Sleep and mood support are becoming priorities in functional nutrition as consumers recognise the impact of rest on daily well-being.
Chinese consumers, for instance, have shown the greatest interest in biotics and the role of gut health in supporting mood, stress, and sleep.
According to ADM’s Sleep, Stress & Mood Report, 76% of global consumers agree that sleep quality affects how they feel throughout the day, and 74% believe it influences their overall quality of life.
Diversification across the Asia-Pacific region is gathering pace and fuelling growth for Australia’s supplements sector, according to new data.
China (including Hong Kong) continues to dominate as the largest export destination, accounting for $690million, or 68% of total exports.
However, diversification is gathering pace, with Vietnam strengthening its position as the second-largest market ($86 million, 8%), followed by New Zealand ($49 million, 3%), South Korea ($32 million, 3%), and Thailand ($31 million, 3%).
This year’s supplement successes include creatine, cellular health, and weight loss solutions with plant exosomes, pet nutrition, and shatavari emerging as topics to watch in 2026, according to PharmaLinea’s end-of-year summit.
Creatine, for instance, is “on a great transition journey” from muscle-only to various well-being benefits, Matevž Ambrožič, marketing & PR director at PharmaLinea, pointed out during the session.
This is driven largely by “an immense and growing body of scientific research supporting its benefits for sports performance, muscle, sarcopenia, brain health, skin health, women’s health, and more”.
Women’s health was the most popular dietary supplement category in Australia this year.
Total retail value of women’s health supplements was AUD$375m (US$245m), followed by digestive health (AUD$264m), joint health (AUD$184m), immune system (AUD$158m), and bone health (AUD$136m).
The women’s health category includes products such as women’s multivitamins, which accumulated a total retail value of AUD$97.4m (US$63.6m) or 24.2% of the total multivitamin market, according to an annual industry snapshot report by industry body Complementary Medicines Australia (CMA).
The modernization of traditional remedies, strong uptake of beauty-from-within supplements, and e-commerce as a key channel for health supplement purchase are among the key trends that Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has seen in the region.
The modernization of traditional herbal remedies, for instance, is seen in the case of Jamu – the Indonesian turmeric, ginger, and tamarind drink, which can now be purchased from modern retail channels such as cafes.
Jasryn Ng, principal South East Asia at BCG, highlighted the above during the opening ceremony of Sirio Pharma’s Chonburi factory in Thailand.
