Looking to understand the global supplement market amidst war, climate change, global inflation, economic anxiety and a pandemic still bubbling up in flare-ups and fade-outs? 

After surviving COVID pandemic, the supplement industry is still searching for its footing. The U.S. market is growing more slowly than it has since NBJ began tracking numbers, and the picture across the biggest international markets, China especially, is not nearly so bright as it has been in the past. The emerging markets are doing significantly better than the established markets (“Emerging clarity,” front page), but they still represent a relatively small share of the pie.

So, what is the industry supposed to do with that information? What it has always done. Carry on.

We see that in the ASEAN region, where harmonization limps toward passage even as countries, and the brands serving them, are moving ahead to meet the requirements before they become final (page 24). We see that in Eastern Europe, where brands are raising prices but lowering expectations on margins ( “Changes and challenges” page 13). We see it in Australia, where brands have helped consumers see supplements as an essential, rather than a luxury, even as high interest rates and inflation intrude on household budgets across income classes (“Punching above its weight,” page 29).