According to SPINS data for the 52 weeks ending Sept. 6, 2026, across Natural, Conventional Multi-Outlet, and Amazon, functional mushroom sales reached $494.7 million, growing 23.2% in dollars and 34.8% in units, with a two-year dollar CAGR of 20.4%, highlighting continued consumer demand and expanding adoption across the broader wellness market.
One of the most notable trends is the gap between current adoption and future interest. According to a SPINS consumer survey conducted in May 2025, 16% of consumers report purchasing functional mushrooms in the past 12 months, while 35% say they are interested in trying or purchasing them in the future.
Interest is especially strong among consumers between the ages of 35 and 49, where 43% express future interest and 22% report current usage. This suggests that the category still has significant room to grow as awareness expands and consumers become more familiar with ingredients such as lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps, chaga and turkey tail.
While VMS remains the largest department at $339.5 million, we’re seeing some of the strongest growth come from adjacent areas. Grocery sales grew 60.1%, led by wellness and nutrition bars, while refrigerated products increased 15.7%, driven by functional beverages and wellness shots. This mirrors broader wellness trends, as shoppers increasingly look to incorporate functional ingredients into everyday routines through foods, beverages and convenient formats rather than relying solely on traditional supplements.
Within supplements, performance-oriented and lifestyle-focused applications continue to gain traction. While condition-specific supplement formulas remain the largest supplement category for functional mushroom products, superfood and whole food supplements increased 79.3%. Sleep support supplements containing functional mushrooms grew 93.3%, while cognitive health supplements increased 16.5%, reflecting continued consumer interest in stress management, sleep quality and cognitive wellness.
Innovation is also helping expand the category beyond traditional delivery forms. Powder remains the largest format at $110.8 million, but gummies have emerged as one of the fastest-growing formats, increasing 127.1% in dollars and 184.9% in units. Ready-to-drink products, shots and functional beverages continue to gain momentum as brands look to meet consumers where they already shop and consume wellness products.
From a mushroom type perspective, lion’s mane remains the category leader at $224.3 million, growing 18.8%, driven by consumer interest in focus, memory and cognitive wellness. Cordyceps was among the fastest-growing major mushroom types, increasing 39.6%, benefiting from crossover into energy, performance and active nutrition. Reishi also posted strong growth at 15.9%, supported by interest in stress management and mood support.
Looking at health positioning, cognitive health has emerged as one of the largest and fastest-growing opportunities, reaching $153.5 million and growing 33.6%. Mood support increased 23.2%, while general health-superfood support grew 161.7%. Consumers are increasingly viewing mushrooms as multi-benefit ingredients that support cognition, resilience, performance and overall well-being rather than solely immune health.
As the ingredient continues to mature, we’re seeing increased focus on quality, transparency and ingredient sourcing. Discussions around fruiting body versus mycelium, beta-glucan content, extraction methods and product standardization have become more prominent across the industry as brands look to differentiate themselves and substantiate product quality. Similar to what we have seen across other supplement categories, education and trust are becoming increasingly important as consumers seek greater transparency and validation behind product claims.
Overall, functional mushrooms are transitioning from a niche immunity ingredient into a more established wellness category. Growth is being fueled by expanding health benefits, innovation across delivery formats and increasing consumer interest in cognitive health, mood support, performance and healthy aging. The category’s strong performance today, combined with future consumer interest that more than doubles current purchase rates, suggests there is still meaningful runway for continued growth. As the industry continues to invest in science, education and quality standards, we expect functional mushrooms to remain one of the more dynamic areas within the wellness market.
1: VMS Attitude & Usage Survey, N = 1,000 VMS Consumers; Fielded May 9th – 21st, 2025, Survey Run Independent From Sales Data Trending Ingredients, *Question: Which of the following supplements or functional ingredients have you purchased in the past 12 months? *Question: Which of the following ingredients are you interested in trying, or open to purchasing or re-purchasing in the future?
2: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9315710/, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4206800/
