Both manufacturers and retailers say the expanding healthy aging category is attracting younger consumers.
You can see the advertisements almost any place you go—on billboards, in magazines, on social media, the television or over the radio: Phrases such as “look younger now” or “feel like your younger self” or “makes you look 10 years younger” aren’t hard to find.
As life expectancy continues to rise and the number of older people in the overall population increases, driven now by the Baby Boomer generation and Generation X, the amount of marketing and the market itself for products claiming to “stop aging” or “reverse aging” or simply aid with aging have also increased.
But, many manufacturers say they see a trend toward a natural supplement or product approach to combatting the inevitable aging process rather than a cosmetic fix.
“The huge trend is beauty from within,” said Darren Landis, owner of Hyalogic, a Missouri-based manufacturer of hyaluronic acid skin care products and supplements. “There’s no doubt about it; this is going well beyond outside our channel, the natural industry. People are looking to beautify their skin from within, so when they take a supplement, it goes throughout the whole body.”
Product Advancements
In recent years, there have been many advancements and technological developments in both safety and efficacy of anti-aging products and supplements, said Michela Vagnini, nutritional therapist and reflexologist at Natures Plus, a New York State-based manufacturer.
“Technologies that verify such characteristics as gluten free, non-GMO (genetically modified organism), allergen-free, purity, potency and antioxidant activity all contribute to the current advanced state of the anti-aging supplements market,” she added. “We are now able to produce science-based effective anti-aging supplements using the purest and most natural ingredients. And that is exactly what consumers are looking for nowadays. We have noticed that the anti-aging beauty and supplement market is growing rapidly, but consumers are seeking a natural and young appearance rather than the evident results from plastic-surgery treatment.”
Laurel Sterling, a nutritionist and educator at Carlson Laboratories, an Illinois-based manufacturer that recently launched Vitamin D3 + K2 for bone support, cardiovascular health and calcium absorption, echoed similar thoughts to Vagnini’s. She also noted how supplement and natural product retailers should know that many dedicated and first-time consumers view the products and supplements as a key part of the overall aging process.
“People are living longer with health care and technological advancements, and they are also focusing on living healthier, longer lives; therefore, they are turning more to supplements to assist them along their journey to aging gracefully,” she said.
However, simply because the sales of such products are on the rise does not necessarily or automatically mean the process of getting the right products in retailers’ hands is any easier, manufacturers said, as the vast number of available products and their respective claims means the retailers must keep up with their now often tech-savvy and well-informed consumers.
“The industry of products that deal with aging cannot help but grow to meet consumer demand,” said Gene Bruno, senior director of product innovation at Reserveage Nutrition, a Florida-based manufacturer. “A quick search of the internet will quickly reveal a broad array of products marketed to help promote healthy aging.”
Understanding Ingredients
Because of the dearth of information available, manufacturers said the need for transparency of ingredients becomes more important, as trends show customers will look for well-researched and trusted products and supplements.
“Customers should ask retailers: ‘Is there any real science behind any of these products?’ This is important because there is a big difference between a philosophical approach to aging, and actual science-documenting real, measurable results,” Bruno continued. “It should also be noted that, while a supportive opinion by a doctor or some other health care professional may add credibility to product claims, it does not actually constitute actual science.”
Martin Alcock, national sales manager for Bulldog Skincare for Men, a New York-based manufacturer, added the assurance of quality of products and supplements can be a multi-sided approach, explaining manufacturers, retailers and customers could, and should, all play crucial parts.
“Customers should be trying to understand what the key ingredients are in the products they choose and how they work,” he explained. “Manufacturers should be able to support their product claims. Retailers should know how to assist consumers to find this important information about ingredients and claims.”
Landis also emphasized the crucial roles manufacturers and retailers must play in order to best assist the growing customer base, even as it becomes more and more informed.
“I think the biggest thing that we are seeing is that the trend is for manufacturers to reach the consumer through videos, podcasts and social media interaction, which is incredibly receptive at educating the consumer and then prompting that consumer to come into the health foods store and get further information from the store level,” said Landis. “There’s nobody that knows the products any better than the store employees and manufacturers like us are trying to drive those consumers into the store, because we know that when they get in there, they are going to get their questions answered in a way that consumers can understand and, with confidence, purchase a product.”
Although customers, in recent years, have used technology to be more prepared when shopping in supplement and natural product stores or online at retailers’ or manufacturers’ websites, advancements in technology naturally also benefit manufacturers, they said.
“Technology allows those in the industry to use the latest advancements in discovering, producing and researching old and new nutrients for aging,” said Sterling. “They can isolate, extract, and find more that will assist with healthy aging, which is positive.”
An obvious trend, manufacturers added, is that of collagen-focused products, usually geared toward improving outward appearance of the skin, one of the main, and often first, signs of aging.
“You can’t open up a magazine or newspaper or turn on the radio without hearing about collagen and hyaluronic acid…” said Landis, when asked about some of the most popular products in the aging industry today.
Along with helping develop new products and product lines, technology has led to advancements in how customers consume the products and supplements, such as collagen, and what forms they are available in.
“Manufacturers are putting collagen in many unique delivery formats—e.g., cans, stick packs, bars, alcohol, liquid concentrate,” said Barry Gurewitz, marketing director at Great Lakes Gelatin, an Illinois-based manufacturer, adding that one of the brand’s most-popular products, Great Lakes Gelatin Co. Collagen Hydrolysate, is offered as a powdered supplement. “Many of our customers also cook with this versatile product, which is available in a variety of sizes from a 16-oz. best-selling can to a single-serve convenience pack for on-the-go use.”
Other manufacturers also quickly replied with collagen when asked about trending products.
“Collagen is one of the main products in the market right now. We have consumers asking for it, as it provides great support for beautiful, more youthful-looking skin and healthy joints. People want to feel better but also have a young-looking body, and that is what collagen is promising,” said Vagnini, adding Natures Plus has more than one collagen-related product, such as TendoGuard Collagen in Ageloss Joint Support and in Ageloss Bone Support, in its line.
The culture of not only seeing aging advertisements everywhere, but also customers seeing photos of themselves more often—and likely sharing those photos with larger audiences more often—is a major factor driving demand for collagen and related products currently, manufacturers said.
“Increasingly we see ‘selfie’ culture and other forms of social media making us hyperaware of our skin. In turn, this drives increased demand for targeted skin-care solutions. A good example of a product that helps this is our Age Defense Eye Roll-On, which helps reduce puffiness and dark circles,” said Alcock, referring to one of the products of Bulldog Skincare for men and adding other popular aging products include cleansers and moisturizers, as well as Bulldog Skincare’s new Age Defense Serum.
However, because of an increasing holistic approach to combating the symptoms of aging, retailers should be prepared for consumers looking beyond supplements and practices for only outward appearances, manufacturers said.
“The aging category extends beyond our “surface” … beyond our skin, said Sterling. “Research is looking more toward products/supplements that are beneficial for the healthy aging of not only our skin, but more importantly our brain, eyes, heart, bones, joints and immune system health as well as our energy levels.” Bruno added that, although not a new trend, products such as the supplement resveratrol continue to be major players in the aging industry of natural products and supplements.
“Despite the fact that resveratrol is hardly the new kid on the block, this anti-aging nutraceutical continues to trend based on sales data,” said Bruno, adding that Reserveage continues to be a leader in the resveratrol, a supplement associated with heart and metabolism health, as well as cancer prevention, market. “… Consistent with the advancement of nutrigenomic science, the understanding that resveratrol helps activate the SIRT 1 gene, associated with longevity, may be the most exciting innovation in the aging category in the past few decades. Research continues to demonstrate that these effects of resveratrol [have] benefits for inflammation, immune health, muscle health, cognitive health, weight loss, blood sugar health, liver disease and more.”
Better understanding of muscle health with relation to aging, Bruno added, is at the forefront of many studies today.
“Age-related muscle loss is a significant concern,” said Bruno. “Aside from recommendations for strength-training exercise (which makes sense), any nutraceutical research that demonstrates a benefit in this area is of interest to researchers.”
Of course, related to muscle health is bone health, an area in which researchers are also making new developments, said Anne Trias, product director at American River Nutrition, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer.
“Tocotrienols also address other challenges that come with aging,” said Trias, who explained tocotrienol is an emerging antioxidant ingredient. “One exciting area of research for the vitamin is on the subject of bone health, where we may soon see tocotrienols on the shelves among staple ingredients such as vitamin D and calcium.”
However, manufacturers said, as mental health becomes more and more of a focus in the overall health care field, so too has it become a focus in trending aging supplements and practices, alongside products for appearance and internal physical health.
“Brain and cognitive health are very much in the spotlight recently,” said Vagnini. “With mental health issues on the rise worldwide, researchers are always looking for new nutritional ingredients and methods to address it. The most interesting research is on everyday issues such as psychosomatic responses, poor memory, non-clinical depression, poor sleep and suboptimal concentration.”
A Young Audience
As trends continue to change and advancements are made in the fields of natural products/supplements and aging, retailers should keep in mind that their audiences, or customer bases, are also changing, said manufacturers.
“As average life expectancies continue to rise, we’ve seen a steady rise in use. Additionally, many young consumers continue to source functional foods for sustained health and wellness,” noticed Gurewitz.
Landis said in talking with owners and managers of health foods stores, he learned that although the general customer base for aging products and supplements used to fall more with people aged 45 and over, the 25-to-45-year-old customers are also looking into products, many customers in hope of preventing some of the happenings associated with aging.
“First and foremost, you’re seeing younger audiences of people come into a health foods store looking for prevention,” said Landis. “Most of the stores that we talk to say their audiences, their customers, are younger and they’re coming in and they’re preventing versus waiting until later in life.”
In fact, the idea of prevention is one both manufacturers and retailers should keep in mind when considering how to best serve the current customer base.
“I think definitely the younger generations as a whole are more consciously aware and are more specific to look for products that are cleaner, clean brands that are good for them, things like that. Also brands that are earth friendly. But I do think more and more people are trying to prevent rather than waiting and doing something about it when they are older,” said Laura Osborne, wellness buyer, who buys supplements and personal care for Mama Jean’s Natural Market, a Missouri-based retailer.
The holistic approach to combatting aging symptoms related to appearance, strength, organ health, etc., is only expanded when, due to an often-younger customer base, the idea is not just to combat, but more to prevent.
“We’re seeing a shift toward a more holistic approach to thinking about aging,” said Alcock. “Today the emphasis is more about preventative products rather than products positioned to ‘cure.’”
As science and technology lead to quickly changing markets, which will likely lead to quick-changing trends, the aging industry as a whole for supplements and natural products isn’t likely to be outdated, manufacturers said.
“This healthy aging market is exploding, and it’s a very important one also,” said Sterling. “I doubt the growth on this will slow as more and more people are wanting to stay younger longer.”
Added Vagnini, “We believe that healthy aging is far more than the absence of disease. We want our customers to live their [lives] in full bloom.” VR
For More Information:
American River Nutrition, http://americanrivernutrition.com
Bulldog Skincare for Men, https://us.bulldogskincare.com
Carlson Nutritional Supplements, www.carlsonlabs.com
Great Lakes Gelatin, https://greatlakesgelatin.com/storefront
Hyalogic, www.hyalogic.com/
Natures Plus, https://naturesplus.com
Reserveage Nutrition, https://reserveage.com
