Our Expo West Trend Report

Enriching Lives. Empowering Innovation.

In case you missed it, this year's Natural Products Expo West hosted more than 65,000 attendees and 3,300 exhibiting companies at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The show provides tremendous insight into our culture and commerce. This is where some of the most forward-thinking finished products can be found-- and the ingredients that help differentiate them.

The overarching focus was on sustainability, women's health, healthy aging and regenerative products. The event showcased an unparalleled array of brands spanning 30 categories, bringing together 840 new-to-show brands alongside nearly 700 international brands all under one roof. Products ranged from natural and specialty food-and-beverage products, ingredients, supplements, personal care, organic, lifestyle and more.

Maypro's team gathered insights on the state of the industry from colleagues, customers, seminars, key decision-makers and thought leaders. Walking the show floor and attending educational events yielded considerable information on trending categories, ingredients and delivery formats.

Here's our quick-take on the latest trends from Expo West 2024.

The trends showing the most activity and innovation are:

1. Joint and Skin Health
2. Adaptogenic Herbs
3. Biotics
4. Plant-Based Powders
5. Mushroom-based Supplements
6. Regenerative Agriculture
7. Contracted Farmers and Suppliers
8. Hydroponics
9. Organic
10. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Combo supplements delivering both joint and skin health benefits—specifically Collagen—continued to gain traction, with new formulations targeting specific healthy aging concerns like joint support and skin elasticity. Adaptogenic herbs, such as ashwagandha and holy basil, were prominent, addressing stress management and overall well-being. Biotics—prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics—took center stage, emphasizing gut health and immune support. Plant-based protein powders expanded their offerings, catering to diverse dietary preferences and sustainability concerns. Mushroom-based supplements, sourced from varieties like reishi and lion's mane, showcased their adaptogenic and immune-boosting properties. Our new AHCC research attracted considerable interest. Probiotic gummies using heat-killed probiotics have taken off. Regenerative agriculture such as Kernza perennial grain beer from Patagonia Provisions is gaining popularity. Contracted farming is expanding—which provides vertical coordination and underwrites costs of land and inputs, reducing financial risks for farmers. Hydroponics and organics are growing, reducing environmental footprint and synthetic inputs in farming.

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Top Categories

The categories showing the most activity and innovation are:

1. Children's Supplements
2. Women's Health
3. Gut Health
4. Mood and Stress
5. Proteins
6. Mushrooms
7. Hydration

Supplements for children and women’s health—especially for prenatal and menopause support—stood out. Given the ever-expanding interest in the gut-brain axis, we saw a great increase in introductions related to gut health and mood/stress. In addition, proteins—especially plant-based—and mushrooms attracted a lot of buzz as categories and ingredients. Beverages and hydration, as a category, continue to have a strong presence.

What category can we help you with?

The most popular ingredients spotted at the show were:

1. Greens and Superfoods
2. Mushrooms
3. Adaptogens
4. Coffee
5. Plant-Based Protein
6. Collagen
7. Minerals and Magnesium
8. Branded ingredients with unique substantiations

Superfoods—including berries and greens—are, once again, super-popular. Mushrooms continue to grow in popularity, with mycelium- and spore-based somewhat edging out fruiting body-based ingredients. Adaptogenic botanicals, as mentioned in trends above, are on a reliable upward path. There were many more coffee companies at the show offering coffee products infused with supplements, as well as, snacks and bars infused with coffee. Plant-based protein from an increasing range of sources keeps attracting interest. Collagen—due to its ability to improve bone-and-joint health and beauty-from-within applications—remains strong. Minerals (such as zinc) started to become more popular during the pandemic. Magnesium, especially the citrate and L-threonate forms, is of particular interest due to its role in bone health, heart health and mood support/sleep support. Uniquely differentiated and science-backed branded ingredients attracted a great deal of attention, including Maypro’s branded ingredients in magnesium, mood and sleep engendered a great deal of conversation, including Sucrosomial® Magnesium, ETAS® and Venetron®. Other Maypro ingredients that stimulated buzz included: EubioQuercetin™, Sanwa GABA, KT-11, Mushrooms—including AHCC®, Champex® and Chitoglucan®.

What can we source for you

Delivery forms that attracted particular attention included:

1. Ready-to-Drink (RTD)
2. Gummies
3. Mushroom Gummies
4. Tinctures/ liquid
5. Stick Packs and Ready-to-Mix (RTM)

Ready-to-drink (RTD) delivery was on fire at the show as were other alternative delivery forms, including gummies—mushroom gummies, in particular-- stick packs, ready-to-mix (RTM) options and tinctures/liquid shots. The samples at Maypro’s booth helped to demonstrate successful taste profiling for a variety of ingredients in unique delivery formats while still delivering clinical efficacy. To discover more about formulating with Maypro’s nutraceuticals portfolio, view our ingredients here or send us an email.

Visit Maypro at SupplySide East!

Schedule some time with us at SupplySide East. It’s the perfect opportunity to share updates on your newest products in development, to tell us about ingredient needs, and ask about the latest research on our proprietary and branded ingredients.

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Will We See You at Vitafoods Europe?

Maypro's Global Export team will be at Vitafoods Europe alongside Dan Lifton, Managing Partner of business incubator Maypro Ventures. It's the perfect time to discuss your ingredient needs and how Maypro can be a reliable product development partner with global sourcing capabilities and high-quality assurance standards.

Allessandro Piccolo of ALDL Consulting now heads up our new European office in the province of Monza and Brianza in the Lombardy region of Italy. We invite you to meet Allessandro and the rest of the Maypro team.

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