or improved sleep without the drowsy effects from older ingredients.”

“Consumers are becoming more aware of the link between overall health and their holistic well-being. This is resulting in an increased pursuit of solutions that support mood such as nootropics, which have been associated with delivering mood balancing benefits,” says Isabel Gómez, global marketing manager for nutraceutical ingredients at Lubrizol Life Science Health.

“We have seen the rise in magnesium products, as it has been shown to facilitate the hormone balance, enzyme activity and neurotransmitter function that regulate your mood and overall health.”

Gencor adds that concerns over mental health are more significant than ever, and, according to the WHO, depression may be the leading illness globally by 2030 if no action is taken.

“Not surprisingly, F&B processors and dietary supplement manufacturers are developing and targeting more products for brain health, improving low mood, reducing tiredness and fatigue and encouraging good sleep,” says McNamara.

Gut health impacts mental health
According to FrieslandCampina Ingredients, one of the biggest trends merging with and shaping mood and sleep space is the growing interest in holistic well-being.

“Fuelled partly by the pandemic, consumers are taking a more comprehensive and preventative approach toward health. This has led to the mood and sleep category being heavily influenced by trends in gut health,” Molenaar explains.

“As a result, demand for gut health solutions that support both mental and physical well-being is growing, and we’re seeing more products boasting claims around supporting both the gut and health areas like mood and sleep.”

Emerging delivery formats
Regarding the delivery formats for mood and sleep solutions, Maja Orešnik, science and research director at PharmaLinea, says: “Many new products launched in the mood or relaxing segment still come in traditional delivery forms, like pills and capsules. However, formats like gummies and sprays are also gaining popularity.”

Lubrizol Life Science says there is an opportunity for brands to create products that boost or regulate hormone levels while promoting mental health and wellness.“As there is no need for a high dose of ingredients to address these indications, those non-traditional product forms are appropriate. Sprays can give consumers a more direct or quick effect, which is why they are a popular choice for supplements taken before sleeping.”

Gencor details that the migration from tablets and capsules to other more consumer-friendly formats, such as gummies, gels, stick packs and beverages, appears to be an emerging delivery format.

“Consumers are looking for ingredients with proven effectiveness that can be taken daily instead of acute,” says McNamara. “As for categories, sleep and stress are closely tied to cognition. This opens the door for combining these ingredients with other cognitive ingredients for a more rounded approach to mental health and wellness.

Vitamins and minerals for mental boost
According to Lubrizol Life Science, brands have been including mood ingredients in easy-to-consume formats (for example, gummies) to appeal to consumers looking for products with calming properties to support their mental wellness.

“Nutritional supplements, particularly vitamin and mineral supplements, have been leading the mental health and wellness product launches. These brands are promoting benefits to help manage consumers’ stress, mood and anxiety with personalized nutritional support for optimal health,” says Gómez.

“We expect to see launches in nutritional drinks, sports and energy drinks, hot beverages and dairy emerging with mental health and wellness claims that boost consumers’ moods and productivity levels.”

A shifting space
Regarding emerging trends in mood ingredients, Lubrizol Life Science notes that several areas have gained traction and should be prioritized for product launches.

“Mental wellness, for example, has become a must. Whether it is a nutritional supplement that addresses anxiety, stress, mood, sleep, or cognitive sharpness, many areas in cognitive health can be key focus areas,” says Gómez.

Gencor details concerns over mental health are more significant than ever, and, according to the WHO, depression may be the leading illness globally by 2030 if no action is taken.Gencor details that adding stress and sleep ingredients to other structure-function products is now being considered.

“An example would be combining an ingredient like affron with an immune formula. The rationale is that chronic stress contributes to a weakened immune system,” says McNamara.

“Combining it with other immune ingredients would give a product advantage for supporting the body in multiple mechanisms of action to help the consumer stay well or get well.”

Overlap with active nutrition
According to FrieslandCampina Ingredients, the mood and sleep space is also now seeing an overlap with the active nutrition space.

“Research has long highlighted the link between good sleep and athletic performance, but sleep can also reduce the risk of illness or injury in athletes,” says Molenaar.

“Combined with the fact that as many as 86% of athletes suffer from gastrointestinal issues, it is clear that there is a growing need and demand for products that not only provide mood and sleep support but can improve gut health to improve athletic performance.”

Meanwhile, Gómez details that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in people re-evaluating their vulnerability to disease and illness, as they increased their consciousness around their overall health.

“The pandemic has accelerated the importance of mental and emotional health – especially among younger consumers – as this will lead to long-term implications.”

PharmaLinea says the mood and sleep space is expanding to a new category – after-birth mood supplements.“Consequently, the proactive consumer has emerged significantly during the pandemic, seeking to adopt a long-term approach to improve their mental well-being,” explains Gómez.

“These consumers are proactively looking to relax and unwind from daily pressures by taking a holistic approach to well-being and are increasingly demanding mood-lifting ingredients in their nutritional supplements.”

Future outlook
Consumers will be expecting more and more user-friendly experiences in the future, details PharmaLinea. “For example, new product forms like gummies are becoming increasingly important for stress and sleep indications in North America,” says Ambrožič at PharmaLinea.

“The category is also expected to diversify more in ingredients, from melatonin, Mg, B6, melissa and valerian to the recently quickly rising ashwagandha and saffron, for which many branded and clinically studied sources exist.”

FrieslandCampina Ingredients details that as consumer understanding continues to deepen and interest in overall well-being increases, holistic formulations that target multiple areas are likely to become popular as consumers look for quick well-being wins.

“Products that offer multiple benefits such as immune health, cognitive well-being, strength or fitness, should therefore be a focus for brands looking to enter or solidify their place in the market,” Molenaar explains.

“We expect more and more government and WHO initiatives, as mental well-being increasingly becomes an equal counterpart to physical well-being, more and more consumers actively take care of it and consider supplements as a means of improvement,” Ambrožič explains.

PharmaLinea continues by adding that the mood and sleep space is expanding to a new category – after-birth mood supplements.

“In this case, extra care must be given to ingredients used in formulations as they need to be safe for breastfeeding mothers to use. Potential regulations of melatonin use in the formulations of mood or relaxing products can also be expected in the future, says Orešnik.

By Nicole Kerr