Innovative and Disruptive Brands of 2019 in Dietary Supplements

We’re looking back at some of our favorite discoveries of 2019 in a series of posts covering each of the sectors we serve. In this post, we look at the health and wellness sector, with a focus on human dietary supplements. This is a constantly changing sector that reflects new health challenges and solutions in the contemporary world: consumers are taking more charge of our health than ever, and innovations in dietary supplements are a major part of that change. Though basic human dietary needs don’t change, new science, new formats, and new delivery methods can help us meet those needs more effectively and in ways that better suit our lifestyles. From our observation of the industry last year, here are a few of the dietary supplement companies and products we saw as poised to disrupt the industry in the coming years.

Frunutta

A new delivery system for most consumers, Frunutta offers a format for familiar vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, folic acid, iron, melatonin, and multivitamins.

Rather than traditional pills, Frunutta offers supplements that dissolve instantly under the tongue, offering benefits for those who can’t or prefer not to swallow traditional pills or chew gummies. This new technology also allows Frunutta to eliminate many ingredients that traditional supplements rely upon, like sugars, coatings, artificial colors, preservatives, and hydrogenated oils.

In contrast, Frunutta’s supplements consist predominantly of the vitamin itself. Both in format and clean label requirements, that’s a major disruption.

Quality of Life VitaPQQ

Quality of Life’s VitaPQQ features scientifically backed benefits for mitochondrial function, possibly slowing the aging process and reducing age-related fatigue while improving short-term memory and focus.

The supplement features the first new vitamin discovered since 1948, PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline quinone), which feeds the mitochondria that generate power for our cells. VitaPQQ features a patented form of PQQ called MicroPQQ and is free of magnesium stearate and common allergens. Like all of Quality of Life’s products, VitaPQQ is backed by human clinical trials and carries the company’s pledge to promote only science-based and substantiated information.

Quicksilver Scientific CBD

In the rapidly expanding CBD oil space, many products feature limited distinctives and low quality hemp extractions. Quicksilver’s CBD products are distinctive for their proprietary nanoemulsion technology, which significantly enhances absorption and delivery of the full range of phytocannabinoids in the extract.

The CBD Synergies line, in particular, features a proprietary blend of neutraceuticals and botanicals that enhance the natural sleep, pain relief, and calming benefits of CBD. Quicksilver’s products are verified by a third-party lab and supported by an established clinical history. The product is processed from fully legal industrial hemp and complies with all federal regulations.

Four Sigmatic

Emerging from Finland, where coffee consumption is the highest in the world and chaga (mushroom) tea is an ancient medicinal tradition, Four Sigmatic has created a popular mushroom coffee mix that has been a best-seller on Amazon and in retail stores all over the U.S.

To expand their line, they’ve taken a wide variety of functional mushrooms, like lion’s mane and maitaki, and infused them into a line of beverages, elixirs, and beauty products. Their success stems from good branding, a global community of influencers, quality products, and being at the crossroads of several market trends—the subscription business model, all-thing-Finnish-culture, functional coffee, functional mushrooms, adaptogens, beauty from within, and mini-rituals.

Their edible products are Whole30 approved, USDA Organic, Paleo Certified, 3rd Party Lab Tested, Vegan, and low sugar.

Nootrobox

From startup supplement brand HVMN comes an intriguing new format for daily dietary supplements: a subscription box featuring four nootropics that work together to improve performance throughout the day. Each box contains a 30-day supply of four supplements: Rise, supporting memory; Kado, providing Omega-3s; Sprint, promoting energy and focus; and Yawn, a non-habit-forming sleep aid.

The supplements in Nootrobox are fully backed by scientific studies, the details of which HVMN provides in full on their website. The subscription box model offers convenience, but more importantly, the supplements in the box work together, providing complementary benefits across the tasks and moments of one’s day.

Dietary Supplements From Your POV

What disruptions have you noticed in the dietary supplements space this year? What are your favorite new products? Is there a new technology or market you’d like to capture?

For more on how this space is evolving alongside new consumer preferences, check out our recent consumer research assessing what consumers want in a supplement brand. Drawing on our experience in the industry, we gathered data from a sample of 500 supplement consumers and presented our insights at a recent industry conference. The report includes proprietary video of consumer responses and custom insights on how disruptions like those above are transforming our industry today.

Once you have read it, please let us know your thoughts—we’d love to know what you see in the industry right now and discuss how we might help you capture some of that disruption for yourself.