1. Extra is the Expectation – Macro Trend
This trend highlights a significant evolution in consumer expectations about value. Today's consumers demand more than good taste alone. They're looking for products that provide a multifaceted experience, combining flavor, texture, nutrition, and ethical considerations. This shift indicates that brands must innovate to move beyond traditional product attributes and deliver additional value that resonates with consumers' lifestyles and values.
Brands have the opportunity to create products that address these intricate demands. By adding value through features like enhanced nutritional profiles, cleaner labels, and sustainability initiatives, brands can capture consumer loyalty and establish themselves as market leaders.
2. Ingredient Intentionality
As broad and specific health concerns continue to grow, consumers increasingly emphasize ingredients’ quality and functionality. This year, many will be asking, “Why this ingredient?”
Research indicates that 59% of shoppers check nutrition labels before purchasing, reflecting a growing desire for clarity about what they’re consuming.1 Brands that prioritize transparency and intentionality by highlighting the function or sustainability of their hero ingredients—while minimizing added sugars, sodium, and artificial colors—will likely resonate with consumers who value nutrition and environmental consciousness.
3. Accessible Premium
Consumers are increasingly attracted to "accessible premium" products. While they may be priced higher, many find that the added convenience and perceived value truly justify this cost.
Nowhere is this more evident than in retail, where shelves are brimming with store brands and private labels expanding their selections to meet consumer desires for premium quality items. This change is particularly evident in products with natural claims or products featuring nutritional benefits—like fiber, protein, and antioxidants—that resonate with value-conscious shoppers. FMCG Gurus highlights this trend, finding that 62% of consumers believe that natural claims boost a snack’s premium appeal.2
4. Texture and Sensory Impact Matter
While value-added qualities like nutrition and convenience are getting spotlighted in 2025, sensory input is still vital for a product’s success. Consumers increasingly seek unique sensory experiences in familiar products, providing opportunities for established brands to spin their customer favorites into new, exciting SKUs. For instance, new popping crystals evoke nostalgic memories while providing 500 milligrams of vitamin C per stick.
Other enhanced product experiences also continue to thrive. For example, despite concerns about added sugars, gummies remain the largest and fastest-growing supplement format.3 It's clear that in 2025, consumers want a combination of taste, nutrition, and a pleasurable experience, and they are not willing to easily sacrifice any of these qualities for the sake of another.
5. Cheers to Health
We’re seeing a holistic shift in the beverage space.
While hydration remains top of mind, today’s consumers seek more from their beverages. They are looking for products that not only quench their thirst but also meaningfully contribute to their overall well-being. Clean energy, digestive support, mood boosters, cognitive enhancement, and immunity are powerful callouts in a variety of beverage formats.
This trend, paired with the desire for more natural products, may steer consumers away from traditional sugary or artificially colored sports drinks and force brands to prioritize more health-conscious formulations.4 Brands that deliver innovative, functional, and natural beverages beyond the baseline will be well-positioned in this evolving market.
6. Niche Need Nutrition – Macro Trend
The era of "one-size-fits-all" nutrition is over.
While a vast majority of human physiology is shared among us all, consumers across the globe are embracing their unique differences and seeking products that help them achieve their personal goals. The demand for personalized support is particularly evident in specific categories like gender, life stage, and health conditions. For instance, “hormonal health” has seen a staggering 194% year-over-year increase in Google searches as the women’s health and menopause categories receive significant attention.
Hyper-personalized nutrition has also seen tremendous growth as advancements in research, technology, and education have made customization easier. Access to genetic/hormone testing, microbiome analysis, and wearable health devices has allowed consumers deeper insights into their bodies and empowered them to make informed adjustments to their lifestyles and diets based on their unique needs.
7. Weight Management Wins
At least one in five adults in each U.S. state is living with obesity.5 This prevalence has positioned weight management as a primary focus for many. With over 80% of global consumers actively trying to manage their weight, the demand for foods and supplements that support those using GLP-1 medications and holistic alternatives to these prescriptions continues to grow.6
Fiber is emerging as a key player in this area. As GLP-1 medications slow digestion, soluble and insoluble dietary fibers are crucial in maintaining overall digestive comfort and regularity.7 Some other known benefits of fiber—like enhanced satiety and blood sugar regulation—make whole fruits, vegetables, and other fiber-rich products appealing to a variety of health-conscious consumers.
8. Mental Wellness
A heightened sense of uncertainty continues to motivate consumers to prioritize their mental health. Economic challenges, global instability, and various other issues are leading individuals to focus on aspects of their lives they feel they can control, and Innova Market Insights pinpoints mental and emotional wellness as the top health goal for consumers in 2025.8
Consumers increasingly consider their dietary choices to address these concerns, focusing on whole foods and supplements with cognitive and emotional health support claims. Notably, the brain health category is the fastest-growing supplement category in the U.S.9 By incorporating natural ingredients with clinically researched cognitive benefits, brands can develop functional products that support mental wellness, improve mental performance, and resonate with consumers emotionally.
9. Fiber and Biotics
You may have only heard rumblings about the gut microbiome a decade ago. Today, biotics have solidified their place in the mainstream. Caring for your unique microbiota is now considered by many to be an essential component of general health and wellness, and it’s reframing the conversation around fiber.
Fiber has long been known for its numerous digestive health benefits, such as promoting bowel movements, helping prevent constipation, and increasing satiety. Recently, consumers have become more aware of fiber’s influence as a prebiotic and postbiotic and its essential role in maintaining a flourishing gut microbiome, delivering polyphenols to the gut intact, and supporting overall health beyond the gut. With 56% of consumers planning to address their digestive health in the next 12 months, brands can expect them to become more selective with their gut health choices in 2025.9 Products catering to consumers’ diverse microbiome profiles are more likely to find their place in the market.
10. Hyper-Focusing on Healthspan
As people live longer, there’s a growing understanding that a longer life doesn’t guarantee a more full and active life. This shift in perspective is particularly evident among millennials, many of whom now find themselves witnessing their parents’ declining physical and cognitive health and navigating its complexities.
This harsh reality is prompting whole generations to rethink their priorities regarding health and well-being. Many consumers are digging deep, "biohacking" their lifestyles and tweaking their nutrition for optimization down to the cellular level. They are becoming more aware of the vital impact cellular health has on every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. The market reflects this trend, with a 12% CAGR of cellular health dietary supplement launches over the last six years.10 Other focus areas, such as bone, joint, muscle, hormone, and brain health are gaining in popularity among younger consumers as they begin to understand that the healthy choices they make now will yield benefits later in life.
Key Takeaways and Recommendations
- Consumers are finding value in products that just offer more. The baseline has shifted as shoppers look for offerings that both align with their values and help them achieve their goals.
- Don’t compromise on your products’ sensory aspects. While function and convenience remain important, taste and texture will set you apart.
- The days of “one-size-fits-all" nutrition are over. Consumers are embracing their differences and crave products that reflect their unique needs.
- Hyper-awareness of the obesity epidemic is shifting the landscape. Formulators and product developers should consider the unique needs of those taking GLP-1 medications and those seeking alternatives.
- Expect growth in the mental health, gut health, and healthy aging categories in 2025. Utilize trusted, clinically researched ingredients for their powerful claims.
