Immune health has been one of the largest dietary supplement categories for years, with huge sales spikes in 2020. Despite the global pandemic having mostly settled down, the category continues to grow in market value, according to Euromonitor data. However, the share of new supplement launches with immunity claims also continues to grow and was reported by Mintel to surpass 27% in 2022. In the sea of new product launches addressing immunity, how can companies stand out?

One of the ways to stand out is with added-value ingredients. Often, these are proprietary, branded ingredients with advanced delivery systems (e.g., microencapsulation) and/or clinical proof of efficacy. Featuring well-known and well-studied ingredients is a strategy utilized even by pharma giants these days. Bayer, for instance, launched an immunity supplement based on the proprietary prebiotic carrot fiber BeniCaros in 2022. Bausch + Lomb formulated its 2022 ImmuneDuo product with a proprietary North American ginseng extract called CVT-E002. And CVS launched a product based on the branded postbiotic ingredient Immuse in 2021. Nature Made also harnessed the reputation of a well-known biotic for its 2022 Wellblends product line, whose immune and respiratory SKU includes the branded postbiotic ingredient EpiCor.

Brands can also gain distinction by offering very specific product benefits or by combining multiple benefits. An example of the first is “quick-start immunity,” seen in LifeSeasons’ Clinical Immunity product, which received a NEXTY award. And in terms of combining health benefits, popular examples include “immunity + sleep” (employed by Nature Made’s Wellblends in 2022) or “immunity + energy” (employed by Dompé’s Bioritmon Immuno Defend in 2022).

FMCG Gurus data from December 2022 suggest that 80% of consumers value multifunctional claims on food, drink, and supplements that are positioned around supporting the immune system. However, for a product to stand out in the market, the classic all-in-one multivitamin will not suffice. Instead, a fresher spin like “day + night immunity,” or “pre + pro + postbiotic,” holds better promise for success. For example, Garden of Life launched a pre + pro + postbiotic product addressing immune health in 2022. A side benefit of such multifunctional products is a perceived higher value for money, which consumers find more than welcome these days.

Launching a product in an unconventional delivery format will also help immune health products stand out in 2023. According to Mintel, tablets and capsules represented nearly 60% of new supplement launches with immune health claims in 2023 and now compete against gummies/chewables, liquids, and powders.

Addressing children with your next immunity launch may also present a promising market opportunity. According to 

 the adult supplements category grew by 7.5% in 2021, while the children’s supplements category grew a whopping 18.5%. A recent example of a successful launch in children’s immunity is KinderMed, a line of liquid medications and supplements for children cofounded by actress Jessica Biel.

Last but not least, a way to stand out in the immune health supplement category in 2023 is to offer adjacent products such as self-testing devices or apps. Hologram Sciences, for example, offers a vitamin D test kit with its d.velop supplement, and Ritual leverages social media–like components in its app to boost consumption of its multivitamin products.

There are many ways to differentiate a brand in the market: leveraging unique ingredients, touting multifunctional benefits, leveraging unconventional delivery formats, tapping into the growing children’s supplements category, and offering adjacent products. A common denominator across all these strategies is that they add value to products in one way or another—and this, as we know, is an evergreen recipe for long-term success.

Matevž Ambrožič is marketing and PR director at 

 (Ljubljana, Slovenia). He has an academic background in biochemistry with a specialty in protein biochemistry. Following his research position at Stockholm University and development position at Novartis, Ambrožič applied his knowledge in the food supplement industry, leading marketing at PharmaLinea.

Articles

Five key strategies for immune health brands, from private-label food supplements manufacturer PharmaLinea.


How can companies stand out in the immune health category in 2023?

The immune health market is building on the momentum it gained during the COVID-19 pandemic. One family of ingredients trending in particular is immune health minerals.

Emerging research shows that various minerals can help maintain a healthy immune system. What’s more, their interactions with other ingredients can lead to superior effects. Here are some of the ways immune health mineral formulations are evolving.

When it comes to immune health, some minerals are more popular than others due to the research backing them. “There’s been a lot of research into immune health formulations with minerals since COVID-19,” notes Eva Criado Clemente, marketing and sales manager, Europe, at Gadot Biochemical Industries (Israel).

Emerging studies show that magnesium has immune-boosting properties. Meanwhile, zinc and selenium sales are strong in Europe and North America, Criado Clemente says.

Criado Clemente says that magnesium, in particular, is useful in immune health formulations. Magnesium enhances the absorption of vitamin D, she explains, and vitamin D has been shown to boost immune function.

Minerals like magnesium are also often mixed with amino acids or citric acid for better absorption. “For us at Gadot, we’ve seen a huge increase in magnesium citrate,” says Criado Clemente. “We’re now launching a magnesium chelate ingredient. The chelates are very good for the stomach. Magnesium usually has a laxative effect, but chelates don’t.”

Criado Clemente predicts that the growing trend will be combining immune health minerals with non-mineral ingredients. Immune health botanicals have performed well, and now formulators are adding ingredients like mushrooms and probiotics to immunity formulations. “The next major innovation will be combining basic ingredients with newer, trending ingredients like botanicals, mushrooms, and probiotics,” she says. “But minerals are the fundamentals; they have science behind them.”

Immune health beverages and liquid-based supplements are trending, particularly those that contain zinc. Kimberly Kawa, a member of 

 Editorial Advisory Board and a product expert at SPINS (Chicago), says liquid zinc supplements have seen triple-digit growth over the last few years. This growth, Kawa explains, parallels the trends seen in the pediatric zinc supplement market.

“Zinc is the only mineral with significant dollar sales and growth in the past 52 weeks ending October 30, 2022,” Kawa notes when analyzing SPINS data for brick-and-mortar sales. “Emerging formulas are incorporating multiminerals and trace-minerals in powder or liquid form. These products have a dual focus on immunity and hydration.”

Suppliers continue to develop innovative mineral ingredients that can outcompete the previous generation of minerals. Marlena Hidlay, global marketing director, minerals and nutrients, for Balchem (New Hampton, NY), says the company’s latest ingredient innovation, Z-life Zinc Max, is a highly bioavailable zinc ingredient.

“Z-life Zinc Max is a 27% elemental zinc chelate with even more bioavailable zinc than ever before,” Hidlay explains. “Higher elemental zinc enables a higher dose in supplement applications, making Zinc Max ideal for alternative formats like gummies. Like other zinc chelates, scientific substantiation suggests greater bioavailability than inorganic mineral salts.”

Hidlay says immune health products containing minerals have grown 40% from 2017 to 2022. In addition to zinc, other growing immune health minerals include copper, iron, and selenium.

“Across demographics, people are prioritizing their health more, and they’re looking for everyday solutions,” Hidlay says. “Beverages is a key category because it’s a product consumed all day. Recent findings from our proprietary attitude and usage study revealed that immune support is one of the most desired health benefits in food and beverage products.”

Minerals are an uncapitalized opportunity for immune health product formulators. Minerals like magnesium, iron, selenium, copper, and zinc offer promising immunity benefits while also giving consumers familiar, tried-and-true ingredients. Minerals are also flexible enough for use in functional foods, beverages, and even gummies, meaning brands will have ample room to differentiate themselves. Pairing minerals with other ingredients can also create synergistic benefits. Whether it’s zinc, magnesium, selenium, or something else, every brand should carve out space in its portfolio for an immune mineral product.

Emerging research shows that various minerals can help maintain a healthy immune system.

Mighty Minerals: Mineral ingredients target immune health

No matter how fast COVID-19 recedes into the rearview mirror, it can’t seem to get out of sight fast enough. For despite the effects of vaccines, boosters, and public-health measures galore, tests keep returning positive and interest in immunity remains high.

Of course, that last point is nothing to complain about and may even qualify as one of the rare “long-COVID symptoms” that leaves folks better off than before. How so? Increased attention to immune health not only stands to keep consumers well but could turn them into loyal supplement shoppers in the long run, too.

This transformation appears to be underway in the functional-mushroom space right now. While good-for-you fungi were already building a robust wellness reputation before the pandemic, “Thanks to the renewed focus on immune support that began three years ago,” observes Bill Chioffi, chief strategy and innovation officer, Nammex (Gibsons, BC, Canada), “awareness of mushrooms’ efficacy is now growing exponentially.”

Indeed, any industry observer would have trouble arguing that functional mushrooms 

 gaining ground with supplement fans. Consider that SPINS data covering the domestic natural-supplements channel for the 52 weeks ending October 30, 2022, tracked sales growth of 15% for “mushrooms (other)” relative to the year prior.

Such figures suggest that American consumers’ embrace of functional mushrooms is well ahead of the curve. But as far as Chioffi’s concerned, “we’re just beginning to catch up.” Rather than ask why consumers here are so bullish on functional mushrooms, he says, “I believe we should be asking why Western diets are so mushroom-deficient compared to Asia.”

After all, both scientific and anecdotal evidence behind mushrooms’ advantages—the “positive health stories,” as Chioffi calls them—are now at “escape velocity,” he claims, “driving us into a mushroom-filled future.” And manufacturers are taking note: “We’re hearing from a number of mainstream brands looking to launch functional foods and beverages offering mushrooms’ health benefits,” he says.

Again, these developments owe no small debt to the pandemic. “COVID reminded us that we should never be complacent about how healthful diets and lifestyles affect us, or how the benefits of herbs and mushrooms can protect us from the ever-present diseases we live among,” Chioffi cautions.

And though strategies like eating responsibly, exercising, and maintaining “close connections to community and nature” are the platonic ideals for shoring up one’s immune defense, “not everyone has the bandwidth to incorporate all of these into their lives,” Chioffi concedes, “so we need extra help from supplementation.” And supplementation with mushrooms may really help.

The argument for their effects is convincing. “Mushrooms contain a veritable medicine chest of complex molecules,” Chioffi attests, “including, but not limited to, polysaccharides, glycosides, fats, minerals, protein, alkaloids, volatile oils, terpenoids, tocopherols, phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, folates, lectins, enzymes, and ascorbic and other organic acids.”

To give any one of these constituents credit for generating mushrooms’ immune-potentiating activity “would be like saying that water and carbon are what make humans tick,” he adds. “It’s more complex than that. But scientists are uncovering more insights every day.”

For example, studies suggest that some mushrooms trigger direct potentiation of immune-cell production, Chioffi says, with reishi (

) mushrooms demonstrating prebiotic effects via their stimulation of 

 populations in the lower intestines. And all mushrooms contain L-ergothioneine and ergosterol, Chioffi adds, which are both targets of inquiry for their immune potentiation.

But what Chioffi and others find most enticing are the potential adaptive and non-adaptive immune effects attributable to mushrooms’ beta-1,3/1,6-glucans.

The cell walls of mushrooms and other fungi contain chitin, a naturally occurring aminopolysaccharide polymer that also lends rigidity to the shells of crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters. “Within those walls are the valuable beta-glucans waiting to be released,” Chioffi explains, and simple hot-water extraction gets that job started.

Once released and made available to the human body, these polysaccharides “have potent immunological properties,” Chioffi continues, “and scientists are united on this.” They’re even circling in on a mechanistic explanation for how mushroom beta-glucans effect their benefits, pointing to evidence that specific TLR receptors recognize these beta-glucans and, in so doing, set off a cascade of reactions that upregulate production of macrophages and other related cytokines.

In 2015, studies conducted at the John Bastyr Research Institute “clearly demonstrated” mushroom extracts’ capacity to induce macrophage cells via the TLR2 receptor, Chioffi notes, while one preliminary randomized trial

 exploring the efficacy of reishi, turkey tail (

) in clearing certain serotypes of the oral human papillomavirus associated an 88% clearance rate to a combination of turkey tail and reishi.

“We look forward to more encouraging investigations like this on humans, potentially offering safe and affordable options for treating common and increasingly prevalent immune dysregulation,” Chioffi anticipates.

When those options emerge, consumers will likely look for them in products that are “convenient, clean, and consumed regularly,” Chioffi predicts. Luckily, these also happen to be the products that are already trending.

“Outside the ‘gummy craze,’” Chioffi continues, “we like seeing our extracts in foods, bars, ready-to-drink beverages, coffee alternatives, and chocolates.” And while one might assume that these lifestyle-friendly formats would be current top sellers, he adds, “Capsules still tend to outsell other delivery formats at least two-to-one.”

On the technical front, Chioffi explains that Nammex extracts its beta-glucans in the matrix of a whole-mushroom extract. Dried to a dispersible powder, these extracts have proven themselves compatible with—and effective across—the applications mentioned above.

And they’re real foods, Chioffi emphasizes. “I love the point that mushrooms are in fact a very nutritious food that is amazingly versatile,” he muses. “But for those who don’t like the flavor or texture, mushrooms’ benefits are available in various dietary supplement dosage forms. And as those of us in the category have heard over and over, when a consumer starts taking a quality product made with actual mushrooms, they notice results. And when they notice results, they become repeat buyers and tell their friends.”

Donatini, B. Control of Oral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) by Medicinal Mushrooms, 

What’s in the mushroom-health pipeline?

Ground support: Leveraging mushrooms’ immune health benefits

Immunity claims aren’t always straightforward. Dietary supplement brands face strict rules around what they can and cannot say, and while some brands may feel they have the scientific substantiation to make a claim, they may still run the risk of regulatory action.

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a flurry of warning letters from FTC, FDA, and the National Advertising Division (NAD; part of BBB National Programs) after a number of immunity brands broke the rules. Megan Olsen, senior vice president and general counsel at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC), says that while the industry has generally been good about understanding the advertising rules, some companies have overstepped.

“During the pandemic, we saw companies wanting to talk about promising research around ingredients they sell and the effect on COVID-19, and we saw some warning letters about those types of actions,” Olsen explains. “Companies do want to talk about the ingredients they sell, but they have to be reminded to be careful.”

With consumer interest in immune health products still high, it makes sense for brands to want to position their products for immune health. But those who stray too far with their health claims may find themselves on the receiving end of an FDA warning letter. Here are some of the ways brands can ensure their immune health claims stay within the bounds of what the law permits.

Brands may be able to use claims that discuss structure and function. Mary Engle, executive vice president of policy at BBB National Programs, says claims such as “supports the immune system” are health-related structure-function claims, which may be permissible when supported by reliable evidence.

“FDA has specifically commented on the claim ‘supports the immune system’ and stated that it does not necessarily constitute a disease claim,” Engle says. “A claim that a product ‘supports’ the immune system could convey consuming a product is one of many factors that contributes to a healthy immune system. However, use of the term ‘boosts’ may raise the bar for the type of scientific substantiation needed.”

While structure-function claims and “support” claims are generally permitted, brands cannot state or imply that a nutritional product treats or cures a disease. Katie Bond, partner at Lathrop GPM LLP (Washington, DC), says that any claim to treat or prevent the cold, flu, RSV, or any other illness is risky.

“A claim like ‘fewer school absences this winter’ would normally be risky,” Bond explains. “Likewise, imagery of a person coughing and sneezing without a product, but healthy with it, would normally entail risk.”

Bond says brands can be surprised to learn that a truthful claim may nonetheless be prohibited. Furthermore, the difference between structure-function and disease-treatment claims isn’t necessarily intuitive; in many cases, regulators make a judgement call.

New entrants to the market can be easily caught off-guard by these rules, Bond says. “This past summer, Nature’s Way, which makes a variety of elderberry products, challenged a competitor’s advertising that included claims like ‘shorten the duration of the common cold.’ This prompted the competitor to voluntarily discontinue its claims before the case was heard.”

While “supports a healthy immune system” is a low-risk type of claim, it never hurts to have scientific substantiation to back it. John Villafranco, partner at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP (Washington, DC), says that while immune support claims are relatively safe, substantiation is always required to support immune health claims.

“FTC requires competent and reliable scientific evidence to support health claims generally,” Villafranco says. “In simple terms, that means a quality and quantity of evidence that experts in the field agree is sufficient to support the claim. While FDA does not generally review substantiation, a claim that a dietary ingredient promotes or supports immune health should be substantiated.”

Villafranco says the COVID-19 pandemic served as a reminder that context can make otherwise-permissible claims impermissible. FTC issued hundreds of warning letters to otherwise-acceptable claims that were made in the context of COVID-19.

“When the statement implies a benefit to consumers suffering from COVID-19, whether describing symptoms or including context on a label, the claim can be classified as illegal,” Villafranco explains.

He says companies have been, and continue to be, named as parties in litigation and enforcement actions relating to COVID-19 claims. These companies are also singled out in Truth in Advertising (TINA) press releases and received unfavorable recommendations from NAD.

“There’s also a pending class action suit in the Southern District of California concerning immunity claims made in connection with Sambucol,” Villafranco notes. “Some of the relevant claims at issue include claims that Sambucol is the only elderberry supplement that can ‘guarantee consistent immune-supporting properties in every serving,’ and that the supplements ‘arm you with some of the best protection nature has to offer.’”

Immune health claims are an area where it’s easy for brands to stray beyond the bounds of the law. When making claims for an immune health product, your brand could be at risk of an FTC warning letter, an NAD challenge, or a lawsuit. Immune health brands have come under additional scrutiny since the COVID-19 pandemic, making this area one where brands should invest in proactive policing of their own claims. Spotting your own problem claims before NAD or FTC do could save you considerable time and money.

Do immune health claims attract regulatory attention?

World-renowned scientist Sir Isaac Newton is credited with discovering the laws of gravity and later coined the related idiom “what goes up must come down.”

Today, the expression takes on a broader outlook: waiting for the eventual—sometimes spectacular—downfall following a sustained or meteoric rise, whether it’s the case of a politician, an actor, or a business executive. Or, in the realm of nutritional ingredients, perhaps a specific sales category.

Such is the consideration when it comes to immune health, a category that saw an impressive burst of energy (and sales!) as a result of COVID-19 concerns as consumers’ fears of not being able to stay healthy in the face of the deadly virus led them to stockpiling vitamins and discovering herbals like elderberry—practices that had, prior to the pandemic, been the purview of only the most committed supplement customers.

Since at least 2019, immune health has been positioned among the top-five reasons that supplement users take supplements, according to statistics from the annual Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements from the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC).

 For some perspective, in CRN’s 2018 consumer survey, immune health was cited among the top-five reasons that people aged 35-54 years and 18-34 cited for taking supplements, at 31% and 25%, respectively.

 The immune health category didn’t, however, make the “top-five” cut for supplement users aged 55+.

But in CRN’s 2020 consumer survey, immune health moved from its 2019 number-three priority position to number two, replacing energy as a reason for taking supplements. Looking at the past four years’ worth of CRN consumer survey data, the steady climb of immune health as a reason to take supplements shows the category rose steadily as a reason among consumers, from 27% of consumers in 2019, to 32% (2020), to 36% (2021), to 40% (2022).

Sales look good, too. According to data reported by market researcher SPINS (Chicago), U.S. sales of immune health supplements reached $654.1 million in the 52-week period ending January 1, 2023, up an impressive 9.5% compared to the prior 52-week period ending January 2, 2022. (Even so, the most recent sales reported were still not as high as the $716 million for the year ending January 3, 2021.)

Will Immune Health Supplements Skydive or Skyrocket in 2023?

Moving forward, it therefore makes sense that the industry might wonder: as the pandemic potentially takes a back seat to other consumer worries, including economic woes and threats of a third world war, will consumers feel psychologically immune to immune health concerns? And, in turn, will the immune health category fall back down to earth?

Not so fast, according to supplement thought-leaders with a stake in the category. These stakeholders have confidence that COVID lessons will stick with savvy consumers when it comes to taking care of their health and when it comes to the importance of immune health supplements.

For example, Aileen Stocks, president, wellness brands, at Nestlé Health Science, says that consumers have become much more educated and engaged in their health and wellness over the past three years. “Prior to the pandemic, immune health felt like a seasonal business, but today it is an area of focus year-round, and how to optimize the body’s immune system is top of mind for consumers.”

Susan Mitmesser, PhD, vice president of science and technology at Pharmavite LLC, owner of the Nature Made brand, has a similar viewpoint about immune health. Mitmesser points out that “one of the most common misconceptions we see around immune health is that the immune system is seasonal. This is 100% false [as] the immune system never takes a vacation and is always working in the background.”

Stocks notes that while the intensity of purchasing immune health products has softened somewhat recently, she also points out that the importance of supplements as a critical tool for a healthy lifestyle is maintained by consumers at much higher levels than pre-pandemic in general.

And for Nestlé’s part, Stocks says, “From a marketing perspective, immune health will continue to be top of mind for consumers, and we will continue to help educate them by sharing the latest science and innovating new products.”

With regard to immune health supplements, Haleigh Resetar, corporate communications specialist at SPINS, explains that “there was an obvious rise during the pandemic and then a subsequent decline as consumers began to alter their focus onto other health categories such as mood support and cognitive health.” She adds that “part of this decline is also due to the influx in growth that was unsustainable as life returned to a new normal.”

However, there’s good news looking forward. Resetar advises that in 2022, and moving into 2023, “we are starting see a similar rise in interest in immune health products and can expect it to linger in the new year as consumers continue to prioritize their overall health and wellness.”

Rachel Kreider, MPH, RD, senior director, technical product and content design, at GNC, also anticipates immunity-related products will continue to “trend positively as part of a holistic wellness approach…” Kreider explains that “in the past 36 months, we’ve seen a seismic shift in consumer behavior.”

She adds that “immune health continues to be a top priority, with more consumers seeking and building a routine with proactive wellness at the center.”

Expanding the Reach of Immune Health Supplements

When it comes to immune health supplements, are consumers only looking at those products that carry claims that mention “immune health” or “immune support”? Or are supplement companies educating and marketing products that aim to position immune health as a broader umbrella that covers supplements carrying claims such as “mood health” or “sleep support” or other health attributes that are all part of building a healthy immune system?

According to CRN’s Luke Huber, ND, vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, “While claims like ‘immune support’ are common, certain ingredients are [so] well known for immune health that they attract consumers interested in the category.” As examples, he cites popular ingredients in the immune space like elderberry, vitamin D, zinc, and vitamin C.

He adds that “while other categories, such as ‘sleep support,’ may not signal immune health directly, it is clear that proper sleep is important for a healthy immune system.”

Pharmavite’s Kathi Christensen, marketing director, consumer engagement, agrees. “When it comes to supporting immune health,” she says, “certain products and ingredients are top of mind for consumers, including vitamins D and C, elderberry, and zinc. However, increasingly, consumers understand that their health is a connected system. When sleep and stress are compromised, this can impact the immune system as well. Immune health is just one part of integrated health and wellness for consumers.”

Stocks notes that an increase in consumer education and engagement “is evident by a shift we’ve seen from a focus on multivitamins to dietary supplements that support a specific health benefit, like immune health.”

She sees opportunities for other ingredients in the immune health category, advising that “we also understand that consumers are going beyond the traditional immune health ingredients to identify other nutrients with science supporting their immune health benefits.” As an example, she points to Nature’s Bounty Immune 24 Hour+, which features Ester-C, vitamin D, zinc, elderberry, and Echinacea for added immune health benefits.

Based on SPINS data, Resetar, too, sees growth opportunity in the immune health category beyond the traditional immune health vitamins and other supplements. For example, she notes that “there are several VMS [vitamin, mineral, supplement] products that include immune health claims based off of our health-focus immune-health attribute. Prebiotic and probiotic products are one of the faster growing subcategories in both dollar sales and unit sales, at 19.5% and 35.9%, respectively, in the 52 weeks ending January 1, 2023.”

Resetar suggests that “the importance of digestive health in the pursuit [of] overall health and wellness was a large trend in 2022 and will most likely continue in 2023. One key point for many consumers to start their digestive health journeys was because of the benefits it could have on their immune health.”

Kreider finds that “when it comes to product-specific opportunities, we do see consumers looking to brands to offer products that are multipurpose—[for example] immune health 

Resetar says that “many consumers are starting to take a more serious look at their digestive health to strengthen their immune system, and, she adds, “the same is happening on both the sleep supplement and mood-support supplement sides as shoppers learn that a good night’s sleep and reduced stress can affect their ability to fight off seasonal illness. With this approach, shoppers are more likely to shop for products that benefit multiple health focuses at once, in addition to immune health, rather than only sticking to products that promote a healthy immune system.”

Resetar claims that “brands and retailers have been watching these shopping habits, and it can be seen in both brand packaging and retail store layout. Brands with products that contain immune-boosting ingredients are relaying those ingredients and benefits on their packaging, in addition to any other functionalities. Retailers are stocking products that combine multiple health focuses and organizing their aisles in a way that shows shoppers all the personalization and options available.”

There are other growth opportunities, too, according to Resetar. “Children’s supplements are another subcategory growing right now, with immune health–claim products at 65.3% dollar growth and 46.6% unit growth for the latest 52 weeks,” she advises. Here’s why: “Parents are taking a closer look at their health, and those choices and habits trickle down to the products they choose to buy for their children,” she says.

Resetar adds that “multivitamins and children’s supplements are two product areas where we have been seeing lots of innovation in both form and formula. There is more personalization that allows shoppers to pick and choose which health focuses they want to concentrate on, which for many of them includes immune health.”

Huber considers mushrooms another ripe growth opportunity for immune health. In addition, he reminds us that vitamin D, with its growing body of scientific research, is still “a leading ingredient in the immune health space,” noting that vitamin D in the context of COVID-19 is “a particular area of research interest.”

The CRN Foundation manages Vitamin D & Me, a clearinghouse of research, expert interviews, and educational material on vitamin D and COVID-19 research. “With more than 100 study summaries on the site and more research being consistently published, this remains a hot area for immune health research,” say Huber.

Marketing Efforts See Growth Opportunities

Companies are now shifting their educational, consumer engagement, and marketing efforts in response to what they’re seeing and hearing from consumers who changed not only their perspectives on their health but also their purchasing habits. The pandemic changed many things in this regard, and companies in the wellness space are taking notice.

Pharmavite launched a new advertising campaign to coincide with the new year. One of its largest campaigns to date, “The Start of Something Great,” launched with on-air spots across three broadcast networks along with a 

 sponsorship, according to a company press release. The campaign was designed to establish Nature Made vitamins “as the transformative regimen to set good days in motion.”

While an advertising campaign created to promote a brand is de rigueur, this campaign marks a shift from Nature Made’s typical advertising approach of showcasing health and wellness products in a functional way. Instead, it appeals to the more emotional and positive side of wellness.

The shift in approach was informed by the brand’s propriety research along with NielsenIQ behavioral science insights which showed that consumers do not connect to “scare-based” advertising and instead want to see more positive messaging around health.

“Science and quality remain fundamental to our brand’s DNA,” said Rhonda Hoffman, chief marketing officer for Pharmavite, in the press release, “but our new campaign seeks to reframe the role of Nature Made vitamins and supplements by leaning into the shifting cultural conversation and consumer expectations around health and wellness.”

Mitmesser advises that “one of our key goals with our new approach to the emotional side of wellness was for consumers to reframe their strategy around immune health.” As such, she explains, “It is imperative to be doing everything in your power to keep your immune system functioning year-round so that it can be at its best when you need it most.”

Her Pharmavite colleague, Christensen, says that “we see consumers taking an active interest in proactively supporting their health. We are positioning our products as one of many ways that consumers can proactively take care of their health every day. This includes vitamins and supplements that support the immune system. They can be used proactively rather than reactively.”

For GNC, coming out of COVID without sacrificing the gains that were seen in the immune health category means several things, starting with engaging with its customers in order to listen, learn, and adapt “our curated product assortment as needed,” says Kreider.

Kreider notes that “our mission is to help people ‘Live Well,’ and a key part of delivering that is ensuring we have the products and services consumers need in the ways in which they want to engage the brand. So, immunity products are definitely part of the conversation, and we continue to find new delivery formats and products that can help consumers tackle their wellness.”

“Educating our consumers on the benefits and ways to better their wellness routines based on their goals is just as important as providing them the right products to achieve their goals,” she adds. According to Kreider, that’s done through their experts (including scientists and dietitians), content, social communities, The GNC Learning Center, and more to help educate and empower consumers on their wellness journey.

Stocks reflects that “there is growing awareness that several lifestyle factors, like eating a healthy diet, being hydrated, exercising regularly, managing stress, and getting the recommended number of hours of sleep each night, play a role in supporting the body’s immune system. This awareness will translate into consumers’ supplement purchases, so we are identifying ways to help continue this education through our marketing efforts.”

Consumers Adopting a Holistic Approach to Immune Health, Wellness

“Overall, consumers recognize that overall health is composed of many facets—it’s not just physical; it’s also mental and emotional,” observes Stocks. “They know that a combination of how they live and how they feel impacts their overall health. Their goal is to have a good ‘baseline’ of health.”

GNC’s Kreider confirms that “in addition to immune health remaining vitally important to consumers, we also anticipate holistic wellness growing.”

And here, the growth opportunity for the immune health category exists not only by emphasizing the holistic nature of wellness in general but also from marketing supplements as one relevant piece of that journey.

“Holistic health is one of the most important topics of discussion in our industry right now,” states Kreider. “The idea is that delivering on wellness goals starts with consumers taking care of their entire self—inside and outside—behavioral, environmental, and dietary.”

Christensen, too, believes that consumers see vitamins and supplements as just one element of a holistic approach to wellness and immune health. “They understand that sleep, nutrition, and managing stress all play a part in proactively supporting a healthy immune system,” she says.

For the immune health category, Resetar’s perspective is in line with the other thought-leaders. “Based on what we are seeing in the market and consumer shopping habits, consumers take on their immune health with an approach that includes not only vitamins and supplements but overall life changes and products that align with those choices,” she says.

For companies that heed the warning signs and read the tea leaves, the immune health category may just be able to keep its gravitational pull on a steady upward swing, suggesting that when it comes to immune health supplements, what goes up may be able to stay up, at least for the foreseeable time-being.

Council for Responsible Nutrition. CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements, 2019-2022 

https://crnusa.org/resources/consumer-intelligence-enhance-business-outcomes

Council for Responsible Nutrition. CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements, 2018 

https://www.crnusa.org/2018ConsumerSurvey

Nature Made Launches Major New Advertising Campaign Timed to New Year. News release. Pharmavite. December 30, 2022. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nature-made-launches-major-new-advertising-campaign-timed-to-new-year-301708640.html

Or will brands find ways of portraying immune health as a relevant concern long-term?

Is a decline in immune health supplement sales inevitable?

Society’s initial fears over COVID-19 may have faded, but they still fundamentally changed consumer attitudes towards health and wellbeing. Consumers are now looking for long-lasting ways to enhance their wellbeing and to prevent potential future illness before infection—namely, by prioritizing their immune health. Our data show that 69% of global consumers now define a good immune system by how quickly they recover from illness. Consumers accept that they will get ill—but in their eyes, recovery time is crucial.

Energy levels also significantly influence consumer perceptions of immune health. Consumers recognize that those who suffer from fatigue are generally more susceptible to health problems. In light of these revelations about the importance of immune health, people have taken a more proactive approach to their health, focusing on how their diets and lifestyles can be improved to maximize overall wellness.

People are more attentive than ever to the current and future state of their immune health, exhibiting a higher concern for healthy aging and long-term health. Unlike before, when the most common health goal was aspiration of a better physical build, the focus has now shifted to minimizing vulnerability to disease and illness alongside maximizing one’s overall wellness and longevity.

The pandemic offered the opportunity for consumers to criticize their own health and the areas they need to improve. This led them to accept that a poor diet is a direct factor in long-term health problems and poor immunity. Behaviors such as over-indulging, being reliant on convenience food, and not monitoring nutrition intake are more broadly recognized as causes of concern for gut health and immunity. During the pandemic, there was also an increase in unhealthy dietary behaviors, like comfort eating, because there was less pressure on routines and self-discipline. So consumers are grappling with those impacts as well.

Consumers also admit to higher levels of inactivity, spending too much time on digital devices and becoming less mobile at home. Inactivity not only increases their risk of health problems like obesity but also jeopardizes their immune health as they are not being exposed to outdoor conditions that would otherwise naturally boost their immunity.

Consumers now recognize the areas that directly impact immunity and are seeking to find solutions to these concerns in order to build the integrity of their immune system and maximize health to prevent future disease and illness.

FMCG data show that from 2019 to 2022, there was a noticeable jump in consumers who deem their diets as healthy, with 3 in 5 reporting that they maintain a healthy diet in 2022—a 10% increase from the year prior. Also, 71% of global consumers want to increase their intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, with a newfound emphasis on back-to-basics nutrition. Food, drink, and supplements deemed as natural are now also seen as more appealing to the 78% of consumers who say they now examine claims on products before purchasing.

Consumers are adopting a more holistic approach to health, recognizing that all aspects of health are equally important and impact one another. There’s a higher demand for food, drink, and nutritional supplements that have multifunctional benefits.

The main benefit people are interested in is immunity. As more information about the microbiome and good bacteria for gut health emerges, consumers are looking to incorporate more of these properties into their diets to maximize their digestive and immune health.

Products with clinically proven claims validating authenticity are also on the rise in popularity. FMCG Gurus insights reveal that 78% of global consumers are more likely to purchase immune-supporting products if there are scientific claims that support the effectiveness of the ingredients. This is more important than ever as more consumers are becoming skeptical of health-boosting claims, feeling that brands may not have their best interests at heart. Therefore, ingredients and claims backed by scientific support are highly appealing.

Consumers want to improve their dietary and lifestyle habits in order to better their immune health. They’re more attentive to ingredients and claims, seeking to ensure they receive the maximum benefits from products. Everyday food and drink products should look to promote genuine health-boosting claims in order to engage effectively with modern consumers who want reassurance of maximum efficacy.

Consumers are more skeptical of the health and wellbeing market. To overcome this, brands should look for innovative ways to validate health claims. Ways to achieve this could be promoting any clinical evidence in a simplified format in order to prevent confusion, which is a barrier consumers report that makes it more difficult to achieve a healthy diet. Additionally, providing QR codes that consumers can scan to find the supporting clinical evidence offers transparency and reassurance. This not only builds consumer trust but also makes it more likely that the individual will buy these products because the claims can be validated in an easy and accessible way.

Emily Ann Smith is content and editorial executive at 

. For more information about FMCG Gurus’ latest reports, please e-mail 

Consumers want to invest in products to support their immune health. But they also want evidence that immune-health products work.

Nutritional Outlook Vol. 26 No. 2S

How can companies stand out in the immune health category in 2023?

Mighty Minerals: Mineral ingredients target immune health

Ground support: Leveraging mushrooms’ immune health benefits

Do immune health claims attract regulatory attention?

Is a decline in immune health supplement sales inevitable?

Immune health: Show consumers the evidence