Consumer demand for products with similar benefits to semaglutide drugs is potent. While no ingredient has been proven to have directly comparable effects – and many face criticism for making such claims – developers are investigating the efficacy of potential dupes. Ingredients that counterbalance the common side effects of GLP-1 agonists are also being explored. Read Food + Health Trends 25/26 for more.

Finding melatonin-free functional solutions for enhancing sleep duration and quality continues to be a top priority for consumers – a call researchers and supplements brands are responding to with clinically tested herbal and probiotic compounds. Meanwhile, ingredients developers are supplying solutions for the flourishing mood and mental health supplements category, including new lower-dose forms of ashwagandha and bioavailable magnesium.

Consumers are looking for functional foods and supplements with ingredients that would help them achieve long and, most importantly, healthy lives. To assist them towards this goal of healthy longevity, nutraceuticals that address agility and muscle health, mental acuity and cellular regeneration are coming to the fore. This is the continuation of a key trend explored in Wellness Ingredients 24/25.

Consumers are taking a proactive approach to their everyday health and wellbeing: globally, a fifth increased their use of supplements to stay healthy, boost their immunity and prevent diseases in 2024 (Innova, 2024). Dairy derivatives colostrum and lactoferrin are exciting ingredients to watch, as are new gut-protective biotic ingredients and solutions that pair hydration with immunity benefits.