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Mood and brain health top of mind for US consumers

There is strong growth for cognitive and mental health supplements in the US, according to a Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) report that examines growth prospects for 22 specific health conditions.

“It’s all in your head” is not something anybody wants to hear when they are facing a challenge, but the phrase could come to mind when supplement industry executives look at the fastest-growing condition categories in Nutrition Business Journal’s 2024 Condition Specific Report.

Mood and mental health and brain health emerged as the second- and third-fastest growing condition categories in supplements in 2023, with even better growth forecast for 2024.

For mood and mental health, it’s not clear whether people are more stressed and emotionally challenged or if they are just more open to doing something about it, but the U.S. market has transformed over the past five years, growing from $1.02 billion in 2019 to $1.53 billion in 2023. In 2026, NBJ expects a market just short of $2 billion.

Much of the growth that took the market to such heights came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a worried nation drove 22% growth in mood and mental health supplement sales, but the 6.9% growth seen in 2023 is behind only fitness and energy in NBJ’s report. In 2024, NBJ expects sales to rise by 7.3%.

Brain health took the third-fastest spot in 2023, according to NBJ estimates, and looks to move into first in 2024, with growth accelerating from 6.3% to 7.7%. The growth brings the 2023 market to $1.21 billion, a 28% increase over five years. NBJ expects the market to grow another 37.6% by 2026, when projections call for a $1.67 billion market.

All of this happens as the market expands not just in size but in appeal across age groups. The traditional marketing targeted older consumers worried about loss of memory and cognitive function, but a fringe “neurohacker” movement aimed at enhancing healthy cognitive function has gone mainstream to attract younger consumers looking for a performance edge.

To learn how all 22 conditions stack up, get the NBJ 2024 Condition Specific Report.