Popular Trends in Commercial Products

The dietary supplement industry is constantly shifting and adapting to new trends. We add new products to our Commercial Products Database daily to stay on top of this ever-growing market. Below are details on a few new trends and products you might start getting questions about.

Environmentally Friendly Products: Vitafusion

In March 2020, the manufacturer vitafusion launched an environmentally friendly product line. All products are produced using renewable energy and recycle-friendly packaging, appealing to both health- and environmentally-conscious consumers. This new vitafusion GOODNESS line contains nine new products, ranging from multivitamins to CBD hemp extract. Keep your eye out for this growing trend in the industry and how it might impact the types of products patients are interested in. Some personal care brands are moving in a similar direction. Schmidt’s Natural and Nelson Naturals are working to make packaging for products like toothpaste and deodorant more environmentally friendly as well.

Colloidal Silver Products: Cymbiotika

A new colloidal silver product is being marketed for boosting immunity. This is very concerning because using colloidal silver is likely unsafe. The silver in these products is deposited into organs such as the skin, liver, spleen, kidney, muscle, and brain. This can lead to irreversible bluish looking skin and other serious side effects such as brain and kidney damage. Despite these serious concerns, this new product, Coated Silver is being promoted as “safe” and “side effect free.” One bottle costs $120. Make sure patients understand marketing materials aren’t proof of safety. And regardless of safety, there’s no evidence that colloidal silver can boost immunity.

Turmeric Drinks: Qunol

Liquid turmeric drinks are growing in popularity. Turmeric in general has been one of the top-selling herbal supplements over the past decade. Qunol Liquid Turmeric is promoted for a variety of reasons, but particularly enhanced absorption and anti-inflammatory effects. Safety doesn’t seem to be a major concern if patients want to give it a try, but keep in mind that this product hasn’t been directly compared with many different turmeric formulations. And make sure patients stay under doses of 8 grams curcumin daily. Check out our turmeric monograph for details on effectiveness for different conditions.

Personalized Nutrition: GCN4U, Care/Of, Persona

New personalized nutrition programs and companies are increasingly popping up. Each program differs, but they’re typically focused on customizing a plan to meet each person’s specific nutrition goals and needs through the use of DNA data - generally delivering a customized package of supplements on a monthly basis. Some existing dietary supplement manufacturers like The Vitamin Shoppe and GNC are developing personalized programs based on their product line, while brand new companies like Care/Of and Persona are focusing solely on personalized programs. Make sure patients understand that the ultimate goal for these programs is to sell consumers more products. These products can be quite pricey, and there’s also no clinical evidence showing that they work.