Menu
Global trends in women’s health show how the landscape is evolving—with a new focus on active women's nutrition, hormone balance, energy support, holistic healthy aging, and more.
Consumer research company Innova Market Insights analyzed new product launches, recent patents, and social media conversations to identify the top trends in women’s health.1
To be prepared to meet Asian women’s health needs as they continue to evolve, these are the seven global trends to know:
The number of nutrition products specifically developed for women’s health is increasing globally. In the five years ending March 2023, women’s health supplement launches grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14%, while food and beverage products targeting women grew at a 4% CAGR.
Among new women’s health supplements, there is a wide variety of health claims featured beyond the traditional prenatal, bone health, and beauty supplement categories. From April 2022 to March 2023, women’s health supplement positioning was led by brain-mood health (39%), energy/stamina (37%), immune health (31%), hormone balance (31%), and pregnancy/breastfeeding (28%). Bone, skin, heart, digestive/liver, and menopause claims are also prominent.
In looking at which health issues women are thinking about the most, their engagement with online news stories, blogs, and social media can provide insights. In the past year, engagement on posts about women’s health food and supplements was high, with 64 million interactions. For women’s supplements, most of the responses centered on energy/stamina (38%) and pregnancy/breastfeeding (27%), indicating opportunities here for nutrition companies.
Regarding industry innovation in women’s health, patents and product launches for hormone balance and menopause solutions have shown notable growth in the past five years. Women’s supplements for hormone balance grew from 17% to 31% of new product launches, while 18% feature menopause claims.
Supplements for hormone balance emphasize regulating menstrual cycles and managing symptoms like bloating, while menopause products claim benefits like reduced hot flashes, muscle aches, and mood swings, plus improved sleep and energy levels. Formats range from capsules to gummies to beverage powders.
Another trend emerging in women’s health products is a heightened consideration of women’s nutritional needs at different life stages—from puberty to post-menopause. Ingredient companies are taking the lead here, using tools such as precision nutrition and big data to distinguish nuanced differences in women’s health needs by age and also by condition (for example, to provide premenstrual or infertility support).
The concept of healthy aging nutrition for women is also changing. While bone health remains foundational, healthy aging solutions are expanding to include menopausal support and brain/mood health. Active women's nutrition is another aspect since healthy aging solutions must also support female fitness needs like strength and energy. For this, a product might include a lactoferrin ingredient like FerriUp, which naturally contains protein, iron, and vitamin B12.
Women’s nutrition companies can choose from many different ingredients such as botanicals, vitamins, and amino acids when formulating their products. However, Innova’s consumer research revealed that the ingredients most mentioned in online conversations about women’s health in the past year were protein (32%), iron (20%), calcium (13%), vitamin D (10%), magnesium (9%), and vitamin C (8%)—all well-known ingredients. Protein, the most popular ingredient, was discussed for supporting female fitness, pregnancy, and menopause.
Consumers’ growing interest in supporting their health and wellness with the right nutritional supplements, foods, and beverages makes this an exciting time for nutrition companies to explore innovative ingredients, formulations, and formats.
As your solution partner, Glanbia Nutritionals can provide market insights, development expertise, and a range of ingredient solutions for each stage of women’s lifecycle, such as our dairy and functional proteins, bioactives, and custom vitamin-mineral premix solutions to make your product stand out in the market.
Contact us to learn more.
1. Innova Market Insights, Hot Topics + Social Media: Innovating for Women’s Wellness: The Global Evolving Landscape, July 2023.