2022 keeps everything natural, organic, pet-friendly or eco-friendly on trend, so it's no wonder that food supplements from "natural" sources are a particular focus of leaders in this, and the sleep, stress and relaxation industries.

Let's talk about the major players in the botanical supplement industry, who are looking at potential alternative therapies, primarily to alleviate problems with insomnia, mood disorders and other psychological conditions. The market is replete with herbal supplements such as detoxification, probiotic drinks among others.

These and other factors influence the growth of the industry, which by 2022 has a market value of approximately US$30 billion worldwide and is estimated to have a growth of 7.3% each year until 2028.

Not only supplements, but also preventive alternatives

Optimizations in botanical supplements with proprietary goodness from sources of amino acids, herbs, spices, flowers and other origins that impart specific functional characteristics, such as muscle repair, energy balance and weight loss, are consumer favorites and have seen considerable increases in their searches, in addition, the public is increasingly interested in preventive health care and awareness about health and nutrition, therefore, products of natural origin or sources are the favorite choices today.

And not surprisingly, thanks to the habits brought about by the pandemic, consumers have experienced changes in eating and self-care habits, so we predict that these new habits will remain in the lives of consumers, with a particular increase in terms of peace of mind, stress reduction, ease of rest and natural nutrition.

Consumer's preferred sources

Herbs, leaves, spices, flowers from which we take specific components to make them into powders, beverages, tablets, capsules and even gummies, or so consumers have demonstrated in terms of their searches and purchases.

During 2020, plant leaves were the main resource for manufacturers of these supplements, why? Because thanks to their generational or traditional use, consumers put more faith, for example, in aloe vera drinks, cloves, basil, mint and thyme, excellent sources of antioxidants.

Next are spices, which in addition to adding specific flavors and scents to thousands of dishes of the world's gastronomy, also offer beneficial properties for the human organism and here we find a double intention when using them in food, mainly in Asia, where they also sought to strengthen the immune system.

On the other hand, it is estimated that the flower section will experience an increase in terms of research, production and consumption, as consumers have accepted more rapidly in the food and beverage industry, medicines, cosmetics and supplements of botanical origin as a result of increases in chronic diseases.

So, in powder, capsule or drinks?

Tablets took the lead in terms of revenue in the last two years, followed by capsules because of their ease of consumption, this in European and American countries, since in Asia (India and China, to be more specific) territory where the traditional way of obtaining compounds directly from the sources through infusions or traditional methods, tablets gained greater acceptance.

Still, powdered supplements are expected to represent the most sought-after botanical supplement category, even among nutraceuticals, where consumers would substitute their preferences from energy drinks to products for concentration and mental well-being. But that's not all, because gummies also propose significant growth opportunities in the market for these on-trend supplements.

Returning to the subject of the new post-pandemic habits... Will it be a total success to opt for this type of supplements?

If we consider the changes in the lifestyle of consumers and their interests in the last five years in terms of what they consume, how they consume it and even how they buy it, where their priority is peace of mind, comfort and, of course, the naturalness of the product, we can agree that we will have different new brands in the market of these supplements of botanical origin. We can only wait to see the proposals of these products where there is the possibility of enhancing each component thanks to the improvements of formulations and mixtures with compounds that participate in the energy and development of different functions of the human body.