Rebecca Wright02.01.10
ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY, recently conducted a survey on supplement usage among more than 6000 of the 80,000 subscribers to its newsletter. Conducted on an annual basis, the survey aims to take the pulse of supplements users across all age groups and sales channels.
So what stood out this year compared to last year? Tod Cooperman, MD, president, ConsumerLab.com commented, “Seventy-four percent of survey respondents said they use fish oil/omega 3s, compared to 72% last year. For the first time ever, this topped multivitamins, which 72% responded they use on a regular basis. In addition, among the heaviest users of supplements, 87% claimed to take fish oil/omega 3s. It was interesting to see that a high level of fish oil usage was pretty steady among all age groups.”
Dr. Cooperman was also surprised to find out where most consumers shop for their supplements. According to survey data, 44% shop online. He said this is probably because in addition to online-only outlets, nearly all types of supplement sellers now also have online storefronts. The next most common place to purchase a supplement was a health food store (33.5%), followed by a vitamin store (27%), mail order catalogue (27%), pharmacy (25%) and warehouse club (25%). The next most popular places were supermarkets, mass merchants, direct distributors and healthcare practitioners.
Interestingly, the consumers surveyed named nearly 1500 brands that they use from nearly 1200 merchants. This points to issues surrounding brand loyalty and potential confusion in the market due to the proliferation of so many brands. On the bright side, it shows that there is room in the market for many players, which is good news for companies that might want to launch a supplement line.
ConsumerLab.com conducts this study each year to find out what consumers are using. At the same time, the survey helps ConsumerLab.com decide what to test for their supplement reviews. The survey is also important to the industry as it shows how consumers rate the leading brands and merchants of supplements.
Even in a down economy, Dr. Cooperman finds that most consumers are still purchasing their supplements and that use is indeed up.
Some notable increases occurred in the vitamin D and CoQ10 categories. The latter became the third most popular supplement among consumers, edging out calcium. Vitamin D, on the other hand, surged to become the 5th most popular supplement among consumers, jumping 30% in usage compared to last year. “Vitamin D use increased dramatically. It was up to 48% this year from 37% last year,” Dr. Cooperman said.
Probiotics are also continuing to grow, particularly among women. Last year usage hovered around 25% and this year it grew to 30%.
Resveratrol also made a significant jump from 11% usage last year to 19% usage this year, a 66% increase. More men gravitate toward this supplement than women, according to ConsumerLab.com. In fact, they were 55% more likely to use it than women.
Some of the brands covered in the new report include:
BioSolutions (Dr. Sinatra)
Barlean’s
Bluebonnet
Carlson Labs
Centrum
Citracal
Jarrow
Juice Plus
Julian Whitaker
Kirkland (Costco)
Kroger
New Chapter
Nordic Naturals
NOW Foods
NSI (Vitacost.com)
Nutrilite
One-A-Day
Solgar
Source Naturals
Spring Valley (Wal-Mart)
Standard Process
Sundown
Vitamin Shoppe
Whole Foods
Some of the merchants covered include:
Amazon.com
BJ’s
Costco
CVS
Drugstore.com
Healthcare Practitioner’s Office
iHerb.com
K-Mart
Local Drugstore
Local Health Food Store
LuckyVitamins.com
Nutrilite
Puritan’s Pride
Target
Trader Joe’s
USANA
Vitacost.com
Vitamin Shoppe
Vitamin World
Walgreens
Wal-Mart
Whole Foods
The supplement categories covered include:
B Vitamins
Calcium
CoQ10
Fish Oil/Omega-3s
Flaxseed/Other Oils
Glucosamine/Chondroitin
Herbs/Extracts
Iron
Melatonin
Menopause
Multivitamins
Muscle Enhancers
Nutrition Bars
Nutrition Drinks/Shakes/Powders
Other Minerals
Probiotics
Red Yeast Rice
Resveratrol
Vitamin A/Beta-carotene
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Weight Loss.
Calcium
CoQ10
Fish Oil/Omega-3s
Flaxseed/Other Oils
Glucosamine/Chondroitin
Herbs/Extracts
Iron
Melatonin
Menopause
Multivitamins
Muscle Enhancers
Nutrition Bars
Nutrition Drinks/Shakes/Powders
Other Minerals
Probiotics
Red Yeast Rice
Resveratrol
Vitamin A/Beta-carotene
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Weight Loss.
The comprehensive, 104-page ConsumerLab.com “2010 Survey of Vitamin and Supplement Users Report” analyzes and compares consumers' satisfaction with popular brands of supplements and supplement merchants. The report also examines the use of 26 specific types of supplements and nutritional products. Results are analyzed by respondent age, gender and level of supplement use. More details on the report can be found at http://www.consumerlab.com/reports/CLSurveyBrochure2010.pdf