One size does not fit all when positioning bone and joint health supplements to consumers. Brands looking to resonate with their chosen consumer demographic must cater to specific life stage needs while delivering innovative formats, ingredient combinations, and more.
Across the lifespan, the ways in which bone and joint health can be supported shift. What a 25-year-old male athlete requires to regenerate general joint wear-and-tear and ensure he can perform optimally come game day, will differ drastically from the 70-year-old woman who lives a particularly sedentary lifestyle and is more focused on relieving muscle pain and aches in her joints.
Many factors are driving the burgeoning bone and joint health market, including the growing elderly population, higher prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, and enhanced health awareness of micronutrient deficiencies, to name a few.
In the past, companies may have only targeted bone and joint products toward older consumers, however, the market is attracting a younger set of consumers concerned with preventative health.
Marketing differentiation is key for brands looking to engage with consumers of different cohorts and ensure their products appeal to their target demographic.
During a Vitafoods Insights webinar on bone and joint health, Magda Starula, research consultant at Euromonitor International, and David Foreman, president of the Herbal Pharmacist, covered how brands can cater to different consumers through innovative formats, product repositioning, ingredient combinations, and more.
The global sales of dietary supplements in 2023 were worth $83.6 bn, with $12 bn of that coming from bone and joint supplements, and $7.2 bn of sales coming from the Asia and Pacific market, according to Euromonitor International data. Per capita this differs slightly with North America leading, followed closely by Western Europe.
Starula explained that four factors are driving this growth. The first driver is the ageing global population. She said: “According to our analysis, over 14% of the global population is going to be aged 65 [or over] by 2040, which is definitely a huge accelerator for supplements related to bone and joint health.”
The second driver is health concerns and consumer propensity, regardless of age, to self-medicate and turn to supplements before seeking out help from a doctor.
The growing interest in the “fourth meal” concept is the third growth driver, defined as an additional “meal” in supplement form to help consumers reach their nutrient requirements or goals.
The fourth driver is product repositioning and improved formulas, which Starula noted centres around brand awareness of consumer demand for personalisation and personalised solutions. “Brands are trying to meet their customer's needs, [while] improving formulas of products and repositioning the products so every individual can find something suitable for themselves,” she added.
Starula and Foreman agreed that knowing your demographic is one of the keys to success.
What appeals to one generation, may not appeal to another. While capsules may resonate with the older demographic who may be more inclined to be brand loyal and stick to what they know, younger consumers are looking for innovative, on-the-go formats to complement their busy lifestyles. They are also concerned with the sustainability of the product, and even the diversity and inclusion of the company itself, Foreman added.
In addition to formats, how brands choose to advertise their products plays an important role. Brands may think that influencer advertising on social media only applies to younger cohorts, such as Gen Z and Millennials, but Starula noted that older consumers are active users of social platforms and influencer campaigns can also appeal to this demographic.
Storytelling is another crucial aspect of product marketing. For bone and joint supplements, this means explaining to the consumer what the ingredients included are and how they will help prevent joint problems or assist in pain management.
Foreman added that QR codes, which he believes are underutilised within this space, could assist here. He recommended adding a small code on the product package, as a simple, yet effective way to communicate what’s inside the product and how it works.
Marketing is only one side of the coin; equally important is the development of products formulated with science-backed ingredients proven to support the joints.
To create effective products, Foreman explained that formulators and those working within R&D need to understand the root causes of joint issues and discomfort and how they impact the body.
Joint issues arise for a variety of reasons. The root of the problem, according to Foreman, is commonly triggered by inflammation, injury, overweight, and calcium deposits (calcium buildup in body tissue).
A variety of ingredients have been clinically proven to support the body's fight against inflammation. Foreman’s top four recommendations for inflammation-fighting ingredients are bioflavonoids, Boswellia, chondroitin sulfate, devil’s claw, and curcumin.
While ingredients on their own may be beneficial, combining them to support the various aspects of joint health may just be the formula for success, according to Foreman.
Alongside ingredients to support inflammation, Foreman suggested combing them with tissue-supporting ingredients, such as collagen peptides, eggshell membrane, hyaluronic acid (HA) matrix, mucopolysaccharides (MPS) and hydrolysed collagen, and native type II collagen.
When it comes to specific combinations, Foreman recommended combining multiple ingredients with different mechanisms of action: “If you're really trying to address a health challenge, it's often good to have multiple ingredients that have an effect in different ways addressing the same type of condition.”
Foreman said that while four ingredients are commonly associated with bone health – calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K2 – calcium, most likely, is not a necessary supplement. He points to a quote from the Journal of Bone Metabolism which states there is little evidence to suggest that supplementing with calcium plays a role in the modern therapeutics of osteoporosis, a bone disease characterised by weak and brittle bones.
Magnesium has been shown to assist with bone loss and turnover in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, while vitamin D is a scientifically proven essential nutrient for bone health, and in many cases, deficiency has been shown to decrease calcium absorption and, in some cases, lead to bone demineralisation.
Vitamin K2 on the other hand, Foreman explained, helps the bone remodel itself and has been shown to protect the vertebrae and hip against bone loss.
What does the future of bone and joint products look like?
For Starula, the increasingly blurred lines between food and health will play a big part in the future of product development. Starula explained that what we are witnessing now is food companies entering into the pharma space, and bringing with them product offerings fortified with supplements.
Starula also expected health, nutrition, and beauty to merge, due to the broadening definition of health, and all the facets that fall within it, such as emotional, physical, and nutritional health. “All those orientations of health are important for consumers, and one cannot live without the another,” she added.
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