Hydration Redefined: Innovative Ingredient Solutions at Expo West

Our Focus at Expo West 2025: Proactive Hydration Ingredient Solutions

When Glanbia Nutritionals uses the term “functional hydration,” we mean the consumption of products—both beverages and supplements —that provide hydration along with additional health benefits. These benefits come by including functional ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, probiotics, or herbal extracts. Functional hydration products are designed to enhance physical health and promote overall well-being beyond basic hydration.

Hydration has moved beyond a reactive approach of simply satisfying thirst to more proactive hydration including functional benefits to optimize health outcomes.

The Rise of Proactive Hydration: Key Market Insights

Consumers no longer wait until they’re dehydrated to reach for a beverage. Proactive hydration—drinking to maintain hydration rather than just recovering from dehydration—now accounts for 35% of all hydration occasions, with strong engagement from Gen Z and Millennials.

Hydration is a Growing Consumer Priority

• Hydration drives 25% of all functional beverage consumption.
• 78% of North American consumers recognize the link between hydration and overall health.
• Electrolyte and sports drinks are leading the charge in proactive hydration, showing strong growth momentum.

A Booming Market Opportunity

The North American functional beverage market is projected to grow at a +9.6% CAGR (2023-2028), reaching $110B by 2028. This surge in demand creates significant opportunities for brands to innovate with hydration-focused products that meet evolving consumer expectations.

What Consumers Want

Consumers are looking for beverages that seamlessly fit into their lifestyles, offering both functionality and enjoyment. Key purchase drivers include:

• Refreshing taste (27%) – Flavor remains a top priority, as consumers seek beverages that are both hydrating and enjoyable to drink.
• Quick consumption (27%) – Busy lifestyles demand grab-and-go solutions that provide hydration without slowing consumers down.
• Hydrating benefits (29%) – Clear hydration claims and added functional ingredients like electrolytes and minerals make a beverage more appealing.

The Takeaway

Whether it's enhanced waters, electrolyte drinks, or innovative sports beverages, brands prioritizing proactive hydration can tap into a rapidly growing consumer demand—positioning themselves for success in this expanding market.

What to Anticipate at the Glanbia Nutritionals Booth

Prototypes and Ingredients

Glanbia Nutritionals will display a wide range of prototypes and ingredient samples to demonstrate its ability to help customers formulate new products with its ingredients and deliver better hydration nutrition in liquid, powder, tablet, and gummy formats.

Stop by to learn more about our ingredient solutions for Hydration products, including:

• All N® Premix Formulas 
• Custom Premix Solutions – blends of vitamins, minerals, and more
• Flavors by Foodarom® and Flavor Producers®
• Functionally Optimized Nutrients
• Bioactive Ingredients – for specific need states

Play Our Quiz for Prizes

Think you know hydration? Stop by our booth to take our short Hydration Redefined Quiz for a chance to win a Health & Hydration Bundle of an Apple Watch ($350 gift card), and FITAID products (a $200 gift certificate). You can test your knowledge and have a little fun too. All who take the quiz and provide their contact information will be entered into a raffle for the Health & Hydration Bundle prize.

Glanbia Nutritionals is at the forefront of better-for-you ingredients to help our customers meet the evolving consumer need for proactive hydration. Our insights-driven focus on ingredient innovation and unmatched customer product development collaboration and support make Glanbia Nutritionals your go-to partner in unlocking the full potential of better-for-you hydration solutions for all types of consumers.

See You at the Show

We look forward to seeing you at the show! Stop by our booth to say hello and explore our latest proactive hydration ingredients including custom premix solutions, bioactive ingredients, flavors by FOODAROM® and Flavor Producers and our functionally optimized nutrient technologies that help customers improve product functionality seamlessly. 

Learn more about what’s in store at Natural Products Expo West 2025.