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Consumers’ energy needs are expanding, with expectations growing for healthier solutions. These functional ingredients can help brands formulate energy supplements that meet today’s needs.
The demand for energy products—from energy drinks to bars to supplements—continues to rise in Europe. One in three consumers struggles with their energy levels, which impacts quality of life and correlates to several health issues, including poor immunity, digestion, and sleep.1
With more consumers prioritizing their health and energy needs becoming more diverse, traditional energy products can fall short in addressing their concerns. This indicates a gap in the EMEA market that calls for product innovation based on high-quality energy ingredients that can also contribute to overall health.
Among dietary supplement ingredients related to energy, caffeine is the most widely used and the most popular with consumers due to its effectiveness and fast action.
Caffeine can continue to play a leading role in energy supplements but—to better align with the preferences of today’s health-conscious consumers—at lower usage rates or paired with L-theanine. L-theanine is associated with focus and calmness that can reduce the jittery effects of caffeine.
Certain vitamins are also common in energy drinks and supplements, particularly vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B6, and B12, which contribute to energy-yielding metabolism and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. However, including a much wider range of B vitamins can provide benefits that more fully support overall health, allow for additional function claims, and help position an energy product as better for you.
For example, vitamins B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), and B7 (biotin) contribute to normal nervous system and psychological functions (as does vitamin B6). In addition, thiamine supports the normal function of the heart, niacin and biotin both contribute to the maintenance of skin, and biotin is also essential to macronutrient metabolism.
Consumers seeking to boost mental energy may find vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), which contributes to normal mental performance, to be appealing in an energy product, provided the benefit of the ingredient is clearly communicated.
Marketing that educates consumers in the added value of these ingredients is key, as is highlighting the lesser known benefits of traditional energy ingredients. Though riboflavin is commonly used in energy products, for example, its additional benefits of protecting cells from oxidative stress and supporting the maintenance of normal vision are not always conveyed.
Taurine is another valuable ingredient for use in energy supplements, including those positioned to contribute to overall health and those promoting energy for sports performance. Taurine is involved in regulating calcium levels inside the cells, which is integral to both energy metabolism and proper muscle function.
Besides the appeal of taurine for pre-workout energy and muscle support, it has the extra benefits of contributing to cardiovascular function (by regulating blood pressure and heart contractions) and protecting cells from oxidative stress, making it one of the more popular functional ingredients used in sports nutrition formulation.
Across Europe, more consumers are reaching for products to help them boost their energy, with digital marketing and e-commerce playing significant roles in increasing product awareness and accessibility. At the same time, consumers’ energy management needs and preferences have become increasingly diversified, leading to new marketing and R&D challenges in the category.
Some consumers are more likely to take a reactive approach to managing their energy needs, using products to recover from a dip in their energy levels, for a kick start, or to refuel after a workout.2 For these consumers, traditional energy products are highly relevant, though there is still opportunity in more tailored formulations, especially in mental versus physical energy and in post-workout nutritional support.
However, other consumers tend to take a proactive approach and are interested in optimizing their energy to perform their best or are seeking support for sustained energy—needs that are not necessarily being met by products currently in the market.3
The interests in proactively optimizing daily energy and in sustained energy solutions (which are associated more with health-conscious consumers) represent a new need space, requiring significant product innovation in energy supplements.
Products for proactive energy management can be segmented even further to address the specific functional and nutritional needs of athletes, seniors, and women—all groups more likely to feel the need for a proactive energy solution.
Formulating with dietary supplement ingredients that comprehensively address the energy needs of the target consumer and are effective, safe, and compliant with EFSA regulations and product claims is the strategy for success in next-gen energy supplements for the European market.
As consumers’ energy needs evolve and expand, new challenges arise, along with new opportunities to make a real difference to consumers’ lives with the right products. Glanbia Nutritionals is committed to providing timely consumer insights, trend analyses, and high-quality dietary supplement ingredients—from essential vitamins and minerals to unique bioactives—to help you meet these needs.
To explore how Glanbia Nutritionals can help you innovate and succeed in Europe's dynamic energy supplement market, contact our team today.
