This has led to a continued demand for dietary supplements targeting conditions ranging from polycystic ovarian syndrome and low libido to vaginal dehydration and nutrient deficiencies affecting early cognitive development.
According to data from market research firm SPINS, women’s health supplement sales reached over $980 million (up 0.6%) for the 52 weeks ending Sept. 8, 2024, representing a slight rebound following a 1.2% contraction in 2023. The same period in 2022 saw over 40% year-on-year growth in dollar sales.
In terms of specific health focus, prenatal and postnatal supplements continued to lead the category by a large margin with $207 million in dollar sales, up 5.5% from a year prior. Menopause remained a distant but significant second with close to $53 million (up 2.8%), followed by digestive health supplement sales of over $52 million (down 19%). Urinary tract health registered $49.6 million in sales (up 0.8%) followed by bone health with $38.6 million (down 6.5%).
The category saw the largest percentage growth in hair, skin and nails (86.2%), followed by hydration (74.3%), reproductive health (67.4%), PMS (60.75%) and immune health (59.5%). Categories including joint health and eye health saw a drop in dollar sales, down 100% and 86.5%, respectively.
The prenatal and postnatal boom
In the prenatal and postnatal category, supplementation has moved beyond simply ensuring adequate folic acid intake during early pregnancy to a more staged approach that recognizes the different and varied nutrient needs from conception through breastfeeding.
Earlier this year, Unilever Ventures led a $6 million Series A investment in Perelel Health, a Los Angeles-based start-up founded in 2020 and experiencing a high demand for its doctor-formulated solutions designed for a women’s entire reproductive life cycle.
“The way we’ve approached the prenatal supplement category with targeted nutrition created by an OB-GYN has definitely resonated with today’s woman who understands that there are nuances and clear differences within each of these stages that are more complex than a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Victoria Thain Gioia, co-CEO and co-founder at Perelel.
This nuanced approach has led to the growth of a portfolio offering conception, trimester-specific, postpartum, egg freeze and fetal loss support packs. Perelel has also expanded into tangential areas like cycle, perimenopause, sleep, hormonal balance, bloat support and gut and vaginal microbiome health. A baby-making bundle pairs the Conception Support Pack with Libido Support and the Men’s Multi Support Pack for spermatogenesis.
In July, the company entered the growing hydration and skin health categories with the launch of its safe-for-breastfeeding Cellular Hydration Powder, a combination of electrolytes, collagen and hyaluronic acid. Thain Gioia said the company can barely keep it in stock.
Women’s supplement company Ritual has also established itself as a leader in the reproductive health category since founder and CEO Kat Schneider set out to create clean label and efficacious vitamins she could trust as an expectant mother.
“Pregnant women and women postpartum, especially during lactation, are some of the most underserved communities in scientific research,” she said. “We’re investing in clinical trials on both Essential Prenatal and Essential Postnatal, not only to support the efficacy of our products but to advance scientific research on these communities at large.”
The brand launched with a woman’s multivitamin in 2016 and has since scaled to over a nine-figure business with a portfolio focused on a shop-by-stage offering that covers nutrient needs from pre-conception through postpartum. It newest product, introduced just last month, is a 3-in-1 fertility support drink mix formulated with clinically-studied dosages of CoQ10 for follicular health, NAC for ovarian health and inositol to support normal ovulation cycles, healthy hormone levels and egg health.
“We want to be the leader in an emerging-yet-essential segment and to make navigating this time a touch easier with a product that’s grounded in clinical research,” Schneider said of the launch.
Asked about go-to or up-and-coming ingredients to support women’s health, she said that as a mom of three, she is focused on expanding the maternal health category as new research becomes available. Currently, this means highlighting the importance of choline during pregnancy, particularly given the widespread deficiencies and the implications for young brain development.
“We include a good source of choline in our prenatal and postnatal multivitamins and launched Natal Choline which includes 550 mg of choline chloride,” she said. “It’s designed to support a baby's cognitive function from infancy through early childhood when taken during pregnancy. Natal Choline is now the number one selling natal choline supplement on Amazon.”
Normalizing the menopause journey
This year for the first time, “Women’s Health for Ages 40+” appeared among the top 5 trends in The Vitamin Shoppe’s 2024 Health and Wellness Trend Report, reflecting the ever-growing demand for natural perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause solutions.
“This year, we launched three new brands and more than 40 new products within The Vitamin Shoppe’s dedicated Women’s Health product displays—one of the biggest expansions of the section in years,” said Muriel Gonzalez, president at The Vitamin Shoppe. “The new brands include Health & Her, Wile and Solaray her life STAGES, with products and formulas addressing different areas of hormonal health, emotional health and sexual health.”
She added that The Vitamin Shoppe has also seen increased interest in single-ingredient menopause formulas such as black cohosh, wild yam root and diindolylmethane (DIM) to support specific women’s wellness needs like estrogen levels, cramps and hot flashes.
A once taboo topic but one that still requires education, menopause continues to headline industry-led initiatives and appear front-and-center on label in a push to normalize symptoms like vaginal dryness, low libido, mood swings and changing hair and skin texture.
Bonafide Health, which publishes an annual state of menopause study, reports that its women’s health supplements are performing well with strong year-over-year growth and a 72% subscription rate. The company was acquired by Pharmavite for $425 million in 2023.
Kate Jamieson, vice president of ecommerce and marketing, noted that Bonafide uses a pharmaceutical approach to product development, partners with over 17,000 OB-GYNs and healthcare providers and will invest over $3 million in scientific R&D this year to address the lack of innovation in non-hormonal menopause treatments.
“Much of our success is tied to our singular focus on addressing the challenges of menopause and creating specialized solutions for this niche market that has a strong demand for effective, natural relief from disruptive symptoms,” she said.
The vaginal health franchise continues to be a top performer for the company with its best-selling product Revaree leading the way. Revaree Plus launched in June with double the hyaluronic acid to provide relief from vaginal dryness and its associated symptoms of burning, irritation and painful sex.
The newest addition to the portfolio is Thermella, a hot flash and night sweat relief product formulated with curcumin, spirulina and decaffeinated, purified green tea extracts that targets the thermoregulatory center as a neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) antagonist.
Other brands like Olly—known for its Big Vagina Energy “movement of unapologetic confidence”—continue to roll out bold messaging and initiatives. Its latest launch—the Mellow Menopause formula of EstroG-100 and GABA to help manage symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, mood, fatigue and sleep—was accompanied by the introduction of a company-wide menopause policy to support employees through this life phase.
"Menopause is a stage of life all women will experience, yet we're offered very little education or support on the topic," said Shikha Snigdha, PhD, senior director of scientific affairs at Olly. "Our approach to developing Mellow Menopause was guided by a deep commitment to addressing the unique and varied symptoms women experience during menopause.”
The new Olly product joins a women’s wellness line with the tagline “for every era” that includes Women's Multi, Teen Girl Multi, Prenatal, Beat the Bloat, Happy Hoo-Ha and Lovin' Libido products.
