CK Intelligence
The SupplySide Global 2026
Trend Forecast
Three forces reshaping the supplement and nutrition shelf this quarter — and the marketing move behind each one.
CK Intelligence is our AI-powered insights & trend monitor
It continuously scans the food, beverage and nutrition landscape — regulatory filings, new product launches, scientific and conference programming, and consumer sentiment signals — and surfaces what's actually moving before it hits the mainstream. The AI does the watching; our team does the interpreting, so every read comes with a point of view drawn from decades of ingredient experience.
How it worksThe 30-Second Read
- GLP-1 grew up into companion nutrition. The opportunity is no longer just protein — it's the full stack of muscle, fiber, hydration and micronutrients built for a smaller appetite.
- Women's health is fragmenting into life stages. Perimenopause and menopause are the fastest-growing segments, and evidence quality is now the purchase filter.
- Cognitive health has gone mainstream, fueled by the rise of adaptogens, nootropics and functional mushrooms.
- The throughline for marketers: Across all three trends, the winner pairs holistic benefits, a functional format that fits real life and next-generation ingredient science with the clearest evidence your customers can put on pack.
The Read for Ingredient Marketers
SupplySide Global puts the supplement and nutrition industry in one room in Las Vegas, and our monitoring picked up a common thread across the show floor: Demand is consolidating around holistic health, delivered through innovative functional formats and built on next-generation ingredient science. Consumers want targeted benefits backed by real evidence — not another generic blend — and they want them in formats that fit their day. The following three trends are where that demand is concentrating, and each one comes with the marketing move that turns it into positioning.
CK's Take
“SupplySide is where the next year of nutrition gets decided, and the pattern this year is unmistakable: The market has moved from ingredients to outcomes. The brands that win aren't selling the buzziest botanical — they're helping their customers prove a specific benefit to a specific person. That's a positioning discipline, and it's exactly where an ingredient supplier can lead.”
Matt Hensler · Chief Marketing Officer
Select any trend to expand the full analysis, signals and CK's Take.
Health & Nutrition
GLP-1 & Metabolic Support
The move: sell metabolic support, not just protein.
Momentum10/10
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The trend. The GLP-1 story has matured from “more protein” into holistic metabolic support. As appetite drops, every serving has to carry more, so brands are building around muscle retention, the nutrient gaps a smaller plate creates, and high-density protein and fiber that satisfy in less volume. Nestlé Health Science now runs a dedicated GLP-1 platform spanning muscle, gut, hydration and micronutrient support across Garden of Life, Boost, Nature's Bounty, Nuun and Vital Proteins.
Why it matters. The clinical driver is still muscle — rapid weight loss risks lean mass — but the conversation has widened into whole-body metabolic wellness. Formulators are pairing whey with creatine and HMB for muscle retention, high-density protein and fiber for satiety and tolerability, and a full micronutrient base to close the gaps a smaller appetite leaves behind. It's no longer a single ingredient sale; it's metabolic support.
The gap. Most suppliers still pitch one piece — protein, fiber or a vitamin premix — in one format. The unmet need is a coordinated metabolic support story delivered in formats a reduced appetite can handle (compact shakes, chews, stick packs), with the ingredient science and evidence to back why it all belongs together on a single pack.
The White Space
Almost everyone is selling one companion ingredient. Almost no one is selling the coordinated system — muscle, satiety, hydration and micronutrients — as a single, on-pack-ready narrative a brand can build a line around.
Insight → Action
Help your customers sell the whole stack, not just the protein. Give them a “GLP-1 companion” framework that maps each ingredient to a benefit — muscle, satiety, tolerability, micronutrient adequacy — with the clinical support to back it, so they can build a credible companion line rather than a single standard protein shake. The supplier who hands brands the system wins the category.
CK's Take
“GLP-1 stopped being a protein story a while ago — it's a whole-basket story now. The suppliers who help their customers connect the dots across muscle, gut and micronutrients, in language a shopper actually understands, are the ones who'll own the fastest-growing nutrition category of the decade.”
Linda Ohr · Senior Copywriter | Content Developer
Life-Stage & Women's Health
Women's Health Comes Into Focus
The move: sell the life stage, not the gender.
Momentum9/10
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The trend. Women's health has broken out of the “pink multivitamin” era into life stage precision. Perimenopause and menopause are the fastest-growing slices, and the market is moving from single-symptom pills toward modular, “stackable” regimens covering sleep, mood, bone, metabolism and healthy aging.
Why it matters. Life stage positioning is replacing broad gender-based marketing — distinct solutions for reproductive years, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause and healthy aging. And evidence quality has become a purchase filter: Shoppers now compare dosage, ingredient form, clinical substantiation and third-party testing before they buy.
The gap. Plenty of brands say “for women.” Far fewer connect one verified ingredient to one defined outcome at a specific life stage — in a format she will actually keep up with, from stackable daily regimens to gummies and functional drinks — with the clinical evidence and dose to prove it. That precision is where the supplier can lead.
The White Space
The market is crowded with “women's wellness” claims and thin on life stage precision with proof. The opening is one verified ingredient matched to one defined outcome — perimenopausal sleep, midlife bone support — with the dose and data a brand can stand behind.
Insight → Action
Help your customers sell the life stage, not the gender. Arm brand teams with ingredient stories built around a specific life stage and a specific, substantiated outcome — the clinical dose, the form, the third-party data — so they can move from “for women” to “for this woman, right now.” Precision plus proof is the win.
CK's Take
“Women's health has been underserved and over-generalized for decades. The brands breaking through right now are the ones getting specific — a real answer for perimenopause, backed by real evidence. For ingredient suppliers, that specificity is the whole opportunity: Help your customers own a life stage instead of a demographic.”
Corrie Woker · Account Director
Botanicals & Cognitive Health
The Cognitive Boom
The move: lead with proof, not the buzzword.
Momentum9/10
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The trend. Adaptogens, nootropics and functional mushrooms have gone mainstream — migrating out of capsules into functional beverages, shots, stick packs, chews and sober-curious mocktails with a functional perk. But the category is maturing fast: generic “stress and focus” blends are losing ground to branded, clinically validated extracts at efficacious doses, and to “functional stacking” that targets several cognitive pathways at once.
Why it matters. Consumer demand is real and rising — stress, focus and cognitive vitality are mainstream concerns, especially for younger buyers — but so is scrutiny. A 2026 meta-analysis found even well-studied ginkgo delivers only modest cognitive benefit, mostly in people with existing impairment. The category's credibility now hinges on dose, form and clinical backing, not folklore.
The gap. The shelf is saturated with buzzwords — “adaptogen,” “nootropic,” “brain support” — and thin on substantiation. Brands need suppliers who bring branded, clinically dosed extracts and the data to make a claim stick.
The White Space
The market is loud with buzzwords and quiet on proof. The opening is branded, clinically dosed ingredients paired with plain-language claims — the difference between “contains lion's mane” and “a clinically studied dose shown to support focus.”
Insight → Action
Help your customers lead with proof, not the buzzword. Pair every functional ingredient with its branded, clinically dosed form and a plain-language benefit a brand can defend — and position stacks as designed, evidence-based formulas rather than a pile of trendy ingredients. In a skeptical category, the supplier who brings the data earns the spec.
CK's Take
“Adaptogens, nootropics and functional mushrooms are having a moment, but a moment is fragile. The brands that last will be the ones that treat proof as a design element — building the claim, the dose and the story together from the start. That's where a supplier who understands both the science and the shelf becomes invaluable.”
Kate Schupbach · Creative Director
Quick Answers
Frequently Asked
What are the biggest health and nutrition trends at SupplySide Global 2026?
Three trends dominate this quarter: GLP-1 companion nutrition built around muscle preservation and micronutrient support, life stage women's health led by perimenopause and menopause, and the boom in adaptogens, nootropics and functional mushrooms for cognitive health.
How big is the GLP-1 companion nutrition market?
The GLP-1 companion nutrition market was valued at about $5.26 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $18.92 billion by 2035, growing at roughly 14% a year, with high-protein products the dominant segment.
Why is women's health a growth category for ingredient brands?
Menopause and women's health ingredients are projected to grow from about $7.2 billion in 2026 to $20.8 billion by 2036. Perimenopause and menopause are the fastest-growing segments, and evidence quality has become a leading purchase filter.
Are adaptogens and nootropics backed by evidence?
Evidence varies. The category is shifting from generic blends to branded, clinically backed ingredients. A 2026 meta-analysis found even well-studied ginkgo delivers only modest cognitive benefit, mostly in people with existing impairment, which is why proof and dosing now matter more than hype.
From Trend to Brief
These aren't just trends.
They're your next positioning.
A trend you can message around — with the right claim language, the proof points and a story your customers can put on pack — is a competitive advantage. That translation, from market signal to marketing move, is what ColinKurtis does for ingredient and nutrition brands every day.
Bring one of these three trends into your next brief and let's pressure-test how your brand should own it.
Let's Take Your Marketing to the Next LevelSources
- GLP-1 companion nutrition market size and growth, DataM Intelligence (2026). datamintelligence.com
- GLP-1 supplement market and companion segments, Straits Research (2026). straitsresearch.com
- High-protein share of GLP-1 companion products, Fact.MR (2026). factmr.com
- Nestlé GLP-1 nutrition platform and muscle-preservation stack, NutraIngredients (August 2026). nutraingredients.com
- Menopause and women's health ingredients market, Future Market Insights (August 2026). futuremarketinsights.com
- Women's health and menopause growth rates, DataM Intelligence (2026). datamintelligence.com
- Perimenopause market and supplement share, Straits Research (May 2026). straitsresearch.com
- Women's health formats, stackable regimens and evidence filter, Nutrition Insight (February 2026). nutritioninsight.com
- Adaptogens market size and growth, DataM Intelligence (2026). datamintelligence.com
- Branded vs generic adaptogens and 2026 ingredient trends, CalNutri (January 2026). calnutri.com
- Nootropics evidence and 2026 ginkgo meta-analysis, NutraIngredients (June 2026). nutraingredients.com
- SupplySide Global 2026 program, dates and education themes, Informa Markets. supplysideglobal.com
Figures cited as published by the sources above. Market projections come from secondary market research and trade reporting and vary by firm; please verify against primary sources before external client use.
