Retailers know that trends in the natural products industry come and go—and this is especially true with the prevalence of social media use. One of the latest trends to emerge as a result of social media influencers advocating for products on their platforms is the use of liquid chlorophyll. On TikTok, as of April 27, 2021, the “#Chlorophyll” hashtag had more than 188 million views, while “#ChlorophyllWater” was viewed more than 76 million times, according to PR Newswire. Users have been posting videos in which they describe the benefits of chlorophyll and the results they have personally seen by consuming it, and the trend has gone viral.
According to Paul Licata, President of World Organic Corp located in Huntington Beach, CA, “Our chlorophyll sales had already been up nearly 50 percent. But when the TikTok videos emerged, sales went through the roof and we sold out nearly all our stock in days. Our phones and email were off the hook, and we still have many people to get back to as there was such a demand.”
COVID-19 made this enormous spike even more challenging for World Organic Corp. Licata shared, “It has been a very rough time. We have not had the sales slumps, but meeting demand has been challenging,” and added, “Even our distributors have been on us to ship more and faster; then, when I tell them to look at what we shipped this year versus last year, they say, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize that.’”
Needless to say, when chlorophyll exploded on TikTok, it was not easy for small retailers to keep up with such a sudden and significant increase in demand. Once they have the time, though, Licata shared that they will be introducing their newest product, Apple Cider Vinegar & Chlorophyll, which combines the two ingredients to promote alkalinity. Holly Prugar, supplement manager and buyer at The Mustard Seed located in Watertown, NY, had a similar experience. “Chlorophyll was not a super-fast seller until the recent social media attention,” she said. “For several weeks, we would get asked several times a day if we carried chlorophyll.” Like the typical age demographic of TikTok users, “The customers asking for liquid chlorophyll have been younger customers looking for the healthy skin benefits.”
Indeed, according to www.healthline.com, chlorophyll consumption offers a plethora of benefits. Aside from skin healing, studies have suggested that chlorophyll can improve the quality of red blood cells; can be used for detoxification; reduce the risk of cancer; aid in weight loss; and reduce odor.
Prugar also noted that “Chlorophyll that is naturally occurring in super foods has many benefits including increased energy and a healthy immune system.”
Prugar also explained that there has been increased interest in functional foods overall, even aside from chlorophyll. “We have been seeing an increase in sales of functional foods such as spirulina, chlorella and chlorophyll for several months,” she stated. However, the demand for chlorophyll specifically increased drastically once the TikTok videos went viral.
Although the liquid versions of chlorophyll were trending, Licata stressed that “Sales for chlorophyll have not only been limited to liquid. Our two-piece 60-mg and 100-mg capsules have also increased fivefold. Our other chlorophyll products, such as soft gelatin capsules, Chloro-Combo (chlorophyll with complementary herbs) and even our mulberry-based chlorophyll have increased in sales.”
Dan Richard, vice president of sales at NOW Foods, shared that sales of their chlorophyll products have increased more than 10 times and that they have struggled to maintain supplies due to the quickly rising trend. “Chlorophyll worldwide is a fairly big market,” he stated, “[but] in spring 2021, we saw a huge increase in interest and demand because it was trending on TikTok.”
He explained how their chlorophyll products are created: “Chlorophyllin is a water-soluble analog of the green plant pigment chlorophyll. Liquid chlorophyll products containing chlorophyllin are a mixture of chlorophyll and copper. Our chlorophyllin is produced by extracting natural chlorophyll from non-GMO (genetically modified organism) mulberry leaves (as an alternative to the traditional alfalfa source, which today is mostly genetically modified) and reacting the chlorophyll with copper.” He noted that the use of chlorophyll can help to support the body’s detoxification process by functioning as a free radical neutralizer, and is also frequently used as a natural internal deodorizer to promote cleansing and freshen breath.*
Richards noted that NOW Foods would like to add an unflavored chlorophyll liquid to their line, but COVID-19 demand and limiting capacities have pushed this into 2022 for now. But since the chlorophyll trend blew up on TikTok, many more people are aware of the benefits that chlorophyll has to offer. VR
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
