What do health-conscious consumers really want from supplements?
It’s not just more vitamins. Or better packaging. Or a louder claim.
In our latest study on wellness innovation, we explored the beliefs, needs, and behaviours shaping the future of wellness supplements. We conducted in-depth qualitative work with over 100 UK consumers in higher-income households to uncover where the real growth lies.
Spoiler: It’s not in functional benefits. It’s in solving the contradictions that are stopping people from sticking with what’s supposedly good for them.
This article shares what we found and what it means for brands, innovation teams, and insight leads looking to move the needle.
At Catalyx, we help brands navigate the journey to successful innovation using our proprietary Innovation Triple Diamond framework, a proven approach that ensures no step is skipped on the path from insight to in-market success.
This study sits squarely within the Define diamond, the second stage in our framework, where we uncover the precise recipe for innovation success. But every great innovation journey starts earlier, and only works if all three stages are followed:
- Desire: We begin by identifying the emotional and functional tensions that reveal what consumers truly want, even when they struggle to articulate it themselves.
- Define: Then we shape the optimal product solution, the right format, benefit, pack, message and tone to solve the tension in a meaningful way.
- Develop: Finally, we refine execution to ensure your idea stands out, builds trust, and fits seamlessly into real lives.
Based on what we uncovered in this Define stage, we developed two fully formed concept directions, built to solve the core frictions holding supplement users back, and designed to inspire confident development:
- The Daily Shake: A better-tasting, easier-to-consume vitamin shake, made from natural ingredients, with fruity flavours, athlete endorsement and strong certification cues.
- The Mini Pills: A simple, daily regimen of small, easy-to-swallow pills, tailored to specific needs. With a clean, clinical design and proven efficacy, this format supports habit formation and everyday use.
These are more than ideas, they’re springboards for successful wellness innovation.
The Real Challenge in Wellness Innovation? Making Supplements That Actually Fit Real Life
Most people believe supplements play an important role in their health. They see them as a way to top up their diet, protect themselves against illness, and get through the day with more energy. In fact, 90% of respondents use a general multivitamin
But roughly half of users describe their experience as neutral or even negative. Many have tried multiple formats and brands, only to end up with half-used tubs and packs left languishing in the cupboard.
Why? Because supplements may promise benefits, but they rarely deliver an experience that supports consistent use.
Pill fatigue is real. And the format is broken.
Key frictions include:
- Pills are too large
- They taste unpleasant
- The act of taking them feels clinical and unnatural
One respondent summed it up perfectly:
“I know it’s good for me — but I dread taking it.”
Whether it’s smaller pills, flavoured gummies, or shake-based solutions, the challenge is simple: Design for real life.
And yet, most products on the shelf still assume consumers will infer trust from the brand name alone.
Instead, trust must be actively built through:
- Visible certification
- Doctor/athlete endorsements
- Clear provenance
- Transparent pack messaging
“Don’t just tell me it’s vitamin B — tell me what it’ll do for me today.”
Nature vs science? Consumers want both.
There’s a growing desire for natural, organic supplements, but a tension around whether they actually work.
This creates an opportunity to bridge natural credentials with efficacy. Certifications, scientific explanations, and transparent sourcing can help resolve this contradiction.
Pack design isn’t just aesthetic, it’s functional
From contraceptive-style pill packs to 1-month shake cycles, consumers want pack formats that help them stay on track.
I’d like to try pills with smaller sizes. It shouldn’t be a pain to swallow a pill!
I wonder if there are some valid alternative formats to traditional pills. Like something you can shake and drink straight away
Have you thought of anything you can shake and drink?
There’s also interest in digital tools that tailor regimens to individual needs..
I saw a website once where you filled in a quiz and it gave you recommendations. Something like that would be useful for me who has specific needs.
Most products don’t make the benefit clear
People want to know what health problem a product addresses and how long it takes to see results.
Clarity of benefit increases both trust and purchase intent:
“I buy supplements which include a list of benefits associated with their consumption.”
Yet most packs still lead with ingredient names rather than outcomes.
From insight to concept: Two routes to solve the tension
To bring these tensions to life and define a recipe for success, we built two concept directions grounded in the most consistent consumer needs.
1. Daily Shake A vitamin shake made from natural ingredients, with fruity flavours, athlete endorsement and strong certification cues. It taps into the desire for a better-tasting, easier-to-consume product that feels crafted and premium, while being genuinely effective.
2. Mini Pills A regimen of small, easy-to-swallow pills taken daily and tailored to different needs. With clean, clinical pack design and emphasis on proven efficacy, this route supports habit formation and removes friction from the consumption experience.
Both directions address core tensions around adherence, taste, trust and efficacy. They provide brands with distinct innovation springboards — complete with pack, messaging and product format — to confidently move into development.
What this means for brand and innovation teams
This study doesn’t just show what consumers dislike, it shines a light on what wellness innovation must solve for next:
- A better, more enjoyable consumption experience
- Products that help consumers build consistent habits
- Clear articulation of benefits on pack
- Trust-building through certification, provenance, and science
- A tone that blends professional authority with approachability
- Concepts with clearly defined routes to solve real tensions
The bottom line?
Real innovation doesn’t start with the next trending ingredient. It starts with the real frictions people face today, and the ability to design around them.
Because when your product feels good, is easy to use, and makes people believe in its benefit, you don’t just have a supplement. You have a daily ritual and a step forward in wellness innovation.
If you’re ready to take your next innovation beyond the obvious, schedule a consultation today
Find out how our approach can make your innovation success predictable
We’re ready to unlock your innovation’s success, and won’t settle until our work does just that.
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(Independent research conducted by Catalyx)
