The Newest Normal

Following a COVID-driven sales spike, immune supplement performance is returning to pre-pandemic levels

By Debby Garbato

What goes up must come down. So it goes in the immune supplements category. At the height of the pandemic, sales skyrocketed. Now, fewer health concerns, product saturation and inflation have slowed consumer spending.

Suppliers are not overly worried, recognizing that such growth was temporary and unsustainable. And there are bright spots, with some vendors citing health in their private label businesses, “alternative” formats and cold products containing immunity ingredients.

“During COVID, there was a huge sales increase and immunity played a big part, with the total category up about 20%,” said Chuck Tacl, SVP of sales and business development, Mason Vitamins. “Zinc took off like you wouldn’t believe, and vitamins C and D grew dramatically.” But things trending down, he continued.

Lou Machin, managing director, Lifelab Health, said the peak occurred about 19 months ago. “Every retailer was begging for more,” he added. “The market became glutted. Then, it kind of came back to earth and flattened out.”

Coughing again

Machin described last year as “epic” for colds and flu. Today, Lifelab is emphasizing Honeyworks, organic cough syrups and throat sprays made with honey plus anti-oxidant ingredients. Children’s and adult formulations are available. “They’re clean products with no added ingredients,” he added.

Mason’s private labels are also performing well, partly driven by inflation. “With eggs and milk so expensive, there’s fewer items in the market basket with people purchasing more private label,” said Tacl.

Healthy kids

Now that COVID-19 has subsided, education has generated interest in kids’ immune supplements. Products include labels marketed for children and general market formulations that are safe for kids.

“The pandemic raised awareness of maintaining health,” said Geolyn Gonzalez, VP of sales and marketing, Total Resources International. “People, especially parents, now understand the importance of supplementing children.”

The cough/cold segment of children’s supplements did particularly well. Sales increased 4.9% to about $203 million, said SPINS.

According to Kimberly Vigliante, SVP of wholesale and marketing, Piping Rock, vitamins C and D, immunity herb products, sleep aids and products for “gut health” are also popular for use by kids.

Hannah Braye, head of technical advice at U.K.-based ADM Protexin, said sleep issues can be symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression, which are rising among children.

Children’s digestive health supplements are growing, too, as more consumers recognize that strong immunity starts in the gut, said Braye.

Suitable for babies, toddlers and young children, ADM’s Bio-Kult Infantis contains seven strains of beneficial bacteria as well as D3, omega-3 fatty acids and Preplex prebiotics.

Beyond gummies

While some suppliers indicated ongoing strength in gummies, SPINS cited an 8.2% decline in overall children’s gummy sales for the 52 weeks ended March 26, 2023. And the market is diversifying.

Nordic’s clean label children’s DHA comes in gummy, chewable soft gels and liquid formulations. Children’s and babies’ DHA is also available in vegetarian versions.

ChildLife Essentials believes there are more opportunities for its bottled, liquid formats in food, drug and mass. It also offers soft chews.

“Our liquids are growing at the expense of gummies,” said David Levy, director of sales, who was hired two years ago to target these retailers. “People don’t want to give kids ‘candy.’ These sugar-free alternatives are easy to consume.” dsn