This report outlines five forces currently shaping consumer health. The first three are growth drivers, with new audiences fuelling protein demand, beauty redefining health, and surging demand for healthspan and cellular solutions. It also tackles disruption, with tariffs pressuring supply strategy, and OTC companies needing an expanded mission to escape stagnation. Packed with data and strategic insights, it is a guide to capturing growth and mitigating risk in a rapidly evolving market.
Delivery
This report comes in PPT.
Key Findings
The fight for the future of protein
2025 saw a key moment when, for the first time, more women than men actively sought to add protein to their diets. This was in part due to the rise of strength training – a second wave of life for protein linked to sports, performance and body forming. However, it is larger than that: this is also about new protein health stories linked to immunity and satiety, metabolism and GLP-1.
Health is beautiful
The line between health and beauty is increasingly blurred, with beauty claims and ingredients making their way into health products, with an explosion in the use of collagen, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, and a rise in supplements addressing skin health, hair health and nail health. This is driving innovation, packaging and retail strategy, and it is still heating up.
Longevity and living better for longer
Living longer is not enough – consumers seek both healthier and longer lives. The pursuit of longevity just buys us more time of feeling unwell due to rising disease instances linked to lifestyle choices, inequity and pollution. Investment in chronic health support is growing as a means to fight the signs of ageing, with the fastest overall growth in cellular health, fighting actual ageing.
Tariff impacts ripple beyond the US
The White House is engaged in a protectionist stance, with the intent of bringing as much value creation as possible back to US soil, making importing both complex and more expensive. China’s counter move using rare earth minerals blunted US brinkmanship tactics in November 2025, but the background context is two superpowers at odds and supply chains thus needing an overhaul.
The changing shape of OTC demand
Consumer spending is moving from treatment to prevention, most visible in the stagnation in US OTCs. The spending pattern, of which the US is an extreme case, is visible across the world, with certain categories suppressed, like cough, cold and allergy remedies and analgesics. OTC companies seeking to escape stagnation need to expand their message and mission.
Our expert’s view of consumer health in 2025
Key findings
Key facts to share
Top five trends in consumer health
Top five trends uncovered
Protein claims expand in 2025 across packaged food, dairy, and recently soft/hot drinks
As of 2025, more women than men are seeking to increase their protein intake
Protein has one of the most obvious and attractive growth profiles in consumer health
Musclespan is a strong appeal point, with sports physique emphasised in brand imagery
Kate Farms formulating for women on GLP-1 with specific protein needs
At 55:45, the UK has an above average ratio of women to men who are adding protein
Adding functional ingredients to established food and beverage categories is ongoing
PepsiCo’s acquisitions blur the line between sports protein and dairy beverages
The search for differentiation is eroding the distinctive lines between industries
Protein is given next lease of life, with new buyers and a need to abandon stereotypes
Health rises as a core definition of beauty, whilst beauty is rising as a motive for health
Skin health is dominant, mentioned on nearly all SKUs with any type of beauty claim
Main ingredients listed on SKUs supporting beauty claims increasingly include NAD+
Amorepacific’s K-Beauty brand builds complementary topical and ingestible solutions
This topical and ingestible combination trend is spreading in the Americas too
Clever format as well as message ideas are coming out of South Korea
Holland & Barrett is overhauling UK stores to accommodate beauty after running trials
Retailers are bringing down the wall between health and beauty just as fast as brands
Beauty sees faster growth, an opportunity health companies can exploit to accelerate
The pursuit of a longer healthspan sees a surge of life, investment and launches in 2025
Healthspan-related claims on supplements are rising, focused on specific areas
Claims can be mapped against ingredients, and NAD+ stands out as it escapes niche
Today’s priorities flip completely when consumers enter new life stages
Differentiation in chronic and general health turns to narrower demographic targeting
IM8 exemplifies what happens next in healthspan when shoppers believe in anti-ageing
A media narrative that NAD+ peaked and is falling in 2025 seems to be missing context
Healthspan is an area for solid gains, while the cellular health potential is spectacular
US protectionism across the forecast period requires reviewing global supply strategy
Tactical price tracking shows tariff-driven price rises arriving in waves throughout 2025
Some of the top 20 consumer health brands in the US see strong price jumps in 2025
A trade correction will seem punitive if imbalances have normalised over time
US tariffs are fast-changing; by the end of 2025, a mixture of rates proliferate
“This will pass” is not viable; shareholders and profit protection dictate a supply rethink
Demand stagnates, and while decline is US-centric, OTC purchase drivers are global
US versus rest of world has stark gaps, but similarities (eg eye care) are interesting too
Studying cough/cold remedy sales correlations – the US shows a saturation story
Studying cough/cold remedy sales correlations – Italy is developed, with more potential
Studying cough/cold remedy sales correlations – China has low but rising penetration
Total spend fell slightly long-term in US (ignoring COVID-19 spike), with a big mix change
One reaction is to extend the mission to achieve relevance beyond seasonal peaks
Early warning of colds and flu opens a greater opportunity for focused spend moments
Investing in supplements for growth is appealing, but OTC needs an expanded mission
Future implications
Key opportunities for growth (and the defence of existing value) in consumer health
Reading these bubble charts: Historic data
Consumer Health
It is the aggregation of OTC, Vitamins and Dietary Supplements (VDS), Sports Nutrition, and Weight Management and Wellbeing
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