Providing the supplier’s key trend takeaways from 2025 and forecasts for the year ahead during its online NutraLoop Summit held on Dec. 4, Matevž Ambrožič, marketing & PR director at PharmaLinea, discussed the supplement industry’s hottest categories.
He kicked off with creatine, noting that this ingredient is “on a great transition journey” from muscle-only to various well-being benefits, driven largely by “an immense and growing body of scientific research supporting its benefits for sports performance, muscle, sarcopenia, brain health, skin health, women’s health and more".
“Creatine supplements are making the transition from sport only to being positioned for all kinds of health benefits for the general population,” following the same expansion of the hydration category, with electrolytes positioned as a source of well-being and health for all consumer groups, he added.
He said this trend is relatively early stage so “its worth jumping on the train now,” but noted the key challenge here is differentiation.
“The world is full of creatine monohydrate powders that are cheap, and there’s not much wrong with them. Creatine monohydrate is generally good, has great bioavailability, has good research.”
He suggested options for stand-out innovations including new creatine sources, improving user experience or adding other functional ingredients.
Monohydrate is the best researched source, but its key issue is solubility and ‘gritty’ texture, creating a negative consumer experience.
Some bypass this solubility issue through the use of gummies, although influencer James Smith spotlighted a widespread issue of low dosages within this format.
Another option, Ambrožič noted, is to go with an added value form of creatine monohydrate. The Vitamin Shoppe did just that with the launch of its creatine utilizing Specnova NovaQSphere technology to gradually release creatine, thereby improving overall retention.
Brands can also target their products towards specific audiences through smart positioning.
Ambrožič highlighted Arrae’s Tone Creatine Body Composition gummies, targeting women through the use of language like ‘tone’ rather than ‘bulk’, alongside slimbiotics and ginger for weight management and bloat reduction.
The lifespan of the longevity trend?
Describing cellular health as an obvious topic of discussion in the supplements industry, Ambrožič noted The Vitamin Shoppe reported total sales of cellular health growing by 91% in 2025, with NAD+ products contributing 90% of that growth.
But he raised the question of this trend’s sustainability, given the high price point of these products and the lack of a timely positive feedback loop to ensure retention.
“There is no immediate pain driving the purchase in this category,” he said. “It’s all currently based on hype and good faith. It’s a nice to have product for people with quite serious disposable income.”
He noted the cheapest, single ingredient products in this category are around £20, but “if you want to cover more hallmarks of aging, the price goes up really rapidly.”
Scales tip both ways on weight loss
Noting the impact that GLP-1 drugs are having on the supplements industry, Ambrožič said weight management products are taking a hit in the United States, with a 12% yearly decrease in unit sales in the mainstream plus convenience channel and 16% decrease on Amazon, according to Spins data.
Yet, Bionap reported a 60% growth of sales in Europe of its Morosil extract for weight management in 2025, with an expectation it will continue to grow.
All-in-one proves popular again, and again
All-in-one gummy brand Grüns reported US$ 300 million annual recuring revenue just two years after launch while David Beckham’s all-in-one healthspan supplement IM8 reported it US$ 100 million in annual recuring revenue in just 11 months—“the fastest growth ever recorded in the supplement history,” Ambrožič added.
“A substantial amount of consumer are prepared to pay the premium price and solve all supplementation needs in one go with a subscription model,” he said.
All-natural exosomes
The marketing expert discussed the emergence of plant-derived exosome—a phospholipid bilayer that carries messenger molecules, such as proteins or metabolites, and can influence regeneration, inflammation and overall cellular health of the recipient cell.
These have a more complex membrane compositions than man-made liposomes, Ambrožič said, with cholesterol and membrane proteins, adding that “they can reach target cells in a targeted fashion and can carry more complex cargo.”
He noted the recent emergence of plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (PDENs) have also been shown to modulate metabolic pathways and immune responses.
What to watch
Matevz noted the renewed interest of colostrum, positioned for immunity and gut health, with a 255% growth in sales in 2025, compared to the previous years (Spins), although he said the science is “not yet outstanding in quantity or uniform message” and that if research does not follow, this trend might eventually fade.
He also highlighted the rise of shatavari as the next ashwagandha for women’s health, with key player Ixoreal launching its clinically-backed SRI-81 extract ito support menopause, PCOS, lactation, sexual health and more.
“Shatavari really seems to be entering in a big fashion and is even okay regulatory-wise in Europe and seems to be here to stay, given the data,” Ambrožič said.
In terms of rapidly growing, unsaturated segments of the market, he said that entrepreneurs may want to look to pet nutrition, where a growing number of studies are specifically focusing on benefits of active ingredients in pets.
The NutraLoop Summit provided presentations, workshops and roundtables with industry experts including: David Foreman, president of Herbal Pharmacist; Pelin Thorogood, co-founder of Radicle Science; Kenn Israel, co-founder of Beyond Brands, Jérôme Le Bloch, head of scientific affairs at FoodChain ID, Lorna Vanderhaeghe, president of Headlines Promotions Inc, among others.
