New consumer research from FrieslandCampina Ingredients (FCI) reveals parents of children aged 3-12 feel supplements often fall short due to language, claims and formats failing to reflect their preferences.
The research spans 11 geographies, including North America, Latin America (Mexico and Brazil), Europe (Spain and Germany), Asia-Pacific (India, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam) and China, and delivers four ‘non-negotiable’ health benefits, as well as tips around product science, format and communication.
“Parents are more informed, selective and vocal about their preferences than ever before. Yet the category is still finding its footing in meeting those expectations,” said Kim Stadman, sensory and consumer research specialist at FCI. “What struck us most in this research wasn’t the differences between markets but the common wants and desires of parents from across the globe.”
Parents across geographies chose immune, brain and gut health as top priorities and all showed a preference for solutions that are natural, convenient and credible.
“With such a clear opportunity in the 3–12 segment, innovation needs to be more intentional,” added Nadia Ustinova, global innovation marketing manager. “Instead of competing on complexity, there is value in delivering clarity – clear benefits, clear language and formats that fit seamlessly into family life. The brands that simplify, rather than overcomplicate, will be the ones that truly differentiate in this space.”
Immunity: The new baseline
Everyday immune support is a top priority for parents worldwide – with ‘immunity’ ranking in the top three parental health concerns in every country studied. It was also the number one concern in Thailand, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Brazil, Mexico, Germany and Spain.
To help brands stand out from a huge immunity supplement crowd, FCI recommends focusing on natural ingredients and suggests an opportunity to use bioactive proteins naturally found in milk.
Bioactive proteins are key functional components of fat globule membrane (MFGM), a lipid membrane structure naturally found in both breast milk and cow’s milk and widely recognised for its role in immune development and function.
“Brands can leverage bioactive proteins to create immune health products with messaging that taps into parents’ desire for natural ingredients,” the report states.
Brain health: supporting growing minds
Brain health emerged as another universal parental health concern. Across markets, emotional well-being in particular matters deeply to parents – but the language around it is sensitive and varies widely.
Surveyed parents did not use the term ‘mental health’ to describe their children’s needs or the products they were interested in, but they did express interest in tangible, everyday benefit areas such as: Good sleep, calmness and emotional balance, focus and concentration, happiness, and confidence.
“This underscores that while language might differ, parents’ focus on mental wellness is unmistakable,” Stadman said. “They are highly receptive to products that help their children feel settled, sleep better, stay focused or manage emotional ups and downs – all key facets of good mental health.”
The same can be said for brain health, which is a concern for 54% of parents surveyed. Rather than looking for the term ‘brain health’, many parents respond better to tangible outcomes like ‘learning ability’, ‘focus’ and ‘keeping up at school’.
Therefore FCI recommends brands lead with familiar, positive and benefit-led language in order to remove potential barriers and create a natural entry point into broader conversations around children’s ' wellbeing.
Gut health: a proxy for overall wellness
Gut health was positioned among the top three parental health concerns in Thailand, India, Vietnam, and Germany, and was the number one concern in the US.
Yet despite many parents being aware of the gut’s role in overall wellbeing, awareness of specific gut health ingredients remains low.
“Technical language around ‘intestinal health’ or newer terms like the ‘gut-brain axis’ are well established in B2B discourse, but may require translation for parent facing communications, as they are not always immediately understood,” Ustinova said.
FCI recommends an opportunity ingredient could be GOS, which offers gut health alongside broader benefits such as immune function, healthy growth and even mind health.
Convenience: fitting into real life
Beyond health benefits, parents prioritise simplicity. The research reveals that ready-to-drink (RTD) formats and gummies are popular globally. Functional foods like bars and cookies are also favoured in certain regions like India, China, Mexico, Spain and the US. But acceptance of other formats can vary significantly by market.
One consistent theme was an interest in compact, all-in-one solutions that combine multiple vitamins, minerals and functional ingredients into one serving.
“This allows parents to address several health concerns for their children with one trusted product,” Stadman said. “As a result, brands that can successfully deliver multi-benefit formulations in a single solution will have a clear competitive advantage. What’s more, with many parents’ craving convenience, solutions that can be enjoyed by the whole family, like fortified yogurts, could catch the attention of busy families looking for all-in-one and one-for-all products.”
