Magnesium is well-established and trusted across multiple categories

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Magnesium continues to see a great deal of sales growth across multiple categories despite being an established ingredient. Its pedigree translates to consumer trust, and subsequent adoption to support many health needs. According to data from SPINS, the 52 weeks ending Dec. 3, 2023, magnesium was among the top 25 best-selling ingredients in both the mainstream supplement and natural channels, seeing double-digit sales growth of 48% and 33%, respectively, to earn $226 million and $63 million.

Broken down by category, magnesium was a top-selling ingredient in the digestive, sleep, and bone health categories in the mainstream channel . In each category, the mineral saw double-digit sales growth of 13%, 26%, and 35%, respectively. In the natural channel, magnesium was a top seller in the mood support, energy support, bone health, cognitive, and cardiovascular health categories, also seeing double-digit growth in each (24%, 37%, 47%, 63%, and 30%, respectively). This double-digit growth has continued from 2022, when magnesium in the mainstream supplement channel saw 14% and 20% growth in the bone and sleep categories, respectively. In 2022, the natural supplements channel, magnesium saw 103% sales growth in the bone health category, as well as 14%, 28%, 11%, and 23% growth in the cardiovascular, cognitive, sleep, and mood categories, respectively.

During a recent webcast hosted by Nutritional Outlook titled “Stress Relief: White Space in Supplements?” Clare Rebhun, senior manager, client insights for SPINS compared magnesium’s growth to that of ashwagandha. “We’re seeing a trend similar to what we saw with ashwagandha, that magnesium is extending its reach across the store, so we’re seeing growth in grocery and refrigerated...thanks to innovation within beverages,” said Rebhun.

Scott Dicker, market insights director for SPINS concurs with Rebhun’s analysis. “We saw both ashwagandha and magnesium, for example, in mood support beverages, which is a trend I really think is going to start to take off. We’ve seen a lot of products entering the market, but the sales numbers I think are going to start to take off as well,” adds Dicker. “And magnesium is one of the top ones to watch. It plays a role in products that can be positioned for sleep, for mood support as well as bone health, but I’m specifically interested in mood support and therefore sleep support products, and I think this is the moment for that category to really surge.”

Traditional pills and powders are still dominant in the market, says Dicker, particularly for multifunction products combining ingredients with complementary benefits such as immune and stress support, for example. However, Dicker explains that functional ready-to-drink beverages have a great deal of potential for mood and stress support, particularly as consumers try to move away from unhealthy habits like alcohol consumption to relieve stress and promote sleep.

“We’re caffeinated pretty high and all throughout the day,” says Dicker. “I think people are looking for that nightcap to unwind at the other end. And if they are choosing less alcohol, which most of the surveys out there suggest, I think that they’ll be looking for beverages like this to kind of be that nightcap, calm down beverage.”

To learn more about our Ingredients to Watch, listen to our conversation with SPIN's director of market insights, Scott Dicker, on The Nutritional Outlook Podcast.