Detox, Liver Health & the Supplement Market

by Eric Munson | January 2, 2025

There are many options for an internal “clean up,” and retailers can guide their customers to the best solutions.

The State of the Market

Detox and liver health are experiencing steady growth, but remain smaller categories compared to other health areas. According to Kristin Chapman, MSc, category manager at Life Extension (Fort Lauderdale, FL), internet searches for “liver health” increased by 7 percent in 2024.

“People are more attuned to the importance of liver function in overall well-being and are turning to supplements as a way to optimize the body’s internal detoxification pathways and support healthy liver functions, especially in the face of lifestyle habits like alcohol consumption and high-fat diets,” Chapman said.

According to David Sandler, COO and co-inventor of Arizona-based Sure Shot, formerly called Safety Shot, alcohol remedy-type products are seeing a rapid rise in use by consumers. He said these products are valued at about $2 billion per year and are expected to grow to more than $7 billion over the next five to six years.

“To keep up with the demand, several brands are trying to enter the market with products that are based on remedying dehydration and providing vitamins and other ingredients to attempt to make people feel better,” Sandler said.

Retailer Alina Hornfeldt, co-owner of Mastel’s Health Foods in St. Paul, MN, said customers are more aware of the toxins they are exposed to (both voluntarily and involuntarily), such as mold, heavy metals, sugar and alcohol. They are primarily looking for products to help them care for and “clean up” their liver.

According to Jim Miller, founder and CEO of Bucklebury (Bentonville, AR), detox remains a hot category.

“Detox supplement sales used to be much more prominent in the early part of the year as part of New Year resolutions and ‘New Year/New You’ and although that time of year is still important for detox, we have seen detox category sales rising in all the other months of the year as well,” Miller said.

Faigy Margules, nutritionist at New Jersey-based Advanced Nutrition by Zahler, added, “Since there is a lot more awareness about the importance of having a ‘clean’ body and getting rid of what we don’t want inside of us in the past few years, a lot more people are looking for and purchasing supplements to help them clean and detox their bodies.” According to Sandler, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strict rules on the use of language surrounding words such as “hangover” and “sober up.”

“The inability to use various claims has opened the doors to many types of products that simply do not work but attempt to help improve how you feel the next day purely by having you drink more liquid,” Sandler said. “Scientists and researchers have known for quite some time that dehydration is not the cause of the ill feelings associated with alcohol use, however, most consumers do not fully understand and thus hydration drinks and energy drinks have been providing much of the ‘available cures’ out there.”

Product and Ingredient Trends

When manufacturing dietary supplements, it is imperative to be aware of what ingredients are on the market and how they can benefit detoxification and liver health.

According to Margules, all products related to cleaning out the body are trending, but herbal products are particularly popular. Miller agreed with Margules, adding some popular detox herbs are milk thistle (liver support), dandelion (diuretic/kidney support) and cilantro (heavy metals).

“However, we have seen the rapid rise of zeolite with strong year-over-year sales increases, especially in the last four years,” Miller said.

According to Sandler, hydration products were initially marketed for exercise but are now being marketed for electrolyte formulas and alcohol-related issues.

“Most of these products contain electrolytes and several actually contain forms of sugar, which while beneficial for exercise, are actually counterproductive to reducing alcohol metabolism,” Sandler said. “A few groups have added some other ingredients, often underdosed, that have limited data on their efficacy toward alcohol metabolism.”

According to David Winston, RH(AHG), founder and president of Herbalist & Alchemist (Washington, NJ), two superfoods, beets and watercress, are readily available vegetables that enhance liver function, hepatic detoxification and liver health.

“Both are nutrient dense, have anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity, and support detoxification via the phase I and phase II enzyme systems. Also, beets act as a probiotic, and enhance normal bowel function,” Winston said. “Both are choleretics/cholagogues, which promotes bile secretion from the liver and bile excretion from the gallbladder.”

Winston added herbalists have a long history with a category of herbs known as “alteratives” to gently enhance the elimination of metabolic wastes. They were originally used for syphilis but are now used for “blood dyscrasias” that causes chronic disease. These herbs include dandelion root, red clover, cleavers, Oregon grape root, yellow dock root, turmeric, burdock root/seed, sarsaparilla, red alder bark and figwort.

“Blood cleansers is a common term that is often used synonymously for alteratives, but it is inaccurate. Alteratives are herbs that enhance the efficacy and function of two or more major eliminatory organs, thus promoting enhanced elimination of metabolic wastes, often improving phase I liver detoxification, all without stimulating a noticeable increase in bowel function, diuresis of sweating,” Winston said.

Vanessa Pavey, ND, education scientist at Life Extension, elaborated on how some ingredients affect detox and liver health, such as N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), milk thistle and broccoli.

According to Pavey, NAC is easily absorbed and helps replenish the body’s supply of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that supports healthy liver detoxification processes.

“Milk thistle seeds are famously known for promoting liver health and supporting detoxification processes,” Pavey said. “This is because milk thistle seeds contain bioactive compounds like silymarin, and using advanced extraction technology, has helped to isolate other constituents like silybin, isosilybin A and isosilybin B. Isosylibin A and B have been shown to be the most efficient at helping to maintain healthy cell division in the liver.”

Pavey also stated, “Broccoli is often touted as a superfood, and for good reason, one of the benefits of consuming broccoli is sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is a nutrient that helps activate pathways that support detoxification. Broccoli contains a compound called glucoraphanin, and when glucoraphanin combines with an enzyme called myrosinase, sulforaphane is made. However, cooking broccoli dramatically reduces the amount of sulforaphane it can provide.”

Product Offerings

Using the wide variety of available ingredients, manufacturers can create a plethora of products for customers’ health and wellness needs.

“ParaGuard contains a broad blend of ingredients designed to promote digestive balance,” Margules said. “For liver support, we recommend Zahler Milk Thistle. Core Greens is also a great detox product.”

Bucklebury offers three zeolite SKUs, Zeolite Capsules, Liquid Zeolite with Chlorella and Kids Zeolite with Probiotics. It also offers a liver support SKU, Sugar Free Milk Thistle Gummies. Bucklebury takes pride in its premium natural supplements. All four SKUs are vegan, non-GMO (genetically modified organism), dairy-, soy- and gluten free and made in the United States with globally sourced ingredients, according to Miller.

“Zeolite is a naturally occurring negatively charged mineral that is used for detox support especially against environmental toxins,” Miller said. “Our zeolite is 3x TMA micronized < 3 μm and we expertly process it using tribo-mechanical activation and super heating (752 degrees Fahrenheit).”

Herbalist & Alchemist offers several products for liver, kidney and gallbladder function, such as Thistles Compound, Alterative Compound, Bitter Roots and Healthy Skin Tonic. The formulas contain different combinations of herbs to support detox and liver health.

In addition to its finished products containing NAC, milk thistle and broccoli, Life Extension also offers Anti-Alcohol Complex, a multi-ingredient approach in supporting healthy liver function, detoxification and alcohol metabolism. “These ingredients were chosen to help combat free radicals and to help neutralize alcohol metabolites such as acetaldehyde,” Pavey said. “These ingredients do not prevent or reduce the impairment caused by alcohol, instead they help provide liver detoxification support when drinking in moderation or for general liver health.”

Sure Shot manufactures its eponymous dietary supplement, which it markets as “the world’s first (clinically proven) rapid alcohol reducer.”

The company has taken the lead on finding real solutions, testing them under clinically supervised, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to prove and validate its efficacy, according to Sandler. The formula contains various ingredients including nootropics, ayurvedic herbs, vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

“Sure Shot’s main role is to reduce blood alcohol levels while eliminating the toxins that cause the ill feelings associated with alcohol consumption,” Sandler said. “Additionally, it improved mental clarity and cognitive function while rapidly detoxifying the body and replacing lost key nutrients.”

Sandler added that reducing alcohol has long been considered an “impossible” task by experts, stating, “However, Sure Shot is the world’s first and only clinically proven product to not only reduce alcohol, but also helps the consumer feel better fast in as little as 30 minutes and has done so by its multi-faceted approach.”

Consumer Demands

Consumers use detox and liver health products for a variety of reasons with many wanting to find solutions for better health and wellness.

“Practitioners commonly use these products, but the general population is becoming increasingly aware that effective elimination (without being chained to the toilet) is possible and the results of enhancing eliminatory function can improve skin health, digestion, immune function, circulation, gut health and improve mood,” Winston said.

According to Miller, people use zeolite for detox support especially from environmental toxins and those interested in liver health look at milk thistle. Margules said the detox category is typically for adults but observed a growing number of children needing a cleanse.

“The consumers using liver and detox supplements are primarily health-conscious individuals who view liver health as part of a broader commitment to overall wellness,” Chapman said. “These customers tend to be knowledgeable and focused on proactive care, seeking products that will help maintain optimal liver function as they age.”

According to Sandler, the alcohol reduction category is designed for those who drink moderately and are looking to feel better (avoid entirely or counteract a hangover) after a period of alcohol consumption.

“While the age group and user are not confined to any specific demographic, it appears that slightly older individuals (late 30s to late 40s) represent the largest consumer group,” Sandler said. “Working people, who want to have a good time, but be ready for the next day is both the main consumer group and where Sure Shot helps the most.”

Hornfeldt said many of the customers she sees in her store are people who have decided to remove toxic substances from their lifestyle, such as quitting smoking or giving up alcohol.

“Also, when people have chronic illnesses or stubborn symptoms oftentimes people will want to try a liver cleanse, and of course, we have well-established wellness enthusiasts who do a liver cleanse seasonally,” Hornfeldt said.

Science and Research

Consumers, retailers and manufacturers are increasingly interested in the science and research to assure products are safe and effective.

“Forty years of interaction with thousands of people globally helped us create a fully family of proprietary supplements,” Margules said. “Each of the vitamins, minerals and herbs in our synergistic blends of superior formulas are proven effective in studies and in direct experience with the public.”

According to Pavey, there is emerging research on French oak wood extract for detoxification and liver protection. It contains roburins and other flavonoids.

In an open-label clinical trial, 44 patients with moderate functional liver failure due to alcohol received 300 mg of French oak wood extract for 12 weeks. The group that received French oak wood demonstrated significantly improved protein markets of live function at six weeks and significantly improve liver enzymes at 12 weeks, according to Pavey.

Chapman said there is also a growing awareness of the connection between liver health and gut health, stating, “These formulations reflect an evolving understanding of how gut health influences liver function and how maintaining both is key.” Pavey further elaborated on this growing field of study.

In a clinical trial of 66 men suffering from alcoholic psychosis, the subjects were given a probiotic and a multivitamin for five days. The probiotic contained 90 million CFUs of Bifidobacterium bifidum and 900 million CFUs of Lactobacillus plantarum. After five days, those who received the probiotic showed improvement in liver health by a greater reduction in liver enzymes, and stool cultures showed a restoration of healthy intestinal bacteria, according to Pavey.

“Chronic heavy alcohol intake is connected to changes in bacterial populations in the digestive tract and restoring a healthy gut microbiome with probiotics may help guard against the progression of liver problems,” Pavey said.

Sure Shot’s scientists have spent more than a decade working through all the possible ingredients.

According to Sandler, the barrier to entry is high because it takes many years to find the perfect solution, and no single ingredient or even combinations can reduce blood alcohol. However, the company’s research and development team is constantly working to “uncover the mystery of alcohol metabolism” while providing better health and fitness outcomes for consumers.

“Our research indicated that since several possible mechanisms exist, and it is still largely considered both impossible and unknown how alcohol is metabolized, that we needed many specific extracted components of various ingredients, at large dosage to actually truly help metabolize alcohol more rapidly,” Sandler said.

Miller said there is a lot of research and independent studies documenting zeolite’s ability to “attract and trap positively charged particles,” such as heavy metals, molds and pesticides.

“There are a lot of independent studies that have been done on zeolite over the years. You can easily find many of them by just performing a simple Google search online. There is no shortage of studies and data available,” Miller said.

Winston added that there are many studies on major herbs such as milk thistle, beets and turmeric, but most have not been studied adequately. He said most of the knowledge comes from a long history in traditional Chinese medicine, ayurveda, Western herbalism and other natural practices in the 19th and 20th centuries.

“That does not mean the information on their use is not valid, but a combination of tradition and science is an even stronger foundation for knowledge,” Winston said.

Hornfeldt explained how she discusses the liver health category with customers, stating, “Lauren [Gaffney], my co-owner, likes to go over all the different things our liver does for us, and then brings up the fact that it’s one of the only organs that can regenerate tissue after being damaged. She will let them know what herbs, such as milk thistle, can help regrow the tissue. She also likes to talk about how in traditional Chinese medicine, the liver’s processes one’s emotions along with all the other ‘heavy lifting’ it does for the body.”VR