Hallmarks of Health: Multivitamins and Minerals

by Angela Sabarese | November 1, 2022

Consumers post-COVID-19 are more health-conscious—and many have turned toward multivitamin and mineral supplements to maintain or improve their health.

The natural products industry is well aware that consuming vitamins and minerals plays a vital part in keeping consumers healthy. Ideally, all of these micronutrient needs would be met through diet alone; however, the modern American diet, which is often loaded with processed foods and excessive fats and carbohydrates, makes it difficult to meet such requirements. As a result, many turn toward supplementation to make up the difference, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world and made consumers more aware of the importance of maintaining health. Vitamin and mineral supplementation can help consumers fill in any nutritional gaps that they may have.

According to Grand View Research, “The global vitamin supplements market size was valued at $44.12 billion (U.S.) in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2 [percent] from 2021 to 2028.” This growth is driven by “a rising number of health-conscious consumers and an increasing preference for vitamins in daily diet. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for vitamin consumption.” With this need in the forefront of consumers’ minds, many natural products manufacturers have been promoting their vitamin and mineral supplements for immune health and other crucial categories.

Vicky Mak, technical writer, ChildLife Essentials (El Segundo, CA), shared, “although supply chains worldwide have been disrupted, companies are continuously adapting to meet growing consumer demand.” She continued, “According to SPINS Amazon data, inflation has a widespread impact on the vitamins and mineral supplements market in the U.S.,” making the price of various supplements rise. However, “While the average price for vitamin and mineral supplements have clearly jumped up from previous prices of last year, inflation does not seem to deter rising consumer demand.”

With consumers more aware of the value of proactive prevention, vitamin and mineral supplement manufacturers are keeping up with market trends to meet consumer demands.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Supply and Demand

“The market has definitely seen a boom in large part due to COVID, creating demand for many vitamins including the basics like C, D and zinc, to name a few,” said Neil Edward Levin, CCN, DANLA, senior nutrition education manager, NOW (Bloomingdale, IL). “Long term, it has helped the industry and increased awareness of the importance of supplementation for immune health in addition to daily nutrition, and although sales may level off, it’s been a positive impact for vitamins all around.” Other nutrients for immune support have also increased in sales, Levin shared, include NAC, probiotics, quercetin and elderberry.

“The demand [for vitamin and mineral supplements] has been countered by supply chain problems leading to shortages of raw materials in general, or of raw materials that can pass stringent testing to meet NOW’s identity, purity and safety specifications,” explained Levin. “Not enough workers, bottlenecks in shipping, manufacturing capacity limits and increased demand all combine to limit companies’ abilities to source acceptable raw materials in sufficient amounts to meet demand and efficiently process them.”

One particular problem for NOW, Levin elaborated, “has been the inability to quickly find alternate suppliers when our usual sources run out; NOW routinely audits new vendors as well as testing samples of alternate raw materials to qualify them as approved, but pandemic issues led to long delays in us sending auditors and being able to properly assess quality and safety systems at vendors, including GMP (good manufacturing practice) and food safety compliance.” He noted that many companies chose to avoid rigorous compliance with GMP requirements, but NOW and other top companies chose loss of sales over compromising on quality standards.

According to Vanessa Pavey, MSc, category manager, Life Extension (Fort Lauderdale), “COVID-19 has been one of the largest influencing factors for the vitamin and mineral market. As the pandemic continued on post-2020 lockdowns, consumers looked for ways to support general health and wellness as a way to stay healthy apart from the overarching immunity market.”

Multivitamin & Mineral Market

The largest population using dietary supplements, according to Levin, tends to be older folks, “who are more conscious of their increasing physical and mental vulnerabilities and want to preserve their health. Interestingly, in surveys dietitians and pharmacists (those practitioners most likely to be knowledgeable about nutrition) tend to use supplements—primarily vitamins and minerals—at higher rates than the general population or even other types of health professionals.”

Jason Mullins, brand manager, Natural Immunogenics (Sarasota, FL), said that “In particular, minerals are being rediscovered by more and more people seeking natural ways to take control of their health.” He concurred with Levin, stating, “Global health challenges have accelerated growth in the vitamin and mineral supplement market as people are becoming more aware of potential health effects of not maintaining a healthy immune system and are taking control of their wellbeing.”

Vitamins and minerals, according to Mullins, “typically appeal to health conscience consumers who are interested in natural solutions to health challenges or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, some consumers who are seeking to fill nutritional gaps they may be experiencing in their normal diet or are experiencing a temporary boost in a time of need such as an illness or injury.”

Pavey agreed with Levin, stating that “consumer preferences are based on age group and gender.” She elaborated, “For example, older adults tend to prefer pills over chewable supplements, where younger adults tend to prefer chewable formats like gummies, soft chews or chewable tablets. Multivitamin use is highest among men between the ages of 35-54, to support overall general health. And women 55 and older are top users of mineral supplements, single letter vitamins and supplements (Mintel 2021).”

Pavey explained that “Multivitamins are the most commonly used supplement, followed by the single letter vitamins and then minerals.” However, she added, “The potential for the vitamin and mineral market seems to be moving in the direction of a multivitamin with additional nutrient support for sleep, stress or cognitive health (Mintel 2021).” She elaborated, “Consumers are shifting focus again to other areas of health including brain, mood/stress and sleep. Based on SPINS Natural Enhanced Channel and MULO reporting melatonin is up 15.3 percent, sleep is up 17.4 percent, and mood is up 43.0 percent. This makes sense as these three health concerns all lean into one another.”

Furthermore, according to Pavey, “The women’s category is the largest market within the general health category. Vitamins and minerals and additional ingredients such as cranberry dominate this category lending the impression for personalized nutrition for women.” Additionally, she continued, “Amazon has additionally become an influential factor in the vitamin and mineral market space. The VMS category grew 43 percent year over year according to ClearCut Analytics. The omnichannel approach has expanded the reach for supplements to many more consumers allowing seamless integration of vitamins and minerals into their daily lives.”

What’s Affecting Sales

Mak added a different take, stating that “The war between Russia and Ukraine has led to shortages of specific ingredients that are key for making supplements.” For instance, she continued, “Ukraine is the world’s largest producer of sunflower oil and ranks among the top six exporters of wheat, corn and honey.” In response, “companies are adapting and instead turning to other alternatives—for example, replacing sunflower oil with palm or vegetable oil.”

Mak also noted that since children have gone back to school, parents are more concerned with the health of their children than ever due the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the prevalence of processed food and drinks and growing sedentary lifestyles.

Susanne Engelbert, owner, Eterna Health Food Store (Mansfield, TX), said she sells over a thousand vitamin and mineral supplements. “I have seen an increase in sales [lately],” she noted. “The past four years, customers have been really interested in immune products.” She added that vitamin and mineral supplements typically appeal the most to people who are taking supplements as a preventative measure for their health.

Dianna Singh, owner of Elk Grove Vitamins (Elk Grove, CA) concurred, stating that “supplements are 95 percent of our sales,” and the store has seen a continues increase in supplement sales in 2022. “With social media playing a role in spreading (any) information, positive or negative, it has brought widespread attention to the health industry,” Singh explained. “TikTok has blown many products right into the spotlight.”

Regarding trends, Singh noted, “We have a very diverse range of consumers here ranging from young teens to mature. I would have to say an uptick in male vs. female has increased quite a bit this year. Men are coming around!” Furthermore, she said, “A new wave of health is needed. When you compare the past generations of customers who consumed a healthier diet, compared to today’s generation who don’t own kitchenware, we are in deep trouble.”

There are several vitamin and mineral supplements on the market to meet consumer demand and ensure the optimality of their health.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

Rainbow Light (Durham, NC), founded in 1981, delivers 100 percent daily value on the majority of vitamins, including vitamin D, vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium and many others, according to Steve Robison, regional sales manager. “Our Men’s and Women’s One formulas are our best sellers due to the wide variety of essential vitamins and minerals, absorbability and affordability,” he added.

As far as Rainbow Light’s newest products, the company offers new Men’s and Women’s 50+ items, which are “fortified with specific ingredients for aging adults like saw palmetto in the men’s formula and ingredients like black cohosh and ashwagandha in the women’s formula,” especially with stress at an all-time high, according to Robison.

Levin stated that at NOW, “Our founder, Elwood Richard, made a commitment in 1968 to offer quality natural products at value prices.” He continued, “At that time, there seemed to be a need for the natural form of vitamin E, d-alpha tocopherol, at more affordable prices. By 1980, NOW offered 87 powdered vitamins, minerals and amino acid products.” As for the modern day, NOW saw a “huge demand for vitamin D, as did others during COVID, but this seems to be tapering off now, so focus is elsewhere.”

The company’s newest SKUs, according to Levin, include AlliBiotic CDZ, “a boosted formula of our original formula with vitamins C, D and zinc. It’s an excellent, well-rounded formula for yearly seasonal support.”* Another newer product is C-1000 Zinc Immune, a 2-in-1 formula containing 1,000 mg of vitamin C and 15 mg of zinc. Lastly, NOW offers a high potency vitamin D3 50,000 IU, which only needs to be taken once a week. “All of our label claims are based on matching forms and doses used in published research papers looking at healthy populations, so our research team only writes label claims that can be justified by properly vetted evidence,” said Levin. “In some cases, we use trademarked/patented raw materials that have had specific research unique to those forms.”

Sovereign Silver’s founder, according to Mullins, “became familiar with silver’s antimicrobial properties in 1967 when searching for non-chemical methods to keep his swimming pool water clean. In 1997, he began researching colloidal silver for immune support by isolating silver into miniscule particles, at the nano-size, that could achieve near-perfect dispersion for ease of absorption into and elimination from the body.” This unique form of colloidal silver, he continued, is referred to as Bio-Active Silver Hydrosol due to its “exceptional virtues, in addition to its extreme quality and purity.”

Mullins explained, “Sovereign Silver Bio-Active Silver Hydrosol has been the number one selling silver supplement for immune health* in the U.S. since 2005. Our proprietary manufacturing process creates the smallest silver particle size seen with a Transmission Electron Microscope and verified by third parties.” Smaller particle size, he elaborated, “equates to greater dispersion and easier absorption in the body. This means we can keep our silver hydrosol at a low, 10 ppm (parts per million) for safety, but maintain the efficacy of higher ppm products.”

The company also offers Sovereign Copper’s Dual Action Copper (I) and (II) proprietary blend facilitates effective enzymatic activity necessary to support important vital body functions and its superior bioavailability eliminates the extra work that must be done to convert it from one state to the other.”

Soverign Silver’s newest product is Bio-Active Hydrosol Natural Nasal Spray for Sinus Relief, a natural, drug-free formula. “It’s safe for daily use and provides quick sinus relief by cleansing the nasal passages and thinning mucus resulting in relief from congestion.” The company’s silver hydrosol product was used in clinical trials in Canada, in a triple blind, placebo controlled 60-day study to evaluate its safety and efficacy in providing immune support. “Findings from this study did effectively demonstrate the product efficacy through several markers. Improvement of overall quality of life was also demonstrated.”

According to Pavey, “As early as 1981, Life Extension has suggested the B-vitamins for supporting cardiovascular health by helping to keep homocysteine in check.” Furthermore, “Life Extension was the first to suggest DHEA supplementation in 1981, the first to promote the use of CoQ10 in 1983 and the first to sell melatonin in the U.S. in 1992.” In 1997, the first edition of the Life Extension Disease Prevention and Treatment textbook was published.

“One of our current formulations was aimed at increasing the bioavailability of vitamin C over a 24-hour period … we are using a specially formulated liposomal vitamin C in a hydrogel. We combine 350 mg of vitamin C in a sunflower derived phospholipid liposome and infused it into a hydrogel made of galactomannan fibers from fenugreek seeds,” Pavey explained. “The hydrogel protects the liposome from degrading in the digestive tract resulting in seven times greater total plasma levels up to 24-hours when compared to a standard vitamin C supplement.1”

The company’s best-selling multivitamin and mineral supplement is its Two-Per-Day Multivitamin, according to Pavey. “This high potency multi meets or exceeds the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for nearly every ingredient where an RDA exists. The RDA is the average daily intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98 percent) of healthy people; however, the main concern is preventing diseases of vitamin deficiencies, not to provide the ideal dosing for optimal health and longevity. The goal of the Two-Per-Day formulation is to provide the dosing both men and women require to promote healthier lives.”

The vitamin is soy and gluten free, as well as non-GMO (genetically modified organism), and contains the B-vitamins in their active forms, including B2, B6, B9 and B12. “We also included a healthy dose of vitamin D3 at 2,000 IU per serving. And we included lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health, all four forms of tocopherol vitamin E, a highly absorbable form of quercetin in a phytosome, alpha-lipolic acid and apigenin to support cellular defense.”

In response to the growing demand for vitamin products that are targeted to specific health concerns, Life Extension also recently launched Youthful Woman 40+ with B-complex, “which provides eight B-vitamins including the bio-active forms of B2, B6, B9 and B12 to support energy, mood and overall well-being. We also added patented Siberian rhubarb extract to help to provide relief from common discomforts that come with age, like occasional hot flashes, mood swings and general fatigue.3”

According to Mak, “Our line of ChildLife Essentials products is catered toward infants’ and children’s’ health and includes liquid multivitamin and mineral supplements, probiotics, natural herbal blends and omega-3 supplements.” The company’s best-selling supplement is Liquid Calcium with Magnesium, “a delicious spoonful of calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin D3 made for supporting bone health in infants and children,” Mak explained. This supplement “delivers high-quality chelated mineral forms and great flavor and texture without compromising taste and efficacy. Liquid Calcium with Magnesium is formulated with an ideal ratio of calcium and magnesium as well to help promote a healthy mineral balance in infants and children.”

ChildLife Essentials also offers Multi Vitamin & Mineral, which, according to Mak, offers a variety of essential vitamins and minerals for infants and children. “Because infants and children may be especially picky about the things they eat, many parents use Multi Vitamin & Mineral to help bridge any potential nutritional gaps in their children’s diets. Multi Vitamin & Mineral comes in a liquid delivery format, which makes it easy for parents to add to food, snacks and beverages for their kids. Customers also love that it is conveniently dosed per age range, so they’re able to buy one product for all kids. Formulated without artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners, Multi Vitamin & Mineral is NSF-certified gluten-free and Non-GMO Project verified, guaranteeing great quality, safety and efficacy for parents and children.”

The company’s most recent addition to the ChildLife Essentials product line is Zinc Plus, which “offers a nutritious formulation of zinc, copper and all-natural ingredients to promote normal growth and development in children,” said Mak. “Zinc is an essential mineral that helps the body grow and develop properly.4 While zinc is an important nutrient, excessive zinc intake may cause a copper imbalance in the body by decreasing normal copper absorption.5 By combining both zinc and copper in the formula, Zinc Plus synergizes the benefits of these two essential trace minerals to maintain a healthy mineral balance.”

Advice for Retailers

NOW, according to Levin, offers “a variety of consumer-friendly supplement guides … including the topics of vitamins and minerals. We also offer monthly webinars on a variety of topics.” He suggested that retailers “Try to stay abreast of what supplements are positively trending on social media, in the news, etc. and take advantage of those opportunities by prominently displaying those products in stores.”

To support retailers, Natural Immunogenics offers “expert training on our product through professional agencies, such as ExpertVoice and Purity Life (Canada), which gives retailers the information they need to educate their customers on the benefits of the product.” In addition, he continued, “we build customized marketing and education material as needed.” Opined Mullins, “Education on health sovereignty is always important. Health sovereignty means being free from outside influence and taking control of your own well-being through education and informed decisions. It means knowing your options and owning the path you’re on to live your best life. It’s important to let consumers know that their health is in their own hands.”

Pavey shared, “We are dedicated to supporting our retailers. We provide product trifolds, sales flyers, in-person and remote staff trainings and webinars. Retailers can generate excitement by offering high-quality, science-based formulas verified by a certificate of analysis. By offering innovative products with advanced technology to enhance the bioavailability, customers can be reassured that the nutrients they are taking are absorbing. Life Extension supplements meet these requirements.”

“Education is first, always,” said Singh. This is what we pride ourselves on here at Elk Grove Vitamins. Many show up ready to make a quick purchase. I ask a simple question, like ‘what are you going to take this for?’ [Eight out of 10 times, the answer is] ‘I’m not sure!’ I then ask, ‘would you like to learn about health? Let’s start out with a simple multivitamin.’” 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.

References:

1 Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1996 Apr 16; 93(8):3704-9
Akay Internal Study. Liposomal hydrogel vitamin C pharmacokinetics. Data on file. 2021.

2 National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Nutrient Recommendations: Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Dietary_Reference_Intakes.aspx. Accessed Sept 2020.

3 Smidt LJ, et al. J Gerontol. 1991; 46(1):M16-22
Skarupski KA, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010; 92:(2):330-335
Hasper I, et al. Menopause. 2009;16(1):117-31
Kaszkin-Bettag M, et al. Altern Ther Health Med. 2009;15(1):24-34
Kaszkin-Bettag M, et al. Menopause. 2007;14(2):270-83

4. Office of Dietary Supplements. Zinc – Fact Sheet for Consumers. nih.gov. Accessed November 8, 2021. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-Consumer/

5. Osredkar J, Sustar N. Copper and zinc, biological role and significance of copper/zinc imbalance. J Clin Toxicol. 2011;S3(1):3. doi:10.4172/2161-0495.S3-001.