Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
- Impact of COVID-19 on natural health OTC products
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- Figure 1: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on natural healthcare, 2021
- Opportunities and challenges
- Think beyond kids with parents
- Better together
- Traditional OTCs remain strongest competition
- Natural OTC product brands can become a resource
- Immune health remains relevant
- Build confidence with smaller issues
- Holistic health brings opportunities beyond physical, mental
Market Size
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- The VMS market as a key component of natural OTCs
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- Figure 2: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of market, at current prices, 2015-25
- Figure 3: Total US sales and forecast of vitamins, minerals and supplements, at current prices, 2015-25
- Herbs and botanicals take leaps and bounds
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- Figure 4: US herbs and botanics sales and projected growth
- OTCs are biggest competition
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- Figure 5: Use of OTC health products in past 6 months, 2021
- Pain relief wins
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- Figure 6: Use of OTC health products in past 6 months, 2021
- Natural ingredients can’t work alone
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- Figure 7: Motivations to change pain relief method, 2021
Market Factors
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- Regulations can be restrictive
- Consumers tighten budgets amidst economic challenges
- Younger consumers offer opportunities from multiple angles
- Natural OTCs lean into wellbeing trends
- Environmental concerns a hidden opportunity
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Name recognition matters
- Highlight health trends like gum health, mental wellness and spiritual heath issues
- Treatments for kids engage parents, create future consumers
- Claims are tricky business
Competitive Strategies
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- Ground products with verifiable claims
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- Figure 8: Product and packaging claims
- Bridge gaps in recognition with other ingredients
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- Figure 9: Recognizable ingredients
- Give attention to gum health
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- Figure 10: Dental care
- Embrace need for mental wellbeing
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- Figure 11: Stress relief and sleep
- Make wellness a spiritual experience
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- Figure 12: Spiritual wellness
- Win over parents with products specifically for kids
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- Figure 13: Children’s Wellness
Market Opportunities
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- Create dynamic duos
- Consumers need to see to believe
- Keep tone educational, conversational
- Keep costs on par with competitive set
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- OTCs compete with other OTCs
- Natural products are not heavy lifters
- Highlight risk reduction with naturals
- Find ways to breed familiarity
- Natural carries assumptions about safety
- COVID changed the game
Product Usage
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- Traditional OTCs remain the key competitive set
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- Figure 14: Use of OTC health products in past 6 months, 2021
- Women are using more OTC products than men
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- Figure 15: Use of OTC health products in past 6 months, by gender, 2021
- Racial gaps close for natural health products
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- Figure 16: Use of OTC health products in past 6 months, by race/ethnicity, 2021
- Parents provide opportunity
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- Figure 17: Use of OTC health products in past 6 months, by parental status, 2021
Reasons for Not Using
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- Natural health products must overcome force of habit
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- Figure 18: Reasons for lack of use of OTC health products with natural ingredients, 2021
- Win over women by becoming familiar
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- Figure 19: Reasons for lack of use of OTC health products with natural ingredients, by gender, 2021
- Education important across race and ethnicity
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- Figure 20: Reasons for lack of use of OTC health products with natural ingredients, by race/ethnicity, 2021
- Give consumers a reason to become familiar
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- Figure 21: Reasons for lack of use of OTC health products with natural ingredients, by parental status, 2021
Experience and Interest in Natural OTC Health
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- Ease consumers in with everyday concerns
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- Figure 22: Experience and interest with OTC health products that have natural ingredients, 2021
- Expand conversations about health
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- Figure 23: Experience and interest with OTC health products that have natural ingredients, by gender, 2021
- Life stage and confidence matter for natural health products
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- Figure 24: Experience and interest with OTC health products that have natural ingredients, by age, 2021
Reasons for Use
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- First, do no harm for natural products
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- Figure 25: Reasons for use of OTC health products with natural ingredients, 2021
- What’s not inside counts
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- Figure 26: Reasons for use of OTC health products with natural ingredients, by gender, 2021
Important Attributes
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- Vitamins provide the best of both worlds
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- Figure 27: Associated characteristics with specific ingredients, 2021
- Different health movements appeal to men vs women
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- Figure 28: Associated characteristics with specific ingredients, by gender, 2021
- OTCs impacted by medical mistrust
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- Figure 29: Associated characteristics with specific ingredients, by race/ethnicity, 2021
COVID-related Changes in Attitudes
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- COVID changed health conversations for almost all
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- Figure 30: Changes in attitudes towards OTC health products with natural ingredients due to COVID-19, 2021
- Men take OTC products seriously
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- Figure 31: Changes in attitudes towards OTC health products with natural ingredients due to COVID-19, by gender, 2021
- Younger consumers more price conscious
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- Figure 32: Changes in attitudes towards OTC health products with natural ingredients due to COVID-19, by age, 2021
- Disparate effects of COVID impact natural OTC health attitudes
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- Figure 33: Changes in attitudes towards OTC health products with natural ingredients due to COVID-19, by race/ethnicity, 2021
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
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