Self-care innovations: How supplements are evolving to meet consumer demand

The supplement industry is transforming as self-care emerges as a dominant consumer priority. According to Innova Market Insights, self-care extends beyond traditional health care to encompass feeling well, looking good, and protecting long-term health. 

Nutrition Insight examines how this positioning is driving new supplement innovation across key areas, including energy, holistic women’s wellness, weight management, trending flavors, innovative delivery formats, and mood and mental health boosts.

Notably, one in five consumers has increased their supplement use over the past year, moving from a reactive, treatment-based approach to a more proactive, preventive mindset. Innova Market Insights data highlights that while a nutritious diet and regular exercise remain essential strategies, supplement use is becoming a core component of self-care, with 29% of consumers turning to supplements for daily wellness. 

Flavor and format innovation 

The growing self-care trend drives the need for innovative and diverse supplement formats. A pill, which can seem like medicine, does not align well with today’s proactive, self-care perspective the way an enjoyable, rewarding format does. Non-pill formats now claim 65% market share, with innovation still going strong, Glanbia Nutritionals research highlights.

In flavor trends, Kerry research spotlights tropical fruit flavors like lychee, mangostee, and pi pa are surging in Southeast Asia nutritional launches.While gummies are the leading format — and the preferred format among Gen Z and Millennials — lollipops, lozenges, and shots offer a similarly flavorful and rewarding experience. Newer innovations include NeuroQ oral strips, YouTheory K2D3 liquid in a squeeze pouch, and Bucked Up Pixie Pump in a RTE Pixy Stix format. Orange, strawberry, red raspberry, and lemon are the popular flavors in non-pill formats globally.

Meanwhile, in flavor innovation, data from Kerry’s 2025 Supplement Taste Charts spotlights tropical fruit flavors like lychee, mangosteen, and pi pa are surging in Southeast Asia, reflecting a desire for hydration and immune support. In Asia, botanical flavors such as ginger, hawthorn, and lime are also gaining traction.

“Consumers today want personalized solutions for well-being and vitality, and flavor is a significant factor in their supplement choices,” says Olivier De Salmiech, VP of Nutritional Supplements, Kerry Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa.

“Whether it’s masking undesirable tastes, creating unique flavor combinations, or enhancing the overall sensory experience, flavor has become key in shaping the perceived value of supplements.”

Globally, orange remains a staple in immunity-focused products. Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand are seeing the rise of indulgent flavors like cocoa, lavender, and rose. South Korea and Japan are embracing Asian flavors like acai, black sesame, and chestnut in supplements. The Middle East is experiencing growth in turmeric and thyme, alongside fun flavors like tutti frutti, coconut, caramel, and cream.

Holistic approach to weight management

A holistic approach to self-care is compelling consumers to look at the broader picture when it comes to weight management, which remains a top health priority as nearly two in five global consumers are concerned about their weight.

In the US, 54% of adults are actively trying to lose weight, up 4% from the previous year, according to a Glanbia Nutritionals Consumer Pulse Survey. Around half of these individuals are open to using weight management supplements.

New supplement launches and nutrition programs are being innovated around growingly popular GLP-1 weight loss therapies.Unlike traditional weight loss supplements, newer launches are being innovated around growingly popular GLP-1 weight loss therapies, supporting areas of muscle loss and nutritional gaps that often come with the rapid weight loss medication. In this space, Kelker Pharma recently introduced Nutrilinq Genesis, touted as the “first science-backed” nutritional support system for GLP-1 therapy patients.

Other launches are positioned to support the body’s own natural production of the GLP-1 hormone, like Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme GLP-1 Daily. Another rising brand is Supergut, which specializes in a GLP-1 “booster,” an unflavored powder including 6 g per serving of a patented prebiotic fiber blend that can be mixed with any food or beverage.

“Gut health and GLP-1 nutrition are two consumer megatrends that continue to pick up steam,” highlights Bader Alam, of Full Frame Growth Partners, which led a minority growth investment funding round in microbiome-centric weight management brand Supergut. 

“Supergut is at the forefront of these movements with a leading brand and accessible products powered by prebiotic fiber that can easily fit into one’s daily routine.”

Additionally, weight management app Noom recently revealed a major update to its GLP-1 Companion service to accompany and optimize popular GLP-1 drug therapies, which can cause temporary and long-term side effects like critical nutritional gaps and muscle loss. 

Women’s wellness gains spotlight

The self-care movement is also driving increased interest in women’s wellness supplements, with Europe leading innovation in this sector, highlights Glanbia Nutritionals. The category spans mood and stress relief, weight management, life-stage nutrition, and symptom relief.

Innova Market Insights data shows brain-mood health is now the top claim in new women’s supplement launches, with 46% of products making this assertion. Ingredients such as vitamin B12, theanine, and tryptophan, backed by scientific research, are gaining consumer trust.

New products focus on conception support, aiding ovulation, fertility, and menstrual cycle regulation, as well as perimenopause and menopause supplements addressing hormonal balance, energy, skin health, and libido. With 27% of US women uncertain about supplement benefits, brands are shifting messaging to emphasize product outcomes rather than ingredient lists.

Aligned toward holistic self-care, vaginal probiotic brand O Positiv Health recently launched its latest innovative product designed specifically for women, Uro Whole Body Probiotic, a three-in-one daily probiotic comprising ten clinically studied probiotic strains that support gut, skin, and oral microbiome health.

Trending women’s wellness supplements span across categories of mood and stress relief, weight management, life-stage nutrition, and symptom relief.O Positiv created URO Whole Body Probiotic to address the multiple facets of women’s microbiome health beyond a targeted vaginal probiotic. The brand highlights that because the female GI system is more “complex and nuanced” than the male due to hormones and colon size, women are more susceptible to digestive issues, including bloating and constipation. 

Aside from being a broad-spectrum probiotic, the supplement contains digestive botanicals dandelion, traditionally used as a diuretic herb for bloating relief, and licorice root, routinely used as a digestive aid.

“At O Positiv, we’re committed to bringing science-backed solutions to women’s health problems. That’s why I’m so proud of the work the team has done to bring URO Whole Body Probiotic to life — so many probiotics available today aren’t made just for women, let alone formulated with targeted strains to deliver benefits beyond the gut,” says O Positiv co-founder Brianna Bitton.

Energy crosses with cognitive and mood support

Glanbia Nutritionals spotlights that energy support is a growing segment within self-care supplements, particularly as one in three US consumers struggles with low energy — a challenge linked to sleep, immune health, digestion, and fitness. Consumers seek solutions ranging from high-performance supplements for athletes to gentle, plant-based energy boosters for everyday use. The company highlights creatine as emerging as a leading ingredient for high-performance energy needs, while ashwagandha is gaining traction for its natural energy-enhancing properties.

Consumers are also demanding clean energy without the crash, as well as solutions that cross energy with brain health. Peak Energy’s recent launch is positioned on this axis, with a formula featuring two patented ingredients — Peak ATP and Enfinity Paraxanthine, promising benefits “beyond traditional energy drinks.”

The supplement aims to provide clean energy and cognitive clarity, helping users maintain focus, boost mental performance, and improve endurance. Peak ATP, a clinically studied form of adenosine 5’-triphosphate (ATP), delivers energy directly to muscle cells, increasing muscle strength and endurance. Meanwhile, Enfinity Paraxanthine, a purified caffeine metabolite, provides smooth, steady energy and enhanced mental clarity without the jitters or crashes associated with caffeine.

“Peak Energy is more than just an energy supplement,” states BrainMD founder, Dr. Daniel Amen. “It’s a comprehensive solution to help people power their brain and body with clean, lasting energy without the crash that’s typical with other energy products.”