Morgan will be speaking in the Ageless Consumption session at the upcoming Active Nutrition Summit to be held June 23-25 in Vienna.
More and more people are not only focused on improving their health today but are also planning ahead for a healthier tomorrow, Morgan told NutraIngredients, meaning a growing number of consumers are actively adopting healthier habits, signaling a long-term commitment to wellness.
This is creating a greater demand for supplements, functional foods and products that promote long-term health, such as those focused on joint health, cognitive function, heart health and healthy aging.
And while traditionally, aging-related products were marketed to older adults, this new trend suggests that younger generations are also becoming proactive about their health, Morgan explained. Companies in the active nutrition industry may now target younger consumers who are looking to “future-proof” their health with preventative measures.
Driving agelessness
As Morgan noted, a few things are driving the shift in consumer attitudes toward healthy aging.
More people are actively trying to improve their habits when it comes to exercise and nutrition, and at the same time, the traditional idea of aging in stages is breaking down. People are stretching out their youth and middle age, embracing what some call “kidulthood.”
The result is a growing desire to live without the limits of age—“that is, looking to prolong their time in middle ages—then you have people effectively trying to be ageless,” Morgan said.
For businesses, this means the trend falls under “longevity”, but what really connects with consumers is the idea of agelessness: not fearing age but embracing life with confidence and energy, no matter the number, he explained.
Positioning ingredients for agelessness
Several ingredients are prominent in the space, particularly when it comes to active nutrition. New research has shown that whey protein offers major benefits for older adults in reducing muscle loss, and it has also been suggested that protein supplementation may boost cognition this population.
Collagen is another key ingredient in the agelessness sector, with research showing its ability to improve recovery, and omega-3s are gaining attention for the potential to improve energy levels.
Many of these well-known ingredients all have a “role to play” when formulating for agelessness, Morgan explained. “It’s just a case of framing maturity of those ingredients that are most relevant.”
The concept of cellular health is relatively new in the context of nutrition. Cellular health refers to the well-being of our individual cells, the function of which declines as people age.
However, advancements in science are now focusing on understanding how we can maintain or even improve cellular function to slow the aging process, potentially extending lifespan and promoting healthier aging.
Yet as the science behind cellular health is still evolving, there’s much more to learn about how factors like nutrition, exercise and lifestyle influence the cellular mechanisms that impact our aging process.
More education and research are necessary for people to fully grasp the role of cellular health in maintaining vitality and delaying aging, Morgan added.
“There remains a lot of context needed for everyone to better understand it,” he said.
From personalized to tailored
Instead of focusing on ultra-personalized, high-cost, bespoke supplements that serve a niche market, Morgan forecasts that the industry will move toward scalable, “tailored” solutions. This could include product ranges designed for specific lifestyle types, health goals, or life stages—not for one individual’s genome or microbiome.
“Personalisation will always be important, but in 2025 I think ‘tailored’ is a better description,” he said.
“I feel personalization is currently back under construction as many of the original models failed to deliver.
“I think ensuring consumers understand the right product for them, at the right time is important—which is personalization, but I feel tailored is better. It isn’t being prescribed a bespoke supplement.”
Advice for brands
Formulating for the healthy aging consumer needs to focus on showing them they can keep doing what they love for longer, Morgan said.
“One of the biggest missteps brands make is how they talk about age, often try to address aging directly, which can backfire. People don’t want to be reminded that they’re getting older.”
The key, he said, is to communicate the benefits of feeling vibrant, capable and ageless and to avoid messaging that feels like a diagnosis—not “you’re aging, so take this.”
This space demands more than just innovative formulations—it requires equally innovative communication. Morgan advised to position products around performance, recovery, vitality and longevity, demonstrating how brands supports a lifestyle that defies age, without ever needing to say the word.
“The balance is communicating age without communicating age,” he said.
Tickets are now available for the Active Nutrition Summit, where Nick Morgan will speak about agelessness and explore many other session pillars in active nutrition.