The Analyst’s Take: Supplement sales grow 5.4 percent to reach $43.4B in 2017

Disrupted retail, mushroom madness and the collagen craze are just a few trends behind the growth and size of the U.S. Supplement Industry in 2017. Supplement sales grew 5.4 percent, reaching $43.4 billion in annual sales. This represents a slight slowdown in growth from 6.0 percent in 2016; on the channels side, the largest drops in growth came from brick and mortar in both mass market and natural and specialty channels. E-commerce continues growing in the double digits, with $3.2 billion in annual supplement sales and 7 percent of the market (up from 3 percent in 2007).

Herbs and botanicals continue to be an industry bright spot, with 8.5 percent growth last year. Hot ingredients in this category include mushrooms, ashwagandha and resveratrol. Collagen is another strong new category, with 30.0 percent growth in 2017. A rough cold and flu season drove strong growth across immunity categories, including Vitamin C, echinacea and elderberry. Growth slowed most significantly in meal supplements, reflecting a shifting consumer approach to weight management and protein supplements.

Learn more about this and other trends affecting the supplement market in the NBJ 2018 Supplement Business Report, available now.