Ingredients are the cornerstone of the industry, and each year we witness the rise of ingredients that will carry the industry and declines in those that once defined entire categories. Of the six product categories that NBJ tracks, one has stood out as a key growth driver for the industry, given its seemingly endless supply of new and trending ingredients.
In 2024, the Specialty market brought in $15.4 billion in sales, the second-most valuable category behind only Vitamins. Not only did this category rank second in sales volume, but it also delivered the second-strongest growth, falling short to Sports Nutrition. While Sports Nutrition’s growth is impressive, it’s crucial that we examine the base from which it grew. Compared to Sports Nutrition’s 8.4% growth from $9.73 billion, Specialty’s 6.3% growth on $14.51 billion delivered more than $900 million in added dollars for 2024, outpacing Sports Nutrition by nearly $100 million. And the forecasts for this category are even more promising.
One of the defining aspects of this category is its encompassment of a variety of ingredients that are topping charts across several health conditions. This is abundantly clear as we wrap up our numbers for the 2025 Condition Specific Report. It’s a category that includes melatonin, a key ingredient in sleep health, various fiber classifications and probiotics that dominate the gastrointestinal health condition, and collagen, which has seen explosive growth in several conditions like hair, skin and nails, women’s health and healthy aging. While it’s not exactly groundbreaking to see such success in a category that has a wealth of high-growth ingredients and ingredient categories, a very clear point emerges: smart brands will remain attentive to the category and treat it like an almanac for trending ingredients. This is especially true when the "others” category within Specialty is expected to exceed $3 billion in sales this year on 10.7% growth, a promising sign that there are ingredients poised to make a significant impact in the future. Specialty ingredients currently sit $3.5 billion below Vitamins in sales volume. By 2028, NBJ estimates that gap will be reduced by half. It’s unquestionable that this category will soon define the supplement industry, with major implications for ingredient trends and new formulations.
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