The dietary supplement market has been growing now for 10 years and has never been as strong as it is today. Consumption of these products is becoming more widespread and consumers are asking for more. Let’s take a look at the key figures of the market. Which categories are successful today? What impact is the Covid-19 crisis having?
A growing global and promising market
The future of the global dietary supplement market is encouraging with around €250 billion forecast for 20241. An ambitious forecast! Indeed, this figure is getting closer to that of the cosmetics market for the same date.
Europe is also following this global trend with a substantial market. The latest data is around €12.6 billion in 20192, with a growth of almost 5% in comparison with 2018. Italy, Germany and then France are the leaders in the market. Choosing natural products is very cultural in Italy where doctors widely prescribe dietary supplements.
In France, the dietary supplement market represented €1.9 billion in 20193, with a growth of 1.3% in comparison with the previous year. But which categories are successful?
The leading promises of the French dietary supplement market
We look more closely at the pharmacy and drug store channels, which account for 58% of the total market. At the end of 2019, they represented €1.1 billion4, with a growth of 2.6% in comparison with the previous year. In the leading positions for the most successful segments are: digestion, stress/sleep, vitality and immunity.
- The digestion market remains in demand
As we mentioned in this article, the digestion market been continuously successful over the past years. One French person out of two suffers from at least one type of digestive problems5. Frequent pain and discomfort that support the digestion market. In this category plants and lactic ferments raise the market’s performance. Probiotics have benefited from high notoriety and great communication campaigns over the past years.
- The stress/sleep market ‘never sleeps’
Modern pace of life has become frantic, bringing stress and sometimes having a negative impact on sleep. With such societal changes, consumers are looking for natural solutions. They quite logically turn to dietary supplements. This hyper-segmented market (burnout, physical and psychological fatigue, staggered working hours) is quite dynamic with a growth of 7% last year. If you would like to learn more, read our article about it here.
- The seasonable immunity and vitality market
If ‘tonicity’ represents the largest share of this market, immunity is, however, the share that is growing. Moreover these two segments are at the origin of the dietary supplements market. Multivitamins, plants or even hive products are indeed great classics. These seasonal products are true consumer reflexes. Indeed we must not forget that most dietary supplements are taken during the winter.
- Greener ingredients
In general on the dietary supplements market, plants are the number one ingredient. They constitute 41% of the market4 and are especially the ingredient that contributes the most to growth. Why is the plant market growing strong? We answer that question here.
How has Covid-19 impacted the dietary supplements market?
Nobody has missed the fact that the current sanitary crisis is having consequences on all fields. Fashion, beauty, health, food… All activities are hit by it.
Regarding the dietary supplement market, it has benefited from consumer behaviour: a global increase in turnover of 10% has been noted6. The immunity segment specifically saw an increase in sales of almost 80% in pharmacies. The ‘tonicity’ category is also experiencing a growth of 10%.
On the other hand, a decrease has been noted in the beauty, slimming and sun protection categories despite the season. The slimming category was already down the previous year -5.2% in November 2019. Indeed the slimming promise is being challenged by the great self-acceptance and healthy eating trends, where balancing diet is more fashionable than dietary supplements.
In terms of distribution channels, on-line sales are obviously number one during these times.
The impact would appear to be more situational than structural to us for this period. This crisis, as exceptional as it is, is not challenging growth continuing on this market. Indeed, the consumer’s interest in dietary supplements is growing. They are growing in number and have a natural and positive vision of dietary supplements. Due to this, the market is more innovative than ever in order to answer everybody’s requirements.
If you would like to launch a product on this market, contact our expertis to develop and manufacture your dietary supplement products.
Sources
[1] Actifs n°67, Marché mondial : bientôt 250 Milliards € ?, 2019 (d’après Grand View Research Inc)
[2] IQVIA, Les tendances actuelles du marché des compléments alimentaires, 2019 – Ventes CA Sell-out et Volume – CMA Novembre 2019
[3] Synadiet, marché des compléments alimentaires, 2019
[4] IQVIA, Les tendances actuelles du marché des compléments alimentaires, 2019 – Pharmacie + parapharmacie – CMA Novembre 2019
[5] IFOP, 2017
[6] IQVIA, Suivi de l’impact sur les ventes de la crise COVID-19, semaine 17, 2020