Monitor: Sleep support sales fall but consumers' faith stays strong

Natural channel shoppers might be using more healthy sleep supplements than all consumers, but both groups are confident the products are effective, according to new research from New Hope Network’s NEXT Data & Insights.

Nearly half of natural channel shoppers have taken an herbal supplement in the past year, while 45% have used melatonin and a slightly smaller share, 44%, have used magnesium. The 34% who report using hemp CBD supplements for sleeping is notable in light of Nutrition Business Journal findings that sales of CBD sleep products are falling rapidly.

All the numbers are smaller for total shoppers, which includes natural channel shoppers, but across both groups, consumer confidence in efficacy remains high in every ingredient category. Consumers are most likely to believe valerian root is extremely or somewhat effective, but herbal supplements, including chamomile, also rate highly. Consumers were the least confident in melatonin, but the percentage of natural channel shoppers who say melatonin works for them is an astonishingly high 84%.

The increased size of the sleep supplement market makes the findings especially relevant to brands and retailers. NBJ called sleep a “COVID-adjacent” category in 2020, as consumers looking for solutions in a rocky year shot growth up to 36.6%. That growth rate proved unsustainable, with sales falling flat in NBJ estimates for 2022. Even so, the healthy sleep supplements market is still expected to be nearly 60% higher than pre-pandemic for 2023.