2024 Expo West trend spotting with SPINS: Algal omega-3, greens, sleep, kids and more

Algal omega-3​

The supply constraints around fish-derived omega-3s are well-documented, and this is leading to price increases. One of the big winners has been algae-derived omega-3s, which have seen more competitive pricing as suppliers achieve economies of scale.

Algal omega-3 was more prominent in Anaheim than ever before, with krill oil supplier Aker Biomarine expanding its portfolio to include FloraMarine​, a new plant-based, marine source of DHA omega-3 from algae. Also on display in Anaheim was Youtheory’s Ocean Friendly Omega​ and OceanBlue Omega with its Omega-3 1300 Vegan, ​which won the NutraIngredients-USA Award for Omega-3 product of the year in 2023​.

 “We’ve been seeing the algae-based omega-3 trending up recently, and it’s actually been trending up more in the natural channel, which is always a leading indicator that it will find more widespread adoption in the mainstream,” said Dicker, who is director of market insights for SPINS.

Greens and Superfoods​

“Greens and Superfoods are a big trend going on right now,” Dicker said. “We’ve seen the rise in popularity in a lot of D2C brands and Amazon brands, and of course Bloom.”

According to data from SPINS, sales of greens in the mainstream retail channel grew by 145% in 2023 vs 2022, totalling $116.6 million for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 31, 2023. In the Natural Channel, SPINS recorded an additional $41 million in sales

California-based Bloom is noteworthy because it taps into several trends, including its positioning towards women.

Stress management, relaxation and sleep​

Similar to 2023, this year’s Expo West saw a lot of supplement products positioned for relaxation and sleep, notably formulations based on magnesium and adaptogens.

One of the standout ingredient launches at the event was Nuritas’ PeptiSleep, a network of peptides derived from rice that act to lower cortisol.

“This is a different approach to the other sleep ingredients out there,” explained Dr. Andy Franklyn-Miller, chief medical and innovation officer at Nuritas. “We want to reduce stress, we want to improve sleep latency, but also we want to improve deep sleep but keep that morning focus.”

GLP-1…​

Nuritas also launched a blood sugar management ingredient called PeptiControl derived from peas. “This works via three pathways,” Dr Franklyn-Miller said. “DPP-4, GLUT4 and the magic GLP-1. So, improve satiety, feel full and lose some of that [glucose] spike.”

“Everyone’s talking about GLP-1 drugs,” added SPINS’ Dicker. “We’re seeing companies switch their strategies to address the amount of people that are going on the pharmaceuticals, and there’s also interest in what can be construed as a natural alternative. These are things that are going to increase with that interest and awareness […] and all the adjacent categories  as well, so healthspan, and preserving muscle mass.”

Beets​

Beets are one of the top growing ingredients in all supplements currently, said Dicker. Historically positioned in the active nutrition space, specifically in pre-workout products, beets are now being positioned as a blood pressure support ingredient.

"It’s another example of ingredients that start in active nutrition moving out into other health focuses and finding a lot of success," he added. "We’ve been seeing that a lot with creatine moving into things like cognitive support, we saw that with protein moving into everything."

Supplements for kids​

We highlighted the children’s supplements category as a highlight of Expo West 2023, and the trend is still strong 12 months on. The category experienced stellar growth during the pandemic with over 50% increase in dollar sales in 2021, followed by 7% in 2022. There was always going to be a certain reset in the market after so much success, as we’ve seen around the wider supplements category.

“There was a dip [in the market] for a little bit, but we’ve seen it come back,” Dicker said. “Parents are looking for these products for their kids, particularly for mood support. We know that a lot of kids are high anxiety these days, and it would appear that many people are turning to these products to help them.

“It’s a category I think is going to continue to grow […] Keep looking for kids supplements for the same health focuses we’re seeing for adults.”

Check out the full video for more.