Targeting COVID-19 stress: Brain health players discuss nootropics and mood boosters

06 Aug 2020 --- Concern over COVID-19 has led to a rise in consumers’ stress levels and ultimately put a strain on overall brain health. In light of this, demands for ingredients that boost the mood and help manage stress have come into focus. Blends of vitamins, minerals, and nootropic ingredients are proliferating, with many players tapping into the convenience of functional food and beverages. These offer consumers a fast and easy cognitive boost or stress-ameliorating effect while avoiding pill fatigue.

“In these stressful and uncertain times, consumers are placing more emphasis than ever on self-care and their mental well-being and diet is an important factor in achieving these goals. The market has been trending towards ingredients that can assist with anxiety, stress relief, and other lifestyle-related considerations such as sleep and relaxation, as buyers increasingly view food and supplements as a means to retake control in their lives,” Marie-Bénédicte Charpentier, Marketing & Growth Director EMEAI at ADM’s Health & Wellness Business, tells NutritionInsight. 

Stress and coping
Innova Market Insights reports consumers are increasingly seeing physical and mental health with equal importance. A 2018 Innova Market Insights survey found that eight out of ten consumers agreed that mental health is as important as physical health to their overall well-being, rising to nine out of ten respondents in China, and Brazil. Moreover, product launches with nootropics are having a moment, reflected by an average annual growth of 70 percent in product launches (Global, CAGR 2015-2019). 

An Innova Market Insights consumer survey has found that 32 percent of UK consumers and 39 percent of US consumers claim to experience stress at least once a day.“The massive increase in people working from home and the blurring of work and home life has driven a demand for products that can offer benefits linked to cognitive performance such as memory and alertness. For these busy, multitasking consumers, this is closely linked to a desire to support overall neurological health for short- and long-term gain, including managing disease-centric conditions. The market is ripe with potential for functional food and supplement brands,” Charpentier outlines.

Echoing this, a 2019 Innova Market Insights consumer survey found that 32 percent of UK consumers and 39 percent of US consumers claimed to experience stress at least once a day. 

Also, the market researcher flags how botanical ingredients are increasingly featuring in brain health related NPD. The use of Ginkgo biloba jumped by 21 percent from 2014 to 2018, while hemp increased by 16 percent in relevant launches.

An example of nootropic NPD in this space is US-based beverage brand Yuno, which launched a line of “BioTactical Drinks” designed to be mixed and matched to promote energy, focus, memory retention, relaxation and improve sleep. The beverages are made with over 100 natural superfood ingredients and seek to maximize body and mind nutrition, the company details. Moreover, the ingredients were chosen and formulated through a proprietary process to increase bioavailability, natural absorption, and hydration. The blends available at launch are appropriately dubbed Energy, Focus, Memory, Uplift, Zen and Dream.

Nootropics and adaptogens reign
Also speaking to NutritionInsight, Oksana Ritchie, Head of Marketing at Kyowa Hakko Europe, says that the market is booming with various brain health ingredients that can be put into three categories: nootropics, adaptogens and vitamins.

Adaptogens have emerged as a class of herbal extracts with claims of boosting the body’s ability to combat physical, chemical, and biological stressors, in addition to elevating cognitive functions, mood and energy levels. While these potent botanicals have sustained a long-held acclaim in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicinal practices, the West is notably catching on, with adaptogens emerging as a staple in the supplements aisle – and more recently, within the health-driven F&B space.

Adaptogens have emerged as a class of herbal extracts with claims of boosting the body’s ability to combat physical, chemical and biological stressors.“Besides food supplements with vitamins (like B2, B12 or B6 to name a few) and omega 3 oil or zinc there are also products on the market with adaptogenic ingredients like gingko, or ginseng. Those natural ingredients are multicomponent mixtures and have a long history of use. Another ingredient, which draws attention in the area of cognitive performance, is the extract of green oat herb. Green oat extract is traditionally known as a remedy for mild symptoms of stress and to help sleep,” Franziska Herbst, Marketing Team Leader at Anklam Extrakt, tells NutritionInsight.

A stand-out ingredient in this space is ashwagandha, an ancient medicinal herb, classified as an adaptogen. It is often featured in food and supplements to boost brain function, lower blood sugar and cortisol levels and to help fight symptoms of anxiety and depression. According to Innova Market Insights data, ashwagandha is increasingly growing in applications, with a 40 percent average annual growth of F&B launches, including supplements tracked with ashwagandha (Global, CAGR 2015-2019). 

Top market categories of food and beverage launches tracked with Ashwagandha (Global, 2015 vs. 2019) include supplements, sports nutrition, hot drinks, and soft drinks. The fastest-growing subcategory with a 77 percent growth in product launches with ashwagandha are sports powders (Global, CAGR 2015-2019), the market researcher reports.

“In an ever-accelerating world with a competitive business environment and rising requirements both in a professional and private context, people are searching for a way to improve their cognitive performance. Therefore, food supplements play a crucial role in the cognitive enhancement space,” notes Herbst.

By Kristiana Lalou