The Life in Your Years — Healthspan Trend Revitalizes Natural Products Sales
This article first appeared in the February 2025 issue of Presence Marketing’s newsletter.
By Steven Hoffman
As the saying goes, “It’s not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years.” Today, that sentiment is emerging as a lasting market trend, driven by a growing awareness of the concept of “healthspan” vs. “lifespan.”
Over the past few years, consumers have been shifting their focus on health and aging away from just extending the years in one’s life to enhancing the quality of life and health across a lifetime. From the growth in sales of dietary supplements, functional foods and “blue zone” diet products to “bio-hacking,” self-diagnostics and other personalized healthcare tools, the idea of active aging, or healthspan, is taking root.
And it’s not just aging baby boomers seeking to close the gap between lifespan and healthspan in order to remain energetic, vibrant, healthy and free from debilitating illness into advanced age. Recent research indicates that consumers of all ages are interested in promoting longevity and optimal health
"As consumers become drawn to the idea of healthspan, many are leaning into the idea of lowering their biological age – this can span from maintaining cellular health to ensuring they have strong muscles that can help them age gracefully and prevent falls. Aging has mostly been talked about in the context of outward appearance but consumers are now looking inward and optimizing for better functionality and performance as they age,” said the authors of the SPINS 2025 Industry Update & Trends Predictions, published in December 2024. "Lifespan has switched to healthspan focused on personal health and longevity. Chronological age vs. biological age is a new metric — and consumers want to biohack their way into feeling younger,” they added.
Healthy Aging Supplements Exponentially Outpacing Industry Growth
Natural products retailers are well positioned to capitalize on the healthy aging trend. “From lifespan to healthspan, the quest for longer, more active lives is driven by cutting-edge research, technologies, and tools, including a heightened focus on nutritional health and supplements. This year, The Vitamin Shoppe installed longevity-centric product displays in all stores to spotlight key areas of healthy aging needs, including cognitive health, cellular health, and mobility support formulas. Cognitive support products are the biggest sales driver by volume in the new longevity merchandise set, while cellular health support saw the biggest sales gains in 2023, up over 45% from the previous year,” the company said in its Vitamin Shoppe Health & Wellness Trend Report 2024, released in June 2024.
According to Nutrition Business Journal’s (NBJ) 2024 Condition Specific Report, which tracks the supplement market by ingredient category, sales channel and condition, “Brain Health hit the top of the growth chart and is expected to remain No. 1 through 2027, which is as far as we forecast,” Bill Giebler, NBJ’s Content and Insights Director, wrote in September 2024. “What’s compelling, though, is that Healthy Aging, which held the No. 9 growth position in 2020 and 2021, is expected to climb to the No. 2 growth position next year. Supplement usage always fluctuates between correction, maintenance and optimization, with the former two being the bedrock of the industry. Increasingly, though, optimization is coming into play,” he noted.
Market researchers also found that more than half of consumers are taking supplements to extend their healthspan, “and they’re not all seniors,” according to NBJ’s Longevity Report, published in September 2024. According to the study, sales of supplements for healthy aging have been exponentially outpacing overall supplement industry growth since 2022, and are projected to exceed $1 billion in 2027.
"Younger generations are just as, if not more, likely to be more concerned about the quality rather than the quantity of their later years. Millennials, in particular, are watching their aging parents struggle with debilitating health and cognitive issues and realizing they don’t want to grow old that way. Already more proactive about their health than the generations preceding them, millennials are a ripe market with a lot of runway for products that could not only help them stave off wrinkles and male-pattern baldness but also heart disease and dementia,” wrote Longevity Report author Robyn Lawrence.
“And when it comes to maximizing both healthspan and longevity, millennials are going all in on the biggest buzz in healthy aging circles these days: biohacking, or biological self-experimentation with the aim of fine-tuning both physiology and the nervous system to function optimally. NBJ found that taking supplements is the top activity or habit biohackers incorporate into their regimens, opening up a massive opportunity for supplement brands, and over half of millennials — more than any other generation — were somewhat or very interested in biohacking. More than a third of millennials said they would be more likely to buy products that are labeled and marketed using the term biohacking. For supplement brands, all of this means it’s time to take a good look at millennials,” Lawrence advised.
Surveys conducted for the Longevity Report found that consumers put supplements third only to diet and exercise when ranking the actions they’re taking to increase longevity and improve their healthspan. Sixty percent of women and 44% of men say they take supplements to extend their healthspan, NBJ found.
Blue Zone Diet and Foods for Longevity
As consumers catch on to the health risks associated with ultra processed foods, many are turning to whole foods and minimally processed options for healthy aging. “Consumers want their food to work harder for them,” Kathryn Peters, head of industry relations at SPINS, told Fi Global Insights in September 2024. “Consumers are moving away from processed foods, and back towards whole foods. Nutrient density has become a big topic. Consumers might be looking at the relative nutritional benefits of beans vs. processed white bread. They are also interested in consuming more protein and trying to stay away from added sugar. Consumers are demanding more from their products, and manufacturers need to find ways of seeking out ingredients that are minimally processed and better for their health. This is a macro-trend we are seeing, particularly in U.S., but also globally. Consumers are trying to figure out what habits they need to develop to help ensure they have a long and healthy lifespan,” Peters said.
Peters noted the healthspan trend also encompasses the beauty and self-care sectors, with consumers wanting to look and feel young and vibrant at every life stage. Peters pointed out that when it comes to beauty care, consumers prioritize premium brands and are unwilling to cut corners. “This underlines the importance and potential of this macro-trend. This mindset of wellbeing, of looking and feeling young, is here to stay,” she said.
Having studied and written extensively about the world’s “blue zones,” where individuals commonly live to be centenarians, Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow, New York Times best-selling author and Netflix host, co-founded Blue Zones Kitchen, a line of non-GMO, plant-based frozen meals. The line is now sold in more than 1,000 grocery stores, including Whole Foods Market, Wegmans and more. “Many health problems are related to eating processed foods, sugars and red meats, compounded within a healthcare system that expects doctors to talk to people in 15-minute appointments,” Buettner told attendees at Newtopia Now in August 2024. “Fortunately,” he said, “the foods that make up the diets of the world’s longest-lived people are the cheapest ingredients. They’re whole grains, beans and tubers [root vegetables].” According to Buettner, despite all his findings about the importance of exercise and social connections, the most direct healthy aging interventions for most Americans will happen in the kitchen. “I’d start with the food,” he advised.
Sharing insights about foods for longevity, Dr. Paul Savage, M.D., a specialist in toxin reduction and chronic inflammation, emphasized that a long and healthy life isn’t just about choosing the right foods — “It’s about choosing them wisely. Prioritize organic, wild-caught, and toxin-free options wherever possible to ensure you’re maximizing the health benefits and minimizing exposure to harmful substances,” he said.
The Ozempic® Effect and Healthy Aging
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) — a drug that is currently very popular in the treatment of diabetes, obesity and weight loss — reportedly may help with healthy aging by improving insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation, and promoting DNA repair. According to National Institutes of Health researchers in a study published in 2023, “GLP‐1 RAs provide proven and potential benefits that may help people experience a prolonged healthy lifespan with reduced risk of serious and chronic aging‐related conditions. Thus, the drug class is positioned as a novel pharmacotherapeutic option that in combination with non‐pharmaceutical interventions can help address the pronounced medical need associated with the aging human population.”
Natural products retailers are reporting a bump in sales of products related to the increased use of GLP-1 medications. Consumers using such medications are seeking nutritional supplement support to help enhance the GLP-1 drug’s mechanism of action, to promote optimal nutrition while on the medication, and to deal with symptoms related to the use of GLP-1, such as maintaining muscle mass during weight loss.
In a study published in June 2024 on The Vitamin Shoppe’s Top Five Health and Wellness Trends, the company reported, “Supplements including proteins, multivitamins, fiber, and probiotics are taking on new importance for patients who are taking semaglutide or tirzepatide weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic® and Mounjaro®. A sales bump in certain supplement categories that support proper nutrition can already be seen at The Vitamin Shoppe. Ready-to-drink protein beverages, for example, were up 10% in 2023 versus the previous year, and meal replacement products tailored to weight management are up 13% in the first four months of this year. Industry-wide, protein supplements and meal replacements were up 15% for the 52 weeks ending November 5, according to SPINS data.”
“It's by far the hottest thing I've ever seen in my 20 years, and it's not a fad,” Robert Brewster, president of Ingredient by Nature, a company that markets a probiotic strain it refers to as a “longevity probiotic,” told Nutritional Outlook in November 2024. “GLP-1 is not going away.”
Healthspan: A Holistic Healthcare Approach
“While longevity is top of mind, it’s not the same as it once was. Consumers aren’t just looking to live as long as possible; they’re looking to live better longer in a new era dubbed as the ‘healthspan era.’ The forefront of healthspan is giving consumers greater control over their future wellbeing largely with nutrition as the central focus,” said SPINS Senior Director of Market Insights Scott Dicker in a special “Active Aging” edition of Whole Foods Magazine.
“One of the biggest contributions to healthspan, beyond food and beverages, is the increase in personalization around active nutrition. Technology like wearables gives consumers real-time updates on their own health data — allowing them to make health choices unique to their own personal needs. From tracking dietary deficiencies to sleep patterns, wearable technology trades ‘one-size-fits-all’ style solutions for tangible individual health plans,” Dicker added.
Newly emerging healthcare companies like Love.Life, founded by former executives of Whole Foods Market, are leading the charge in blending natural wellness with medical services geared toward optimizing one’s healthspan.
"Love.Life aims to transform the lives of millions of people," said CEO and co-founder John Mackey at the launch of Love.Life in July 2023. "The conventional medical system is fundamentally flawed, focusing on managing diseases and treating symptoms rather than prevention and finding the root cause. Studies show that 80% of chronic diseases can be prevented and reversed through diet and lifestyle changes, which are the focus of Love.Life's philosophy and are rarely included in conventional treatment plans." Through tele-health and concierge services and walk-in wellness centers, Love.Life’s stated goal is to “help people lead long, healthy, and vibrant lives by improving both lifespan and healthspan.”
XPRIZE Healthspan: A $101 Million Global Competition
The quest for healthy aging is serious business, so much so that in July 2024, teams began competing in XPRIZE Healthspan, a seven-year, $101-million global competition to revolutionize the way we approach human aging, the goal of which is to “advance proactive, accessible therapeutic modalities that reduce the risk of chronic age-related diseases, increases human health span and extends quality of life well into our later years,” say the XPRIZE organizers.
A trustee of XPRIZE Healthspan, Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., a psychologist, author of numerous books on aging, and CEO of Age Wave, has emerged as one of the world’s foremost visionaries regarding the lifestyle, marketing, healthcare, economic and workforce implications of aging. In an interview on Michael Krasny’s Grey Matter podcast in December 2023, Dychtwald said, “How many of your years are you healthy, vital, active, productive, vs. are you beginning to fall apart? We are 68th in the world when it comes to our healthspan in the U.S. What we all want is to live long and to live well and to not have the suffering and falling apart stretched out,” he said.
“Quality of life is what it is all about. We need to hold a mirror back to our own approach to healthcare and realize that we don’t take good care of our bodies, we eat a lot of junk food, two thirds of the population is overweight; we have a medical system that is all over the place, we have pharma industries and insurer industries making all kinds of money; we have a profit oriented system; we don’t even have geriatric competencies as a key variable among doctors, physical therapists, providers, etc.”
Dychtwald continued: “In a youth era, we assume that young people have hopes and dreams and you either achieve them or you don’t and then time’s up. But if you’re going to be living in a new era, a new age of aging, you might have new dreams at 70. You might have your biggest dreams beyond when you ever thought it was possible and we’ve got to open up the door to those possibilities. And so purpose is less a matter of simply hanging on for many people; for a growing number of people, it’s about discovering what their new purpose might be in their later years. Having done away with many acute and infectious diseases with things like penicillin, what are the breakthroughs we now need in healthcare so that we and our children and grandchildren can live long healthy lives?
Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing public relations, brand marketing, social media and strategic business development services to natural, organic, sustainable and hemp/CBD products businesses. Contact steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com.
State of Natural: Industry on Track to Reach $318.6B in Sales in 2024 and $386.4B by 2028
This article first appeared in the November 2024 issue of Presence Marketing’s newsletter.
By Steven Hoffman
The natural and organic products industry is on a solid growth curve, supported by rising consumer demand for better for you products, according to the editors of Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ).
Surpassing $300 billion in sales on 4.8% growth in 2023, NBJ projects sales of natural, organic, regenerative and sustainable products in the natural channel will continue to grow at about 5% per year to reach $318.6 billion in 2024, and $386.42 billion by 2028, with the market “showing no signs of slowing down.”
Dominated by the natural and organic food and beverage sector, which commands three times the market share of supplements and seven times that of the natural living category, “the natural products industry has infiltrated every part of brick-and-mortar and online retail and is outpacing conventional products’ growth. Slow and steady is winning this race,” reported the NBJ editorial team in its State of Natural Report: Four-Year Forecast, 2024 - 2028, published in September 2024.
Sales of natural, organic and functional food and beverages account for 69.3% of the overall natural products market. According to NBJ, this category will continue to dominate the market, predicting that sales will grow to $220.78 billion in 2024, and will reach $265.2 billion in sales in 2028. Strong growth in this sector is driven by improved product quality and taste, global flavors, and plant-based, paleo and carnivore diet trends, among others.
According to NBJ, the majority, or 63.7% of natural and organic food and beverage sales are occurring in mass market retail stores, a trend that will continue as natural products become more accessible across the country. Traditional natural food retail stores command 28% of the natural and organic food and beverage market.
Supplements: The Roller Coaster Ride Is Over
For the dietary supplements category, “the roller coaster ride is over,” NBJ reported. “After a sobering deflationary period following stratospheric growth during the Covid-19 pandemic, the supplements industry is settling into steady, stable growth in every category. With the combined Sports Nutrition and Meal Replacements category and Herbs and Botanicals leading the way, supplements are projected to grow at around 5% each year through 2028, from $67.43 billion in 2024 to $82.81 billion. Many consumers who discovered supplements in their panicked searches for immunity hacks during the pandemic appear to be sticking with the vitamins and herbs they started taking, and the industry is mainstreaming as a result,” said NBJ.
While sports nutrition and meal replacements are projected to grow between 5% and 7% over the next four years, sales of vitamins and minerals, which took a post-pandemic hit (NBJ predicts growth of only 2.1% in this category in 2024), are projected to grow 3.7% in 2028. However, vitamins and minerals control the largest market share (30%) among the dietary supplement categories.
Herbs and botanicals are projected to be the fastest growing supplement sector, and annual growth will reach 7% by 2028. Market share for sports nutrition and meal replacements is expected to remain steady over the next four years, ranging between 26% and 28%. Herbs and botanicals, too, are predicted to maintain a steady market share of about 20% over the next four years.
NBJ also noted that in the dietary supplements category, in particular, direct to consumer channels are driving significant growth. “With annual growth between 6% and 7% — nearly triple that of Natural and Specialty—the Direct-to- Consumer channel is driving growth during the forecast period, while Natural and Specialty continues to lose market share, falling from 26% in 2024 to 23.2% in 2028,” NBJ predicted.
Natural Living: Small but Growing Fast
As consumers learn more about the dangers of environmental toxins, microplastics and ingredients used in conventional beauty care products from mainstream media, social media influencers and others, they are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that it’s not just what you put in your body, but also what you put on your body. While the Natural Living sector takes up the smallest slice of the natural products industry pie at a 9.5% market share, it is expected outpace overall industry growth, growing at 6% per year from $30.38 billion to an estimated $38.41 billion in sales in 2028.
According to NBJ, the natural and specialty channel is projected to lose market share of natural living products between 2024 and 2028, but it will remain the second largest channel behind mass market. By 2028, sales of natural living products in mass market will be more than double those of natural and specialty. Also, while mass market and e-commerce are driving much of the natural living market, practitioners and multi-level/network marketing “are the only channels projected to see increased growth throughout the forecast period,” said NBJ.
The principal analysts, authors and editors of the Nutrition Business Journal State of Natural Report: Four-Year Forecast, 2024 – 2028 were market research analyst Erika Craft, industry analyst Christian Irwin, senior editor Robyn Lawrence, managing editor Hannah Esper and content & insights director Bill Giebler. Sources for the data include SPINS, IRI Group, Natural Foods Merchandiser Magazine, New Hope Network and others. The report is available for $125.
Learn More
Nutrition Business Journal State of Natural Report: Four-Year Forecast, 2024 - 2028
Presence News: Natural Products Industry Reaches $303.3 Billion in Sales in 2023 on 4.8% Growth
Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing public relations, brand marketing, social media and strategic business development services to natural, organic, sustainable and hemp/CBD products businesses. Contact steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com.
