Companies that bring breakthrough products to market successfully have a special combination of leading edge technology and a keen understanding of what will excite consumers. In the supplement space, we know that at the end of the day, consumers want to feel better. They want to be able to live the kinds of lives that they envision, whether that means active play with grandchildren, or being able to withstand the ardors of extreme sports, or something in between.

But our customers have motivations far beyond looking great and moving effortlessly that influence which delivery form they choose. They are increasingly busy and active, and on the go. Portability and convenience have become critical. Consumers get tired of taking pills. The more they need to take, the lower the compliance. Heavy users take a handful of pills a day, and we know that all but the most dedicated (and those with chronic conditions), will generally stop using at least a portion of their supplements at some point, out of sheer fatigue. This has been one of the drivers behind the growth in functional foods and beverages, and the rise of alternative delivery forms. Some of these alternative forms include an element of fun, the ability to actually enjoy the experience of taking supplements.

1. Gummies: This category, while hardly new, continues to expand to include adult formulations. According to an interview with Drug Store News, Doug Jones, Pharmavite spokesman, said, “Within the gummy delivery form, 65 percent of the sales are now represented by the adult life stage products, and only 3 percent are children- based. While adult gummy sales have increased 51 percent for that 52-week period, children’s gummy sales are flat versus a year ago.” There are newcomers to the category as well. SmartyPants, Inc. recently raised $2.2 million, primarily through online crowd funding, to continue their expansion efforts.

2. Single-serve pouches: Stick packs filled with fibers, probiotics and energy drink contents have been growing for a while. They provide End-users with one fundamental benefit— they don’t need to measure and scoop from a large canister while at home. We can throw a handful in our office drawers, purses, or even in the kids’ lunches. Over the past couple of years, we have seen exponential growth in tear-top gel pouches and also spouted pouches. Gel shots were first introduced to athletes to provide on-the-go energy and protein, but we are seeing them move more mainstream, as consumers continue to look for portable, healthy meal supplement solutions. According to Bryan Wright, vice president of business development for Innovative FlexPak, “We continue to see very rapid growth in this category, not only as a daily dosing form, but as a Way to sample. Consumers like the alternative to swallowing pills, and not having to mix up powder solutions. Spouted pouches are also in very high demand, as this packaging moves out of the baby aisle and into the mainstream.” Keep your eye on this category as companies work with the FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) to get approvals on using this packaging for low-acid foods. I’m waiting for someone to provide me a way to take my chia-protein shake on the road with me!

3. Nanotechnology: As American consumers, we want instant results. I complain when I need to wait 10 seconds for a website to show up because of slow bandwidth. The kitchen microwave seems slow. The reason over-the-counter medicines sell so well is because they work almost instantly. And while consumers understand that vitamins and supplements play an important role in health, it’s sometimes difficult to see a perceptible difference, and more often than not, we need to wait weeks to see joints move more easily, or cholesterol levels fall. What if we could get results with less of a particular nutrient and a faster effect at the cellular level? Michael DiPhilippo, vice president of sales and marketing at Wellomics, and his team are working on just that. And Dr. Mark Neveu, chief scientist formerly with Harvard and Pfizer, is raising the bar for bioavailability and absorption. According to DiPhilippo, they have tested more than 2,000 raw materials, reducing the molecular size less than 1 micron to nano-size particles often less than 200 nM, so they can be absorbed directly into the cells. These tiny molecules can be used in stabilized nano-liquids (e.g. micro-sprays, functional beverages and concentrates) with optimal absorption without binders, fillers, flow agents, shellac and other commonly used excipients that have little data on safety in nutritional products. “We provide complete idea to process development and packaging solutions for our clients so they can focus on their core competencies that include marketing and sales,” said DiPhilippo. This proprietary technology will ultimately result in lower cost and more effective products for consumers.

4. Effervescence: This category, while not new, continues to grow. Behind its growth is, in part, the high involvement that consumers feel in the experience of mixing up the solution, and the tingle that somehow makes us “feel” like it’s working. In fact, effervescence tablets allow drugs and nutrients to enter the bloodstream faster than they would in the form of a pill that needs to dissolve. In 2012, Pfizer purchased Alacer, maker and distributor of Emergen-C products. Looks like it was a good buy; according to Drug Store News, the effervescent category played a strong role in the 2013-2014 cold season, with Emergen-C generating $109.6 million in sales, up 17.3 percent, while the Emergen-C Immune Plus was up 37.5 percent at $37.2 million. And Airborne effervescents were up 14.7 percent. One of my favorite new products in this category? GoGargle! This minty fresh salt-water gargle contains honey, chamomile, aloe and 12 other ingredients to soothe and moisturize your dry, irritated throat. Look for this category to continue growing as effervescence technology moves into categories well beyond cold and flu.

5. Straws: A relative newcomer, Unistraw remains dedicated to their brand Sipaah, a new, fun way to get kids to drink their milk, and continues to successfully gain distribution in the grocery dairy aisle. But more recently, the company has used their patented technology to create the straw supplements Collagen Sip, a beautyfrom- within straw as well as an Energy Straw, Electric Sip. This technology provides a fun consumer experience, and another venue for convenience and portability.

6. Personalized nutrition: Far more than simply wanting to have everything our way, from our customized screen savers and double shot nonfat soy lattes, science is changing the way we look at our nutritional needs. The study of nutrigenomics asks the question about how our diet affects the expression of genes. Eventually this research will yield an understanding about how we can make significant changes to the health of certain groups of people predisposed to specific diseases, and eventually to understanding how my supplement needs differ from my sister’s. Meanwhile, a small company called Panacea Biomatx is approaching personalized nutrition from a simpler approach. This company has recognized that not only do consumers hate taking handfuls of pills, but that virtually everyone needs a slightly different optimum mix of supplements. Panacea has developed a system that takes individual health history and integrates it with an independent peer-reviewed research database created by Harvard and the Mayo Clinic that allows personalized vitamin and supplement needs to be identified. Proprietary technology then allows for individual packets of a tasty shelfstable gel to be produced that contain the customized mixture. What about those pills—tablets, soft gels, two-piece hard shells—that have defined our industry for so long? They will always have a strong place in our industry. But even the most successful pill manufacturers will need to continue to look for ways to re-invent and improve themselves while the competitive landscape expands. 

Ultimately, the future holds lower cost, more effective and more interesting dosage forms that consumers can become emotionally involved in; dosage forms that engage the user, while truly providing the promise of better health. The companies that are successful in the market remain those that can combine leading edge scientific research with the psychology of the consumer, hitting on as many motivating factors as possible.

FORMOREINFORMATION:

■ Innovative FlexPak, (801) 491-3220,
www.innovativeflexpak.com
■ Panacea Biomatx,
www.panacea.me
■ Pharmavite, (800) 423-2405,
www.pharmavite.com
■ Unistraw, +(65) 6333 8813,
www.unistraw.com

Beverly Emerson is President of Olive Tree Product Development, a pragmatic innovation firm that works with food and nutrition executives to transform product concepts into packaged foods and dietary supplements, translate consumer insights into meaningful brands, and turn ideas into successful go-to-market strategies. Visit www.olivetree-pd.com, [email protected]