Wanting to stay vital and active from youth to advanced age brings women to the supplement aisle.

Although women share many of same health concerns as men, women have unique issues that include everything from fertility to hormonal imbalances to menstrual cycles and PMS, to osteoporosis and fibroids.

When it comes to keeping fit and healthy, many female consumers turn toward supplements. Women are more likely than men to purchase supplements, and supplements geared toward women are on the rise.

“Female supplements totaled $628.1 million in U.S. sales in the last SPINS report which were almost double than that of male supplements ($364.3 million) during the same period. This figure is up 6 percent from last year,” said R&D Specialist Jennifer Weinhardt, who works with Bluebonnet in Texas.

“Surprisingly, weight-loss products for women last year saw a 50 percent drop according to the most recent SPINS data. It appears that digestive, cognitive and mood health are instead on the rise for women,” she continued, adding that cognitive health and mood health products have grown as well. “There is also, of course, the trend of nutricosmetics focusing on inner health for outer beauty.”

Women’s Health Concerns

Issues pertaining to women’s health shift as women age.

“Each life stage brings its own unique health concerns for women. Puberty, fertility, menopause, menstruation, breast health, etc., are all areas of concern that have very different hormonal changes and possible challenges,” said Weinhardt.

“I think there are many specific concerns that women have for their health—hormone balance, bone density, cardio strength, thyroid function and breast cancer,” added Cheryl Myers, chief of scientific affairs and education at Terry Naturally/EuroPharma, Inc., a Wisconsin-based manufacturer.

Tina Fitzgerald is the vitamins manager for Natural Grocers, a store located in Montrose, CO. She said that women customers are asking for help with adrenal issues, sexual health, hair, skin and nails, as well as support for PMS and incontinence, but that the main concerns are candida overgrowth, urinary tract problems, hot flashes and night sweats related to menopause.

“Staying vibrant and active from youth into advanced age, bone health, pre- and post-natal health, and supporting healthy hormone levels tends to be at the forefront of women’s concerns,” said Charlotte Traas, director of sales education and content for New Chapter, a Vermont-based manufacturer.

Women’s Health Products/Bestsellers

Supplements are gaining ground, particularly as women are seeking products that are safe and non-toxic. And although many women-focused health concerns center on the post-menopausal population, there is a strong consumer base for women of all ages who are seeking natural ways to preserve health at all life stages.

Feminine Hygiene

Genial Day, a manufacturer based in Illinois, recently launched feminine hygiene products in the USA, though the company has had a European presence for nine years. “We supply natural and functional sanitary napkins, unscented wet wipes, and menstrual cups made of TPE and organic cotton finished with silver ion underwear. Our mission is to educate women and to help them have a healthy period,” said Vilmante Markeviciene, company founder. The company’s bestseller is Genial Day regular flow pads. “With the tourmaline technology introduced in our Anion strip, women notice less cramping and fewer PMS symptoms,” she said.

A recent product launch are unscented bamboo wipes, which Markeviciene said has been a favorite in Europe; they are portable and are biodegradable. “We are planning to introduce absorbent liners in beginning of the next year, which will be great during the last days of menstruation, in cases of light incontinence or for women who like larger liners. Also, we are bringing extra heavy flow pads, which are much longer than our heavy flow, and will be perfect for very heavy bleeders or postpartum period,” she added.

Pregnancy

Rainbow Light’s newest product line is called First Thousand Days, comprised of six different multivitamins. “It is a research-based supplement line designed for preconception through postnatal and baby through the first two years of life; the supplements for use during pregnancy are designed to be trimester-specific,” said Susan Piergeorge, MS, RDN. The Florida manufacturer also has introduced Precious Gems, a prenatal vegan gummy.

The company’s bestseller is its Non-GMO (genetically modified organism), Vegetarian Gluten Free Women’s One, a once daily multivitamin that contains, among other ingredients, iodine and choline, as well as the methylcobalamin form of vitamin B12.

Multicategory

Washington-based Natural Factors offers the WomenSense line of natural supplements that provide support for stress, menopause, thyroid health, urinary symptoms, hormonal imbalances and sleep. Some of these products include UriSense, which Marita Schauch, MD, a practicing naturopath and an educator for the company, describes as “… a unique blend of CranRich whole cranberry concentrate and probiotic BB536 formulated to support a healthy uro-genital and digestive tract,” as well as a melatonin-free sleep support called SomniSense and MenoSense, that aims to support such infamous menopausal symptoms as hot flashes and night sweats.

Schauch said that AdrenaSense, herbal support for healthy adrenal gland function and promoting uninterrupted sleep, and EstroSense that supports natural hormone balance, are bestsellers for the company.

New Chapter in Vermont manufactures a number of women-focused products, including Every Woman’s Multivitamins, Perfect Prenatal, Perfect Postnatal, Estrotone and the company’s bestselling Bone Strength Take Care. “While an every-person product, it does especially well with women since bone health and rising rates of osteoporosis drive women to look for calcium,” said Charlotte Traas, New Chapter’s director of sales education and content. “Giving women a plant-based, sustainably sourced calcium with a calcium targeting formula to help direct calcium to their bones was a true innovation and ‘new chapter’ in calcium and has been popular ever since.” She added that the company has also reintroduced Probiotic All Flora, which targets both candida and digestive issues.

Bluebonnet manufactures hundreds of products, including vitamins, herbal extracts and more, which are specially formulated for women at all life stages. The company’s bestsellers in the women’s health category include single ingredient options like Early Promise Prenatal Gentle DHA 200 mg Vegetarian Softgels and high potency combination formulas such as Advanced Choice Ladies’ SingleDaily Probiotic in 10 Billion and 50 Billion CFU Potencies.

LifeSeasons, a Texas-based manufacturer, also has products for various stages of a woman’s cycle, including Sensitivi-T, a sexual health and libido formula, and PreMense-T, a PMS support formula. Other products support the endocrine and nervous systems. Their newest product is Mood Stabili-T, which Robin Rogosin, vice president of product development, said that some women use in conjunction with their PMS formula.

Rogosin said that the company’s bestseller is Pausitivi-T, a menopause support formula. “It nourishes the tissues affected by hormonal changes during menopause, and relieves hot flashes, irritability and sleeplessness,” she noted.

Fitzgerald can testify to the popularity of LifeSeasons’ products, as they seem to fly off the shelves at her store, especially Adrenal-T and Sensitivi-T. As for the latter, she said, “I don't believe it is a trend change really, as much as women probably not having a clue that there was even anything out there to help them with this. Sensitivi-T is not just a libido support. It helps harmonize the body's hormones and energy, as well as mentally and physically enhancing the desire,” said Fitzgerald.

Breast Health

CuraMed Breast is one of EuroPharma’s premier women’s health supplements, designed to target the health of breast tissue. “It provides clinically studied curcumin that is blended with turmeric essential oil for enhanced absorption and additional cell-protecting benefits by the value of its turmerones. It is the most clinically studied enhanced absorption curcumin in the world,” said Myers. The product also contains French grape seed extract with 100 percent absorbable polyphenols.

Menopause

For hot flashes and menopausal-related symptoms, HBC Naturals, based in California, manufactures OLLOIS Lachesis Mutus 30c, a homeopathic remedy that is lactose-free.

Beauty Products

“Millennial women are entering the category in droves as they experience the new ‘strong is the new skinny’ and ‘beauty from within’ movements and work to lay a better foundation for their long-term health. For the critical natal period, the science behind the benefits of nutrients is only getting stronger. Also, for Boomer women, the desire to live both a longer and healthier life is driving growth in specific products that meet their needs,” said Traas.

Bluebonnet recently launched a line of beauty products called Beautiful Ally. “Women love to feel beautiful, on the inside and out, and they are making the link between inner health and outer beauty. As a result, the category of nutra-cosmetics—ingestible products taken specifically for beauty purposes — has taken off in recent years and is expected to be one of the biggest trends between now and 2025,” said Weinhardt.

Ingredients

Tourmaline, a mineral associated with detoxifying properties, is a popular ingredient in the natural health market and is present in Genial Day’s Anion strips.

“Astaxanthin for skin health is an ingredient that has been around for a while, but is finding new light with emerging research on its strength as a potent antioxidant and skin protectant,” said Traas. “Sea buckthorn is a great source of omega-7 and while known for supporting healthy hair and skin also tends to help with vaginal health and mucosal linings within the body,” she continued.

When it comes to beauty products, Bluebonnet’s Beautiful Ally is comprised of such nutrients as collagen peptides, keratin, biotin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and zinc, designed to nourish hair, skin and nails. Weinhardt said that for brain health, a trending ingredient is citicoline, a naturally occurring nutrient in the brain that helps it stay alert; and for mood support, adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha are on the rise.

Some trending ingredients, said Piergeorge, include the methyltetrahydrofolate form of folate and the methylcobalamin form of vitamin B12, as well as iodine and choline. When it comes to hormonal support, LifeSeasons uses such herbals as black cohosh and chaste berry (Vitex).

For breast health, EuroPharma has incorporated the widely studied grape seed extract. “Grape seed extract has been shown to partially inhibit aromatase, an enzyme that converts androgen into estrogen. Understandably, breast tissue typically has higher levels of aromatase. Grape seed extract also has been shown in scientific studies to prevent cancer cells from connecting to blood vessels, depriving them of oxygen and nutrients,” said Myers.

As for turmeric, also incorporated into EuroPharma’s CuraMed product, Myers said, “In this case, we include curcumin because it stops damaging inflammation and free radical damage. Inflammation and oxidative damage set up a spiral of circumstances that can lead to tumor formation, because it causes normal cells to become cancerous. There is scientific research that shows that curcumin impedes the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.”

State of the Market

Today’s women are choosing to be their own health advocates, doing more research and delving into natural solutions for women-specific issues. And consumer information is just a click away.

“Women are feeling more empowered to take control of their own health through education,” said Schauch. “I think it has huge potential as consumers, are especially women, are looking at more holistic and preventative medicine.”

“I think the recent recession has impacted all markets but the natural product industry has kept growing,” added Lois Guillaume, founder and CEO of HBC Naturals/Ollois.

The market consists of Millennials and Baby Boomers, the latter group of whom are in their menopause years and are a big market segment. “These women recognize that health is not only the absence of disease, but that it should be broadly defined as an optimization of physical and mental health,” said Rogosin.

Myers expounded on this by saying, “Baby Boomers tend to be pretty open about natural supplements, as do Millennials, but it depends on their experience and what kind of marketplace they are exposed to. I would say that Gen-Xers seem to have a mixed experience with supplementation, due to trusting its efficacy, but that may change as they get older and seek out alternatives to over-the-counter or prescription medications.”

“I see a big shift in the natural product category, and it’s been happening for a couple of years already. Mass-market stores are bringing natural product categories and even dedicating separate aisles for such products. Demand is growing, and I see a big potential in this category,” said Markevience.

According to Weinhardt, 79 percent of U.S. women take dietary supplements, so it is a category of products that has a stronghold in the market.

Merchandising/Marketing

Education

To sell women-focused supplements, it is important that both customers and retail staff, be educated about the specifics of what they are selling.

“LifeSeasons has done an excellent job at being available to answer questions the customer or I may have either by phone call or e-mail,” said Fitzgerald, adding that company reps often come to her store for staff training or do a customer demo in the store. “These help the staff to be more knowledgeable as well as when the reps are here, the customers can talk to them directly and take home samples to try.” She said that often leads to purchases on the spot.

“We have brokers around the country visiting stores, providing education on homeopathy. We also have free OLLOIS consumer pamphlets, with medicine and symptom indexes,” said Guillame.

Companies such as New Chapter also make education accessible, from demo representatives to explanatory displays to brochures.

“Providing content and education that’s easily accessible and digestible for consumers in today’s fast paced world empowers women and gives them the tools they need to be proactive and take control of their health and find the best products for their body that meets their specific needs and/or goals,” said Traas.

Display of Products/Samples

Many retailers agree that women’s health products should be merchandised together; this could include displaying product categories together and then specifically by brand, for example, a tactic suggested by LifeSeasons.

In her store, Fitzgerald said she displays products in problem-specific sections; she even has posters up in the restrooms about some of the products.

To help introduce women to their products, some companies, such as Genial Day, promotes free samples.

And to create a buzz around a specific product, consider hosting a special event or a guest speaker, suggested Myers. As an example, she suggested, “Consider having the author of a book on women’s health at the store, and build in plenty of time for a question-and-answer session.”

And make sure to promote any events, or any new products, on your social media sites. VR

For More Information:

Bluebonnet, www.bluebonnet.com
Genial Day, www.genialday.com
LifeSeasons, www.lifeseasons.com
Natural Factors, www.naturalfactors.com
New Chapter, www.newchapter.com
Ollois, www.ollois.com
Rainbow Light, www.rainbowlight.com
Terry Naturally/EuroPharma, www.europharmausa.com

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