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Five trends shaping the future of ingredients

Euromonitor identifies five consumer demands forcing the industry to redesign products from the inside out in 2026.

Speaking at Fi Europe 2025, Ina Dawer, global insights manager at Euromonitor International, pointed to several macro-economic factors – including declining fertility and population growth, alongside slowing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in many regions – as contributing to this shift in consumer priorities.

Dawer explained that priorities are moving toward health as a “non-negotiable”, with one in three willing to spend more on wellness despite economic pressures.

Nutrition is also increasingly being viewed as a way to support health from a preventive standpoint, rather than acting as a remedy, which she said is forcing companies to be “intentional [and] purpose-driven in their formulations”.

To succeed in this changing landscape, Dawer outlined five key trends the industry will need to navigate, based on analysis from Euromonitor International.

# 1: Multifunctionality and ‘hero ingredients’

Consumers “chasing single health goals” like immunity or gut health in isolation is something we will be seeing less of going forward, Dawer said.

Instead, consumers are seeking both ingredients that stack connected and layered benefits, and ones that simultaneously address physical, mental, and aesthetic wellbeing.

Protein was highlighted as an example of this evolution, having expanded from its traditional association with muscle maintenance to a “holistic wellbeing ingredient” that influences everything from metabolism and weight loss to supporting life stages such as menopause.

Other ingredient categories like nootropics and adaptogens are also being explored for their ability to blend physical, mental, and aesthetic wellbeing into a single experience.

# 2: Reduction, reformulation, and the prioritisation of nutrient density

Reformulation strategies are also changing.

In the past, efforts focused largely on reducing sugar, fat, or salt. Now, in the GLP-1 era, Dawer said reformulation focuses have shifted to properties like nutrition density and calorie efficiency.

To achieve this, manufacturers are increasingly turning to fermentation-based technologies, including microbial fermentation, enzymatic bioconversion, and precision fermentation, to enhance nutritional profiles without compromising portion sizes.

Dawer cited Danone’s Actimel brand as an example of microbial fermentation. The prebiotic dairy product is created using a controlled and slow microbial fermentation process, which allows the microbes more time to fully break down substrates and develop more complex flavours, as compared to faster fermentation that focuses on efficiency.

Enzymatic bioconversion, a technology that uses enzymes to convert organic materials into high-quality products, is another strategy companies are employing to improve the nutritional profile of their products. Dawer pointed to Nestlé as an example. The company applies the technology across dairy and plant-based applications to reduce sugar and lactose and improve protein digestibility. In 2023, Nestlé patented an enzymatic technology that it claims reduces intrinsic sugar in fruit juice, milk, and malt by up to 30%.

# 3: Clean label and evolving consumer expectations

As reformulation technologies gain ground and become more engineered, consumer perceptions around ultra-processed and what constitutes “clean label” are also shifting, Dawer said.

She outlined “six key pillars” or lenses through which consumers assess clean label products: authenticity, transparency, safety, simplicity, efficacy, and balance.

However, what consumers perceive as “good” changes depending on the category.

“For ready meals, it’s about the usage of whole foods, [...] but for beverages we are starting to see clean caffeine as a trend, where ingredients like magnesium are starting to deliver less jittery energy,” she said.

“This puts a lot of pressure again on manufacturers to think about how [they are] going to deliver these clean labels, and what a lot of companies end up doing is they fall into this trap of oversimplification.”

Rather than aiming for the shortest ingredient list possible, she said brands should focus on purposeful ingredient inclusion.

Dawer added that instead of oversimplifying formulations, brands should focus on transparent communication, pointing to Oatly, the plant-based oat drink brand, and its positioning that it is “like milk, but made for humans”.

# 4: Authenticity and science-backed proof

Rising levels of what Dawer described as “claim fatigue” mean consumers are increasingly seeking “truth” and “authenticity” backed by scientific data.

This is particularly true for millennials and gen Z, who view health from both a scientific and “spiritual” lens, often taking supplements and using trackers to measure progress.

For brands, Dawer said, this places a greater emphasis on substantiation. Marketing alone is no longer sufficient; consumers expect tangible evidence of efficacy.

“Trust is not going to come from marketing,” Dawer said. Companies must make “authenticity operational by connecting the lab with the labour and the lived experience”.

# 5: Sensorial wellness

Dawer identified that consumers today are “overstimulated, fatigued, emotionally scattered”, and are seeking “escapable” and indulgent experiences [such as] “things that they can feel through the sensorial cues of texture, mouth, feel, colour, flavour, and so on”.

However, she added that functional benefits must now be paired with “sensorial cues” that allow consumers to feel the product working. But this comes with a caveat: functionality cannot come at the expense of taste.

As an example, she referenced PepsiCo’s 2020 launch of Driftwell, a functional water line with ingredients like chamomile, lavender, magnesium, and L-theanine.

“PepsiCo had to withdraw that product from the market because the taste wasn't really welcomed by consumers,” she said.

Ultimately, “what they are really looking for is not just visible results anymore. They want to be able to feel those results”.

Looking ahead, she said, successful ingredient innovation will depend on products that are not just formulated, but “designed” for a total experience.