With difficulty swallowing tablets common, retailers are quickly finding out that liquid supplements are becoming the preferred choice for many.

Manufacturers are well aware that making things easier for consumers will help make things easier for themselves. When it comes to supplements, the number and size of pills and tablets that need to be consumed often leave consumers wanting something more palatable. Thus, it should come as no surprise that in recent years, the appeal of dosage forms is making a strong shift toward liquids.

According to a study done by Capsugel (Greenwood, SC) that involved more than 750 consumers in 25 major US markets, tablet usage has declined significantly, from 74 percent used in 2002 to 60 percent used in

2009. In this same time period, liquidfilled forms grew from 40 percent used to 51 percent used.

Consumer preference has also changed. In 2002, 34 percent of consumers said liquid-filled forms were their preferred dosage form, but in 2009, that number increased to 65 percent. Tablets and chewables also saw steep decreases in consumer preference over the seven-year span.

Capsugel Business Development Manager Glenn Guadi said he felt that the company’s study had some pretty telling results. “[The] updated study found that consumers are responding more positively to dosage forms that are easy to swallow, they perceive work more quickly, and that appear to preserve the strength of the medication,” said Guadi. “Dosage forms such as capsules, liquids and gel-coats (including products considered rapidrelease forms) are more likely to deliver those perceptions. At the same time, usage and preference for both Tablets and chewables have declined significantly—a major change for the dosage form community.” Although supplement industries used to struggle with selling the idea of liquid forms to consumers, there always seemed to be a market for certain groups of people, including fussy children and the elderly who are unable to swallow capsules or tablets. These targets, along with those who have joint health issues, have long been the main focus for retailers selling liquid supplements.

“Older adults have trouble swallowing the multiple pills and tablets required to strengthen and improve their joints,” said Dr. Aly Gamay, president of DreamPak LLC (Alexandria, VA).

“And even when they do consume the pills, only a percentage is absorbed by the body. Liquids have really gained ground when it comes to joint health, because they are easy to consume, bioavailable in the body and enjoyable.”

Liquid Options With Taste

Manufacturers recognize that there are segments of the population that need their supplements in the liquid form.

Parents are looking for an enjoyable way for their kids to consume key nutrients, and the elderly are looking for an alternative to swallowing multiple pills for their joint, bone, brain and other functional needs, explained Gamay.

Acceptance of liquids by older adults was slow when first introduced, but has increased tremendously over the past few years.

Reserveage Organics (Gainesville, FL) has two liquid supplements that it considers to be most popular— Vibrance Liquid Multivitamin and Resveratrol Cellular Age- Defying Tonic, made with rich superfruits from Around the world, including açai and goji berries, mangosteen, pomegranates and blueberries. Kaitlyn Hastings, public relations specialist at Reserveage, noted that liquids offer customers a more convenient alternative to capsule supplements, and that taste can be the key. “We know that many liquids can have an unappealing taste,” Hastings said. “Companies are looking to produce better-tasting liquid supplements for customers to create an improved experience, and these two products deliver delicious berry flavors that provide a delightful experience.” Since they are consumed like a beverage, liquid products almost always have some type of flavor added to them. This is very commonly seen with children’s liquid products because kids are very picky about what they eat, and most kids tend to favor sweet things.

Companies such as NOW Foods (Bloomingdale, IL) base many of its products on the premise that consumers put taste as one of the top factors— if not the most important— when choosing their liquid supplements. “We constantly work on the flavoring systems of liquids since taste is the driver for liquid products,” said Jim Ritcheske, NOW’s brand strategy manager.

Taste has also been a determining factor in using krill oil, which doesn’t have the fishy aftertaste of other fish oils.

Capsugel’s Guadi sees krill oil, which can lower LDL cholesterol and is used to help reduce symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and arthritis, as an up-and-coming trend in liquid supplements.

There is a trend toward balanced omegas, not just omega-3, but a balance of omegas-3, -6 and -9, explained Guadi. Krill oil is an example of a balanced Omega and an indicator of how important balanced omegas have become in the marketplace. “An interesting aspect of the growth of this ingredient is how important it is to mask odor,” he said.

“We have a number of customers who use the two-piece liquid capsule because it is so effective in odor containment— an issue with krill oil.” Don’t be mistaken, though—taste isn’t the only factor that manufacturers consider when producing a liquid supplement.

Convenience comes into mind, as well. DreamPak features its best-selling product, Enhanca Joint Health, a liquid concentrate formulation containing glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and vitamin D. The company is mindful of the older population, who appreciates the product because they can enjoy the convenience of a liquid product without having to carry 30 large bottles home from the store.

Taking a Shot

In addition to answering consumer concerns about taste and convenience, manufacturers are also listening to retailer complaints about limited shelf space. Recently, that answer might have been found in the form of a shot.

Michelle White, president of Michelle’s Miracle, Inc. (Leland, MI), said her company is in the process of developing a new product line featuring single-serve versions of its joint and sleep formulas.

Single-serve formats have become a popular method for turning consumers on to liquid supplements. “Perhaps the biggest trend for liquid supplements is the emergence of RTD [ready-to-drink] shots,” said DreamPak’s Gamay. “The industry standard has been to use Boston round bottles that are extremely Expensive to produce. For example, a joint health user would have to spend almost $2 per day to take the same product that costs a fraction in pill, powder or concentrated liquid form.” Gamay said that with DreamPak’s LiquiTube technology, shots could be produced economically and thus sold to consumers for an affordable price (less than $1 per day). This is why DreamPak has introduced a unique line of vitamin and energy shots retailing for just 99 cents per unit. (Enhanca Immunity is its most popular, containing 1,000mgs of vitamin C as well as many other vitamins and zinc). The price point of the shots offers an economical alternative to the leading vitamin and energy products, which retail at close to $3 per unit, Gamay said.

AgroLabs, Inc. (Hillside, NJ) is another company that has expanded into the “shot format” category. It has introduced Wheatgrass BOOST, which is full Of nutrients and trace minerals and has been documented as the most nutrient dense natural product in existence.

Most health food stores sell this product in the pill form and can call for high dosages of seven or more pills. Enter AgroLabs, which exclusively uses a high-grade leading health food supplier of organic wheatgrass, which equates to a shot one would get in a health food store or juice bar. Kerry Kirk, a spokesperson for AgroLabs, said the company is “thrilled” to bring consumers a new collection in the shot format.

NOW Foods has also entered into the shot era of liquid products. It has introduced three NOW SHOTS™ liquid formulas at the beginning of 2010: B-12 for energy boost, L-Carnitine for fat transport and Choco Energy™ for cognitive reaction time. “These all come in single-serving plastic tubes,” said NOW’s Ritcheske. “Just snap off the top for a quick and easy-to-take shot. Plus they taste good. We see great potential in this delivery form.”

More Than Just Weight Gain

It may be assumed that liquid supplements are more likely to be used for weight gain, while pills and tablets are popular for weight loss. Liquid proteins, for example, are very common for people trying to build muscle, and are proven to increase muscle mass, muscle strength and recovery rate, as well as lower risks of developing and suffering muscle tissue injuries.

However, liquid supplement manufacturers are trying to change the notion that their products aren’t the preferred weight-loss form for consumers.

“While it is true that many weight-loss products are currently delivered in pill form, as opposed to weight-gain products, which are typically delivered in liquid form, there is a shift toward delivering weightloss products in liquid form,” said DreamPak’s Gamay, who explained that a liquid delivery system is optimal for weight loss because liquids provide volume, which results in increased satiety for the user, and that the absorption Rate for liquids is superior to that of pills, so the consumer gets the maximum value. “When pills are consumed, they may hurt the stomach upon ingestion.

On the other hand, liquids will buffer the stomach against this type of damage,” Gamay said.

Many liquid supplement manufacturers, such as NOW Foods, also argue that the effectiveness of the product is far more important than the form it comes in. “In the health food channel, I don’t see a distinction for liquid weightgain products,” said NOW’s Ritcheske.

“I don’t think the form matters as far as function—that’s a marketing, rather than a scientific issue.” There are liquid weight loss formulas, as well as powdered weight-gain and weight-loss products to mix into liquids, Ritcheske explained. “Açai products and formulas likewise come in all forms, from liquids to capsules. Liquid carnitines are also popular in the weight management category.”

Meeting Challenges

Despite the recent success that has been seen in the liquid supplement category, there is still a ways to go.

Retailer and consumer concerns are present, and real issues need to be addressed. Capsugel’s Guadi, for example, acknowledges that liquid supplements from the bottle are less convenient to consume, can smell and/or taste bad, and might not have as long a shelf life due to exposure to oxygen that causes degradation and loss of potency.

Many liquids also require refrigeration after opening, making it harder for some consumers to make them part of their regular supplement regimen. From a health standpoint, NOW’s Ritcheske said he feels that consumer awareness could improve as well. “Many nutrients in a liquid form are not stable, meaning consumers may not get the nutrient value they think they are getting,” he said. NOW, however, has made an attempt to solve this problem by stabilizing the vitamins in their Liquid Multi products with Brown Rice Protein for maximum nutrient bio-availability.

Further, liquid products take up more space on the shelf and may have shortEr expiration dates than capsules or tablets. “Large RTD bottles block off a good amount of shelf space that prevents retailers from being able to stock other products,” said DreamPak’s Gamay. “The solution to this is offering liquid concentrates in single-dose packages.” Some companies have therefore produced smaller liquid supplement options in an effort to keep stocking simple for retailers.

For many of these reasons, several manufacturers acknowledge that liquid supplements, while improving in popularity, are not quite as prevalent as capsules, tablets and pills just yet.

“Liquids are not the top delivery form for NOW,” said Ritcheske.

“[They] fill a niche and in some categories they sell well, but are always secondary to another delivery form.” “Capsules and tablets still dominate by far,” added Mary Hogan, category manager at Fruitful Yield (Lombard, IL), a dietary supplement retailer for more than 40 years. “It just seems to be a small, select group that take liquids, people who don’t like swallowing pills or want a change of pace.” One solution could be in the form of a liquid-filled capsule, which, according to Capsugel’s Guadi, is an innovative technology developed to help improve bioavailability and the absorption of ingredients as compared to tablets. “A pre-dissolved ingredient works more quickly, because the body doesn’t have to spend time dissolving the solid material; essentially the product is ready to be absorbed upon ingestion,” he said.

“And because capsules are readily available in plant-based HPMC, the vegetarian solution is an easy choice.” Not everyone agrees that liquid supplements lag behind the traditionally used tablets and pills, however.

Michelle’s Miracle’s White, for instance, explained that her self-developed tart cherry concentrate, which has been shown to help sports enthusiasts such As runners in muscle recovery, gives consumers the versatility they need that pills and tablets simply cannot provide.

“Liquids allow our customers the flexibility to add our tart cherry concentrate to beverages of their choice, including mineral water and sparkling water,” said White. “Liquids also allow our consumers to adjust their level of intake, increasing or decreasing when required.

In our experience, liquid supplements are now the preferable delivery form.”