As people's demand for health and personalized nutrition increases, gummy supplements have quickly emerged as a convenient and delicious choice. Initially aimed at children, they now cover all age groups and drive the global market to flourish.
Evolution of Supplements and the Rise of Gummies
The use of pills as a primary form of supplements dates back to around 1500 BCE in Egypt. For nearly 3,600 years, pills dominated the supplement market. However, in 2019, non-pill supplements began to outpace traditional pills in market size, shifting the long-standing dominance of pill-based supplements.
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Non-pill supplements include chewables, effervescent tablets, gummies, liquids, softgels, lozenges, powders, and instant dissolvables, with gummies standing out as the star product. According to SPINS data, gummy supplements grew by 74.9% in 2021, capturing a 21.3% market share and becoming the most popular non-pill supplement format.
History of Gummies and Gummy Supplements
As a type of candy, gummies have a long history. The first gelatin-based gummy candy dates back to 1864, created by an Austrian confectioner at Fryers. This candy, shaped like babies, was called “Unclaimed Babies.” In 1918, Bassets began mass-producing a gummy candy called “Peace Babies,” made from ingredients like sugar, glucose syrup, water, gelatin, cornstarch, citric acid, flavoring, coloring, and plant extracts. In 1920, Hans Riegel of Germany founded Haribo, popularizing fruit-flavored, gelatin-based gummy bears, which quickly became popular worldwide.
However, gummy supplements are a relative newcomer, with the supplement industry not experimenting with them until the late 1990s and early 2000s. The starting point is not new: As Mary Poppins sang, “A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.” In 1968, Bayer introduced chewable multivitamins, but their taste still needed improvement. In 1997, Hero Nutritionals launched a vitamin gummy supplement specifically for children, gaining significant popularity and allowing gummies to enter the mainstream supplement market.
Growth of the Gummy Supplement Market and Consumer Preferences
With their success, gummy supplements gradually expanded into the adult nutrition market. The first gummy vitamins for adults were launched in 2012, adding momentum to the market. According to GlobeNewswire, around 67% of consumers aged 18-34 prefer gummy supplements. Today, gummies are not limited to children but are equally popular among adults.
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Market data indicates that the global gummy supplement market reached $24.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to $48.5 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 14.5%. Regionally, North America held the highest market share in 2020, accounting for 38.5%, followed by Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Types of Gummy Supplements and Market Segments
The main types of gummy supplements currently include vitamin gummies, Omega-3 gummies, probiotic gummies, collagen gummies, and CBD gummies. Vitamin gummies hold the highest market share in North America, with the U.S. as the leading consumer market. In 2018, American consumers spent over $32 billion on nutritional supplements, with 12% of that expenditure going toward vitamin gummies.
As health awareness continues to grow, gut-supporting gummy supplements have gained attention. In 2021, both probiotic and prebiotic gummies saw an 18.7% growth, becoming an important segment within gummy supplements.
Future Outlook
Gummy supplements have evolved from children’s nutritional products to popular choices for people of all ages. As the market continues to expand, gummy supplements are expected to bring more personalized health solutions through technological innovation and diversified nutritional ingredients in the future.