INNOVATIONS IN THE SUPPLEMENTS INDUSTRY

Companies want to respond to consumer demand for more chewable, tasty supplements and fewer pills, but format issues like maximizing the amount of an active ingredient, dealing with gummies’ water properties and consistent potency are all current formulation challenges for the gummy. 

Mintel’s Global New Products Database shows that between 2017 and 2021, launches of gummy and chew supplements increased by 153%. During that same timeframe, gummies and chews accounted for 7% of all dietary supplement launches—and by 2022, that percentage had jumped to 10%. (1)

Some companies are looking toward chocolates, and hard candies for potential solutions because gummies are a challenging vehicle for supplements with active ingredients. Among their problems are a limited loading capacity, difficulty ensuring consistent dosage amount, and stability issues (especially in heat and humidity,) are headaches in manufacturing the supplement treats consumers love. The capsule or softgel, like Pure Hemp Botanicals Pure Balance 3,000 mg softgels, is more stable and has a longer shelf life. But people love their gummies, and we do too!

As consumers demand more supplements in gummies, but they are also noticing that the gelatin ingredient in many of these is a horse product, and many don’t want that. Our answer is to use pectin, a vegan solution, but pectin-based gummies are harder to work with and more expensive. We recommend that you keep your Pure Hemp Botanicals Pure Balance Gummies jars sealed until you’re ready to use them. Also, don’t leave them lingering in your postbox in the sunshine. Rescue them!

More and more, consumers are asking what the “other ingredients” are in their supplements. Often they are excipients, but what are those? The dictionary says excipients are: “an inactive substance that serves as the vehicle or medium for a drug or other active substance.: “excipients are things like coloring agents, preservatives, and fillers.”  In our industry, excipients could be flow aids, fillers, binders or lubricants. Unfortunately some people are allergic to some colorants and many want to avoid preservatives. So, the supplements industry is developing cleaner label options like rice extract and rice fiber. (2) 

If you want a CBD product completely free of colors, flavors, sugars and any excipients, use our Pure Balance tinctures, like Pure Hemp Botanicals 3,000 mg Pure Balance tincture. These contain ONLY hemp seed oil as a carrier for our pure hemp extract concentrate that contains the actives like CBD and other hemp-derived cannabinoids and terpenes.

Consumers are asking for everything to be delivered free of plastics, but this is a serious challenge in the supplements industry. It’s hard to find an economical paper package that can ensure a long shelf life including UV protection for supplements in any format. One less-than-perfect substitute is a 100% recycled plastic package, but that still makes waste. If you’re determined to avoid plastic packaging altogether, and want to try our least-processed hemp of all, relax with our Hemptealicious Spearmint Lemongrass tea anytime, hot or cold for the summer. 

(2) https://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/supplements/delivery-formats-digital-magazine?utm_emailname=HLN00INS-TR-DeliveryFormatsGummy-DM-02-2023027-061423&utm_MDMContactID=c792de72-9515-4312-bf78-454f16ac43dc&utm_campaigntype=Digital&eM=d17ea6dc666171e5c832f3d3ca9e5f466f2bc3a07d5d034805f57ff911d70011&eventSeriesCode=ES_NWHOPEDGTL&eventEditionCode=HLN00NHN&sessionCode=S_DGTL&sp_eh=d17ea6dc666171e5c832f3d3ca9e5f466f2bc3a07d5d034805f57ff911d70011&elqTrackId=1d03ba2296124feca826b433ad5f5e6a&elq=158906ba769840bcb41e2ff243f457b1&elqaid=19386&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=11829