The way people think about ageing is changing. Almost twice as many US consumers would choose to feel 25% healthier than live 25% longer.1
This means that consumers of all ages are increasingly looking for solutions that can maximise their healthspan — the number of years lived in good health.
With $1.04 billion in sales and 7.7% growth projected for healthy ageing supplements in 2026, the opportunities for innovative formulators are vast.2
But with growth comes competition. So how can brands stay one step ahead to deliver standout solutions that help people to live with more vitality?
Joint health: the key to making moves in the longevity space
Joint health and mobility have emerged as critical pieces of the healthspan puzzle, reflecting an intrinsic and well-recognised link between moving well, active lifestyles and long-term health.
For consumers of all ages, moving better is more than just a fitness goal; it’s key to helping them to stay active and live better.
In fact, proprietary insights from Lonza Capsugel reveal that 42% of consumers aged 25–73 believe joint health is “extremely important” for their overall health and wellness.3
What’s more, younger adults today are highly engaged in this conversation. In fact, consumer research by Lonza Capsugel indicates that half of these younger consumers (aged 25–42) have already experienced joint discomfort.3
In addition, 81% are concerned about potential future joint pain and discomfort, and 70% express concerns about reduced mobility in the future.3
These insights reveal a significant shift in attitudes, with younger demographics no longer seeing joint health as an “older adult” issue.
This demonstrates the wealth of opportunity for brands in the joint health space. Younger consumers are not only proactive about their health; they’re also powerful market drivers, purchasing more supplements than any other age group.4
Together with the convergence of movement, healthspan and longevity, this creates a high-value innovation space in the joint health category. But to truly stand out in competitive markets, solutions must be effective and backed by science.
Collagen steps up for healthspan innovation
In a saturated category, choosing the right ingredient can make or break a product’s success. When it comes to choosing the preferred ingredient among mobility consumers, collagen comes out on top.5
In the context of joint health, products containing collagen are among the fastest growing in the supplement market today, with the collagen market projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.3% through 2030.6,7
Consumer awareness of and appetite for collagen-driven mobility solutions is growing: 60% already associate collagen with overall joint health maintenance, improved joint flexibility and increased mobility.3
What’s more, 35% of consumers would be “extremely likely” to consider a joint supplement with collagen as the active ingredient.3
Collagen presents an exciting opportunity for brands looking to tap into this category.
On top of the growing popularity of collagen itself, the right collagen ingredient can help brands to meet two of the top priorities of joint health consumers: clinical backing and convenient formats.
Delivering evidence and authenticity for healthspan consumers
Consumers want effective health and wellness solutions that are grounded in authenticity and science-backed benefits.
Joint health supplement users are no exception. Lonza Capsugel’s consumer insights show that 49% see strong scientific backing as a top motivator for trying new joint health supplements.8
One well-established solution that stands out here is UC-II® undenatured type II collagen, which has been on the market for 25 years.
This ingredient is clinically shown to improve joint flexibility by helping joints to feel 10 years younger.9
In a recent randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, healthy and active participants aged 20–55 were supplemented with 40 mg of UC-II undenatured type II collagen for 6 months.
Researchers found that supplementation with UC-II undenatured type II collagen led to a 3.23-degree improvement in knee flexibility — a change that was 15 times more than the placebo and comparable with the difference seen during a decade of joint ageing.9,10
Additionally, the clinical trial reported that UC-II undenatured type II collagen helped to reduce joint discomfort with physical activity and made walking more comfortable.
The participants receiving UC-II undenatured type II collagen were able to walk an average of 747 more daily steps than those receiving the placebo — about a quarter of a mile per day.10,11
These findings showcase the real-life benefits of UC-II undenatured type II collagen for healthy, active consumers.
Flexibility for joints and for formats
Consumers want supplements that offer science-backed benefits and come in a range of convenient and versatile formats that fit their busy routines.
With people of all ages and backgrounds seeking joint health solutions to help them enjoy rich and full lives, brands also need to tailor products to appeal to a diverse, multigenerational group with broad and varied consumption preferences.
For instance, research from FMCG Gurus found that more than 65% of Millennials and Baby Boomers favour joint health supplements in capsule formats.12
By contrast, more than 30% of global Gen Z consumers would prefer joint supplements in gummy format and approximately 35% of female Gen X consumers are looking for joint health benefits in ready-to-drink mixes.12
But one common thread runs true for most joint health consumers: a staggering 75% find the size of the dose in joint health supplements to be important.8
When it comes to collagen for joint health, the daily doses required can vary significantly. For example, hydrolysed type I collagen is broken down or denatured into smaller molecules; these peptides then function as a building block for collagen, making health benefits available to the joints.13
However, a typical hydrolysed collagen dose can range from 10,000–20,000 mg to provide health benefits.
Fortunately, innovations in ingredient technology and scientific research have opened the door to small but effective solutions.
UC-II undenatured type II collagen’s intact triple helix structure enables a unique mechanism of action that triggers the immune system to help support the body’s natural cartilage repair process and promotes the building of new cartilage (animal studies suggest that the likely mechanism of action is that it promotes normal inflammatory response while helping to support cartilage regeneration).14–16
This is what makes the ingredient effective at a very low dose of 40 mg/day, differentiating it from hydrolysed collagen.
Thanks to this low-dose functionality, UC-II undenatured type II collagen is easily formulated into a wide variety of convenient formats, such as capsules and gummies, as well as functional foods and beverages.17
This versatility enables brands to develop standout products tailored to a range of consumers — from ageing adults to fitness-focused millennials.
Thinking beyond joint health
For consumers, maximising their healthspan is rarely about a single wellness area or ingredient. Today’s joint health consumers want products with multiple benefits that address a variety of well-being priorities.
In fact, 85.2% want energy benefits alongside joint health, followed by enhanced immune function (84.8%) and improved sleep quality (82%).8
For brands, this means selecting ingredient combinations that deliver multiple benefits as well as carefully considering delivery forms so that ingredient interactions don’t get in the way of the benefits.
For example, Lonza Capsugel Beadlets technology enables the delivery of UC-II collagen beadlets embedded in immune-supporting omega-3 oil.
Not only does this enable the seamless combination of a powder and liquid ingredient, but it also creates a unique and appealing visual experience.
Taking the next steps
By leveraging these exclusive consumer insights, selecting an ingredient with effective science-backed, low-dose efficacy, brands can create new joint health products that capture and retain attention in today’s healthspan-driven longevity market.
References
https://newconsumer.com/trends/consumer-trends-2024-food-wellness/.
https://store.newhope.com/products/longevity-report.
Lonza Capsugel®, Proprietary Lonza Capsugel® Survey Data via Suzy (n=1493) 2023 [Unpublished].
www.lek.com/insights/con/us/ar/vitamins-minerals-supplements-market-trends-2023.
https://store.newhope.com/products/june-2022-condition-specific-issue.
https://store.newhope.com/products/collagen-report-2022.
www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/collagen-market.
Lonza Proprietary Data: Understanding Consumer Preferences for Joint Health Supplements (1000 respondents) April 2025.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9232232/.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21070485/.
www.longdom.org/open-access-pdfs/ucii-undenatured-type-ii-collagen-reduces-knee-joint-discomfort-and-improves-mobility-in-healthy-subjects-a-randomized-d.pdf.
https://fmcggurus.com/blog/joint-and-bone-health-what-steps-are-consumers-taking/.
www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/22/4031.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38961129/.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28888901/.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12837047/.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8180716/.
