Type the word “magnesium” into any internet search bar, and images of small mineral bottles and explanations of what the mineral does for the human body will pop up.

So too, though, will list after list of the many benefits of the mineral: “15 Impressive Benefits of Magnesium,” “10 Evidence-based Health Benefits of Magnesium,” “13 Amazing Benefits of Magnesium.” Although the lists have all been recently published, magnesium isn’t new, of course. However, as mineral supplement manufacturers explained, it’s playing an increasing role in the supplement industry.

“What’s the reasoning behind it?” asked Lisa Lent, founder and CEO of Vitalah, a California-based manufacturer of supplements, including Oxylent, about the increase in the consumption of magnesium. “Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the critical role magnesium plays within the human body—[it is] involved in nearly every metabolic and biochemical process within the cells. Additionally, there is a known deficiency in magnesium within the United States according to the National Institutes of Health, so supplementation is essential,” she said.

Many Americans find supplementation so essential that some experts predict that magnesium could overtake calcium, which has touted the top position for years, as the top-selling mineral supplement in the next few years, according to manufacturers.

“Calcium far outsells magnesium, maintaining on average 40 percent of the market; however, calcium has shown to be on a trending decline [while] magnesium has been maintaining a steady rise,” said Lent. “Experts are forecasting that magnesium sales will surely surpass calcium sales as the best-selling standalone supplement on the market by 2020.”

Lent explained that for many years, magnesium was largely marketed as an electrolyte for high-intensity athletes—that is those needing high levels of endurance.

Recently, however, studies exploring the many other benefits, along with a more health-conscious consumer, have helped lead to a more everyday use of magnesium and a growth in its sales, said Darrin Starkey, manager of education and nutrition at Trace Minerals Research, a Utah-based leading manufacturer of trace minerals and liquid magnesium.

“Magnesium is probably leading the charge … [it is] probably one of the most remarkable elements that we don’t pay attention to like we should,” Starkey said. “… I think [mental health] is a driving force today with anxiety and depression.”

Retailer George Samaris, owner of Everything Natural, Too, in New Jersey, agreed with Starkey, adding that although magnesium may have increased in popularity due to its mental-health benefits, the mineral impacts nearly every aspect of well-being.

“[Magnesium] performs more than 300 different functions, so it is one of the most important minerals we can have to prevent heart attacks, stress of the heart muscles, to relax the coronary arteries,” said Samaris, who explained his store also does nutritional consulting. “It’s known as the anti-stress mineral because it keeps your nervous system protected against daily stresses.”

Scott Boyson, marketing manager for Trace Minerals Research, added that although magnesium is neither new nor rare, many Americans lack the right amount of the vital mineral in their bodies.

“With more information, people become more interested in things that they maybe didn’t even realize were an issue … We talk a lot about magnesium now because it is becoming so much more prevalent in research,” Boyson said. “A lot of research articles are being released about magnesium and its importance.”

The increase in magnesium illustrates that, as a whole, the mineral-supplement industry is not simply stable in terms of use and sales, but is instead on the rise, manufacturers said.

Part of the reason for that, they explained, is more health-conscious and better-educated consumers determined to make mineral supplements parts of their daily routines.

“The market for minerals has continued to expand with zinc and magnesium at center stage. Calcium, though still the mineral category dominator, is waning in popularity,” said Corinna Bellizzi, vice president of marketing and education for NutriGold, a Utah-based, family-owned wellness company.

Minerals Online

Lent added a possible reason for the increased market and changing trends of the mineral supplement industry is actually very simple: the internet.

“Trends are constantly evolving due to the average consumer becoming more educated on general health and mineral supplementation,” she said. “With information being so easily accessible via the internet, consumers everywhere are more aware of various health implications and what is required in order to support (or attempt to support) their personal condition and/or overall health.”

In fact, Lent added, the availability and resources the internet provides likely contributed to the newfound popularity in magnesium.

“Having the studies on magnesium and its role on mental health available to the retailers/consumers recreates an entirely new perception of this mineral that’s been on the market for many years,” she explained.

With advancing technology, consumers are better able to determine which and how much of supplements they should take for optimal health, thus becoming more responsible consumers, said Boyson and Starkey. “As a consumer base, I think we are becoming more and more educated on the importance of minerals and trace minerals,” said Starkey. “I think that over the last five to 10 years, at Trace Mineral Research, we have seen a huge increase in interest as far as people, our consumers, asking questions—specific, as well as what trace minerals are and what they do for their bodies. So, I think that as we become more aware of our health challenges … that brings responsibility back to the consumer as to what they’re doing to take care of themselves.”

Although Boyson and Starkey said they have noticed an increase in how often their website is visited, presumably by customers conducting research, Samaris, who said both older and younger generations contribute to the trends in the mineral-supplement industry, added customers often walk into his store prepared with in-person questions for his team.

“There are definitely more questions people will have—from articles they read, whether from online or from books,” said Samaris, who added other minerals such as boron, phosphorus and, of course, calcium, also sell well and have shown steady sales in his store. “We like to educate; the backbone of our store is based on education—and it has been for 25 years.”

Mineral Knowledge

Technology leading to a better-educated consumer base is helpful to manufacturers and retailers, but it also challenges them to have the best information and best products available, as they continue to work with the same materials they always have, yet they must modify them and market them for a modern and educated society, they said.

“The market is saturated with unsupported and ineffective supplemental products,” Lent said. “Once a customer realizes a product doesn’t work, the customer is lost for life. Because the average consumer is making more educated purchasing decisions, the quality of the product is imperative.”

Because of that, she added, to gain and retain customers, manufacturers and retailers must not only have top-of-the-line products, they must also provide the necessary information about the products in order to become not only a buying location, but also an informational resource, to customers and potential customers.

“Positioning yourself or your brand as the entity that provides the information necessary for these consumers to make these decisions naturally qualifies your brand as a ‘go-to’ resource for information,” Lent added. “As the old saying goes, ‘knowledge is power.’”

Included in that is not only the top-of-the-line products, but the best form of those specific products, manufacturers said.

The technology of being able to provide supplements in different formats has added items to the list of things to consider when developing new products, they added.

“There [are] a variety of factors to consider when developing new products,” said Susan Piergeorge, nutrition education manager at Nutranext, LLC, a Florida-based manufacturer. “First, what is trending in health, nutrition and supplements is one consideration. Another is looking toward future growth and interest. Finally, being able to provide products in innovative delivery formats that are going to have appeal in their formulation as well as means of acceptable consumption is also of great importance.”

Piergeorge said with more options of how to absorb minerals—liquids, powders, pellets, gummies, gels, chews, bursts, etc.—customers have more opportunities to make the supplements an easy part of their daily routines.

Patrick Stano, performance ingredients brand manager at Stauber, a California-based company, added determining the form of the mineral has become a crucial consideration for new-product development.

“Taste or flavor is also important, particularly in liquids, beverages and powders,” he said. “By figuring out these main items, the formulator will be able to determine if they need to source a study-based branded ingredient or a commodity ingredient. It will also allow them to determine if they need a tablet grade, a fine powder, a soluble ingredient, a plant-based ingredient, etc.”

Plant Sourced

Manufacturers have taken note that American consumers are looking for plant-based minerals.

“We are seeing a major growth in plant-based minerals …” said Stano. “The need for plant-based minerals is important as the growth of plant-based supplements increases.”

Bellizzi added the growth may result from the better-educated consumer understanding plant-based or plant-sourced minerals are often easier to incorporate into daily routines.

“Where USP (United States Pharmacopeia) minerals of guaranteed potency were once the standard, the introduction of plant-sourced minerals has provided a gentler, more natural option to consumers,” Bellizzi said. “[Because] our bodies are able to efficiently absorb minerals from plants, we don’t experience the digestive discomfort associated with consumption of non-chelated USP minerals.”

As well as being easier to absorb, plant-based or plant-sourced minerals are also a better fit for many current dietary styles in the country, she added.

“Consumers are looking for more natural options from food sources, while shying away from high-potency USP vitamins that are ‘lab-made’ or ‘from rocks.’ This trend continues to be fed by larger consumer movements, from an increase in veganism and plant-based diets, to juicing for vitamins, to paleo diets,” Bellizzi said.

However, she added, when referring to the increased popularity in magnesium, which she said does not yet have a plant source, companies such as NutriGold have developed creative solutions to make the mineral absorption easier.

“Magnesium continues to close ranks with calcium as the dominant stand-alone mineral supplement,” she said. “Since a plant source of magnesium is not yet readily available, magnesium chelated to a full-spectrum of proteins, as with NutriGold’s Magnesium Gold, ensures better absorption without the digestive discomfort associated with USP magnesium.”

Another trend, along with plant-based minerals, is consumers looking to improve not just their physical health, but also mental health—a likely additional reason for the uptick in magnesium sales, manufacturers said.

“The newer products on the market have been directed towards mental health and focus formulas, otherwise known as nootropics” said Lent. “Supplements such as Oxylent’s Memory Formula and Cognizin combine Albion-brand minerals, vitamins and various botanicals to help drive mental health. They have quickly gained traction within the market due to their marketing focus on supported memory, focus and clarity, and because of the nature of the product, its proposed benefits are highly attractive to professionals, students and athletes alike.”

A third popular trend, manufacturers noted, is that although the younger generations are often more likely to use technology to read and learn more about mineral and trace mineral supplements, older generations, especially as they continue to become more and more active, often affect trends in the industry as well.

“Products aimed at healthy aging—to support bone and joint health are a real focus for consumers as they strive to be more physically active than previous generations,” said David O’Leary, commercial manager of Marigot Ltd., an Irish-based company that produces Aquamin, a seaweed-derived mineral source. “Any product that has been shown to enhance or combat symptoms associated with aging, such as joint pain, stiffness, osteopenia and osteoarthritis, are being considered and formulated for by brand owners to offer real healthy alternatives for consumers.”

However, as Boyson and Starkey pointed out, no matter how old or young, educated or novice, healthy or ill consumers are, manufacturers and retailers must do their best to make increasing technology—and the trends it brings with it—a friend in the mineral-supplement industry.

Consumers may think they are better educated simply because they read something on the internet about certain benefits or consequences of minerals, said Boyson, and then they have the potential to believe or spread information that may only be partly—or not at all—truthful.

“It is the world we live in, and we just have to deal with that,” Boyson said about how the spread of false information may affect sales. “We just always have to be on our toes about keeping the information true …”

Those potential negative consequences do not outweigh the many potential benefits of technology on the mineral supplement industry—especially as the industry continues to see steady growth—Starkey added.

“In the end, I think it’s a double-edged sword,” Starkey concluded. “But I think that [the increase in technology] also creates an interest that we haven’t been able to reach with a group or an age of consumer that I think that this new technology is reaching.” VR

For More Information:

Marigot, Ltd. (Aquamin), http://aquamin.com/about
Nutranext (Vitality Works), http://nutranext.net/
Nutrigold, www.nutrigold.com
Stauber, www.stauberusa.com
Trace Minerals Research, https://traceminerals.com/
Vitalah, www.oxylent.com

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