Supplement raw materials growth outpaces supplement growth

It might be obvious to say that the story of the supplement industry is rooted in ingredients. Quality, efficacy and supply chain integrity are, of course, all ingredient issues.

Still, it’s easy to get lost in the marketing and worries about public trust. At that consumer level, presentation becomes the game, and the story of the ingredients is not always told well. Claims blaze in neon while the steps taken to secure the supply chain don’t even make it onto the label.

It’s a pity. The most important stories in the industry right now are about integrity at the ingredient level. Whether it’s the audits of the quality or hard-pressing questions on the science, the future of the industry undoubtedly hangs more on behind-the-scenes action than front-of-the-label marketing.

That behind-the-scenes story is what we try to tell in this NBJ Raw Materials Report.

NBJ estimates that the raw material market grew at 6.6 percent, ahead of consumer supplements' 6.2 percent, and we expect the numbers will end the decade in a remarkably similar standing. That’s the story at its most basic. In this report, you will find the details—data on what ingredients are selling and the specific categories where the growth trends match up closest with consumer sales. Data on categories gets broken down into specific ingredients. Relationships between raw material suppliers and manufactures are charted to reveal trends.

Numbers tell only so much of the story. NBJ analysis dives into the nuance.

  Find out more in the NBJ 2017 Raw Materials Report, out now.