“Record-breaking submissions to this year’s NutraIngredients Awards really showed some key trends taking shape and some other areas staying early in the maturation phase,” Hudson said.
“Some of the most applied to categories were surprising, and others further established the key areas important to so many in the industry just now.”
Expansion of microbiome category
As Hudson noted, the microbiome category continued to move beyond traditional gut health into a more integrated gut–brain–mood–sleep framework.
“There’s been a clear shift away from basic gut health support towards something far more multifaceted, including psychobiotics, the gut–brain axis and related applications,” she noted. “We see biotics moving into mind and mood, particularly psychobiotics producing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to improve sleep quality.”
Cognitive performance itself is also emerging as a distinct and expanding pillar, moving beyond general “brain health” into specific functional domains such as memory, attention, language and visual-spatial processing, Hudson noted.
This spans both aging populations and younger cohorts, she noted, adding that younger generations are an emerging target population. She said that a notable direction is the application of cognitive and microbiome-related solutions to younger populations dealing with digital overstimulation and attention challenges.
“Restoring cognitive control in overstimulated brains, particularly in younger populations exposed to constant digital stimulation, is becoming increasingly important,” Hudson said. “They’re really addicted to this kind of overstimulation.
“While still not that many people focus on children and teens, this is definitely the up-and-coming target population with some entries already beginning to focus their attention there.”
Polyphenols gain multi-system positioning
Polyphenols are increasingly being positioned to reflect multi-system benefits rather than single-function claims, Hudson noted.
“Cocoa, grape and other dietary polyphenols are gaining increasing attention, particularly in relation to cognitive health, mood regulation, and the gut–brain axis,” she said. “Emerging evidence also suggests measurable metabolic outcomes, including reductions in body fat mass in some intervention studies.”
She said this signals a broader trend where polyphenols are no longer viewed through single-function claims but are increasingly positioned as multi-system bioactives that may simultaneously support cognitive performance, emotional wellbeing, and metabolic regulation.
Longevity sees rapid growth
The longevity and Healthspan categories attracted the highest submission volumes, Hudson noted.
“The longevity category is still in an early but rapidly evolving phase, with strong enthusiasm driving a wide range of innovation across the space,” she said. “While definitions of specific sub-pillars are still taking shape, this openness is enabling diverse approaches and accelerating experimentation in multiple directions.”
As Hudson noted: “Everyone is very excited about longevity as a category, but it’s not settled yet.”
She added that the breadth of activity shows momentum behind the category and its potential to evolve into a more clearly structured ecosystem over time.
From single-function to multifunctional health solutions
There has been a gradual but noticeable move away from single-claim ingredients toward multi-benefit solutions spanning various health areas, Hudson noted.
“For example, prebiotics are increasingly being used to drive the production of metabolites via existing gut bacteria,” Hudson said.
She noted that there’s a stronger focus on feeding the microbiome rather than simply taking probiotics.
“Applicants are increasingly asking: What are we ultimately trying to achieve with this intervention? What’s the final purpose or expected result?”
Women’s health trends
In women’s health categories, Hudson noted there are two defining frontiers in innovation, one of which is biotics.
She noted that microbiome-based approaches are increasingly being explored from prenatal to menopausal stages, with multi-strain biotic strategies linked to improved pregnancy outcomes and emerging roles in symptom support during menopause.
“Submissions demonstrated a growing knowledge of impact across all life stages, be it pre-natal or menopause,” Hudson said.
Furthermore, early-life microbiome modulation is also ‘clearly gaining attention’, with a growing focus on infants born via caesarean section. She added that submissions showed that targeted support can help establish beneficial bacterial colonization and long-term health trajectories.
Secondly, supporting hormonal health was a main focus of the category submission, as it is “being reframed as a continuous biological system rather than separate life-stage events”.
Hudson noted that fertility support is expanding rapidly, which reflects the growing demand for reproductive optimization, and some emerging evidence has suggested that certain nutritional and mitochondrial-supportive compounds can improve menstrual symptoms, including mood, sleep, and cognitive function.
“Multi-target approaches are also addressing a wide spectrum of symptoms alongside growing interest in interventions that support vascular, inflammatory and stress-related pathways, particularly for women who cannot or choose not to use hormone replacement therapy,” she said.