PharmaLinea exec details industry projects & names 5 supplement categories to watch in 2022

04 Oct 2021 --- As the fall season rolls in, industry players are commencing budget meetings to decide on upcoming product projects for 2022. NutritionInsight speaks to a PharmaLinea executive who details the future trends in industry in the coming year. Additionally, insight is given into market data, future trends and the new post-pandemic consumer.

Women’s health, the digestive health segment, eye health, stress and sleep supplements, and the cardiovascular health category will continue to grow, details Matevž Ambrožič, marketing and PR director, PharmaLinea.

Future trends in industry
Research shows that product innovation is the main recent growth driver of the vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) category, explains Ambrožič.

“It grew by approximately 19% in the past three years, which is a sum of a 9.8% market decline due to a drop in sales volume of existing products, 11.4% growth due to price increase of existing products and 17.1% growth due to new products,” he outlines.

Industry is dependent on new products, yet notably, the average sales per SKU are low. The average year one country sales amount to €91,000 (US$105,807) per SKU in the VMS segment, which is only half as much as the pain segment.

“We predict that with growing product quality standards and consumer insight into underlying product information, the trend will move toward fewer launches of higher quality and more investment into the communication of the science behind the product.”

He also expects “a lot of development in the prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic areas – both in clinical research of specific health benefits, far from just gut health, and also technical development.”The post-pandemic consumer will demand convenience.

The clinical data on versatile health benefits is emerging. Technical development of stable and bioavailable ingredients is most lacking in the probiotics space, comments Ambrožič.

Spotlight on women’s health
Further development of products in the women’s health area is one of the main focuses of PharmaLinea and has resulted in several projects for 2022, notes Ambrožič.

“Dietary supplements for women’s health are one of the most ‘quietly”’ and consistently growing segments of the past decade. The segment’s CAGR during 2011 to 2020 was above 9% and the second-highest behind immunity and interestingly ahead of digestive health,” he says.

“Due to this consistent growth, we see women’s health as a very sound investment for the future.”

Digestive health gathers speed
The digestive health segment had the second-largest growth due to the pandemic, and upper digestive issues are the “number one” consumer health concern for the next ten years, Ambrožič comments.

“PharmaLinea has been researching the digestive health category and running development for some time, but it has been holding back from launching products as the stability of the product is essential,” he explains.

“Stability of the main active ingredient is one of our main priorities and probiotics, while very trendy, are challenging in that respect. We hope to be able to deliver such products in the gut health segment in 2022.”Women’s health is one of the main focuses of PharmaLinea and has resulted in several projects for 2022.

Eye health in focus
A vital market development will be the solidification of eye health supplements as a mainstream, sizable, and developed category, as opposed to the niche it was before the pandemic, Ambrožič further explains.

“Since our new launches of >Your< Vision Line products in June 2021, we saw outstanding interest from surprisingly diverse regions such as LATAM, Western Europe, CIS and Southeast Asia. The global eye health supplement market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.,1% in the next five years and surpass USD$3 billion by 2026,” continues Ambrožič.

Moreover, user-friendliness and convenience are “pillars” of product development strategy, adds Ambrožič. 

“The response to our recently launched >Your< Vision Orosticks and >Your< Vision Liquid Sticks has confirmed the direction of our development of new products in the convenient delivery format of direct sticks.”

Stress and sleep trending
Stress and sleep support supplements are also solidifying their position and becoming relevant categories.

“It is meaningful that Stada, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, devoted a large section of its 2021 health report to mental health and found Europeans feel psychological effects of the pandemic – for example, feeling inner restlessness or sleep problems – at considerable rates: from 56% in the Netherlands to 78% in Poland,” adds Ambrožič.New product innovation is the main recent growth driver of the vitamins, minerals and supplements category.

Also, the World Health Organization recognized burnout and stress as medical conditions added to the relevance of the category. It addressed it with advanced supplements compared to the previously prevalent commodity herbals.

Advancements in cardiovascular health
The cardiovascular category is an established, longstanding and extensive category, but it is particularly commoditized, with omegas, CoQ10 and arginine dominating the market, details Ambrožič.

“A trend we see in this area, particularly advanced in developed markets such as Italy or the US, is the growth of the premium segment with clinically backed products with branded advanced ingredients.”

“Cardiovascular nutraceuticals are second in share of global nutraceuticals retail revenue and third in the share of searched human randomized controlled trials. This is why we also decided to enter the space with >Your< Cardiovascular Capsules in 2021 and plan to continue its promotion in 2022,” he explains.

The post-COVID-19 consumer
The post-pandemic consumer will need convenience. The growth of e-commerce, ordering meals and all types of consumer goods directly to the consumer’s doorstep catalyzed the already growing convenience trend.

“Consumers expect health benefits to be delivered conveniently and in a user-friendly manner, with great taste. Additionally, the consumers’ demand and the quest for more information on the product will prevail,” concludes Ambrožič.

By Nicole Kerr