Supplements that promote calmness.
Americans are more stressed than ever before. Last year, the American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll found that 43 percent of adults report being more anxious than they were in the previous year, with current events leading the list of things that people are stressed about.1 Meanwhile, stress relief supplements constitute a rapidly growing segment of the vitamin space, with the stress relief supplement market expected to grow by 5.5 percent CAGR through 2034, according to Future Market Insights.2 Stress relief has come into sharp focus for consumers from all walks of life, including students, working professionals and even retirees.
“The stress relief supplement market is experiencing strong growth, driven by increasing awareness of mental well-being and the rising prevalence of stress in daily life,” said Kristin Chapman, MSc, category manager at supplement manufacturer Life Extension in Fort Lauderdale, FL. “Demand spans all age groups, with younger consumers interested in proactive self-care and older demographics looking for active support. With more people recognizing the mind-body connection, stress relief supplements are shifting to mainstream wellness.”
As the stress relief supplements market expands, ingredients with proven efficacy are trending upward, and finished-product brands are introducing new offerings to capitalize on consumer demand. Retailers, meanwhile, are sitting on a tremendous opportunity to help consumers reduce the impact of stress in their lives and regain quality of life. Here are some of the emerging trends in the stress relief supplements niche.
Stress Relief Supplements: The State of the Market
Experts say that the stress relief products market is stronger than ever, with various factors driving significant demand. Cheryl Myers, chief of scientific affairs and education for supplement manufacturer Wisconsin-based EuroPharma, the parent company of the Terry Naturally brand, said that there are several factors driving the search for stress relief supplements, including underlying causes like brain chemistry, diet, environmental stress and other issues.
“At a material level, it doesn’t seem like we should be more anxious,” Myers said. “We don’t have to hunt and gather for our food, and we generally all have shelter. But we’re also much more plugged into anxiety-causing media, and that’s probably a big contributing factor. Plus, diet and lifestyle can set us up biochemically and psychologically for greater anxiety and stress.”
As more consumers succumb to stressful lifestyles, they’re beginning to seek out holistic and natural solutions that don’t involve pharmaceuticals. Chelsea Cohen, assistant product manager at homeopathic ingredient manufacturer Boiron in France, said that homeopathic options are gaining traction because they offer a gentle, non-habit-forming approach free from concerns about dependency. Cohen noted that e-commerce remains a dominant channel for stress relief supplements, but retailers are also expanding their stress relief sections to meet demand.
Clinically Validated Ingredients Address Physical and Mental Symptoms
There’s no shortage of stress relief supplements on the market. Myers noted that ashwagandha is quite popular now, owing to its strong efficacy in reducing stress and anxiety.
“As a botanical for reducing reactivity to daily stress, ashwagandha is one of the best,” Myers said. “A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study found that ashwagandha significantly reduced stress in men and women. According to a common anxiety measurement scale, it decreased anxiety scores by 41 percent, and reduced cortisol levels in men by 22 percent and in women by 25 percent.”
Myers explained that ashwagandha has multiple mechanisms of action. Ashwagandha, she said, works through the HPA axis and may regulate how much cortisol is generated in response to stressors. Ashwagandha is also an antioxidant, and its antioxidative properties may have mental health benefits by stopping oxidative damage. The herb is a powerful anti-inflammatory as well, which may influence stress levels. Finally, Myers noted, ashwagandha works directly in the brain, influencing the activity of neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA.
Other ingredients like B vitamins and folate are demonstrating efficacy in reducing levels of stress. Myers explained that B vitamins and folate help to synthesize the brain chemicals serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, which are natural “feel good” chemicals. She also noted that vitamin C supplementation helps to keep cortisol levels steady, while DHEA helps to lower cortisol levels during natural cortisol troughs.
One popular ingredient for stress relief is a compound commonly found in green tea. Chapman said the amino acid L-theanine is gaining steady traction as a stress relief supplement due to its well-documented ability to promote relaxation and improve focus without causing drowsiness. Chapman noted that another ingredient highly sought after for its stress management benefits is magnesium. However, she explained, not all forms of magnesium are equally effective for stress relief. She said that magnesium acetyl taurinate, a patented and bioavailable form of magnesium, specifically works to regulate the stress response in the brain.
Life Extension recently introduced its branded Theanine XR Stress Relief supplement, an L-theanine product that modulates the activity of excitatory neurotransmitters like glutamate while promoting levels of calming neurotransmitters like GABA. Vanessa Pavey, ND, education scientist at Life Extension, said that L-theanine has unique relaxation properties.
“Human studies have demonstrated L-theanine’s ability to promote relaxation by encouraging the brain wave patterns associated with wakeful relaxation, similar to the effects of meditation,” Pavey noted. “This can be helpful to promote daytime calmness without feeling sleepy. An average cup of green tea provides about 8 milligrams of L-theanine; however, the dose that provides the greatest impact for encouraging stress relief is 200 mg once or twice per day.”
Pavey explained that one of the most encouraging benefits of L-theanine is how quickly it works. L-theanine, she noted, readily crosses the blood-brain barrier to produce calmness as quickly as 30 minutes to three hours after intake.
“L-theanine is also quickly metabolized by the body,” Pavey said. “Oftentimes, this means requiring redosing to maintain a steady supply throughout the day. That’s why we introduced extended-release technology that allows Theanine XR Stress Relief to stay in the body for up to six hours.”
Some emerging stress relief supplements come from the world of nootropics. Jonny Bowden, PhD, is a board-certified holistic nutritionist and the author of 15 books, including Living Low Carb and The Great Cholesterol Myth. Bowden said that while the most-studied stress relief products are adaptogens, nootropic ingredients like Lion’s Mane and phosphatidylserine are growing in popularity for their ability to help manage stress.
“Nootropics work by influencing various brain processes that ultimately improve memory, learning and attention,” Bowden noted. “I’m also seeing a focus on discovering how the bioactive ingredients in well-known remedies work. The best example is black seed oil. We’ve known for a while that the main bioactive is thymoquinone, so everyone started trying to make high-thymoquinone BSO products. But that turns out to be a bad idea; new research has shown that thymoquinone performs best when the black seed oil itself has very low free fatty acids.”
Bowden explained that with black seed oil, the balance between thymoquinone and free fatty acids is more important than the absolute amount of thymoquinone; he noted that one brand in particular, ThymoQuin, has a patent on a combination of 3 percent thymoquinone and less than 2 percent fatty acids, which appears to be the “sweet spot.”
Meanwhile, homeopathic stress relief ingredients are on the rise. Barbara Apps is a product manager at Boiron. Apps noted that in the world of homeopathy, the focus is on ingredients that offer gentle, non-habit-forming relief from stress. Homeopathic stress relief remedies often focus on botanicals, Apps explained, like Ignatia amara and Gelsemium sempervirens. Various botanicals have different properties that make them ideal for use with different kinds of stress.
“Ignatia amara is commonly used for emotional stress and nervous tension,” Apps noted, “while Gelsemium sempervirens helps with anticipatory stress, like a bout of stage fright. Aconitum napellus is known for addressing sudden panic, while for more generalized stress, Kali phosphoricum relieves fatigue from physical or intellectual overexertion.”
Apps noted that consumers are looking for holistic solutions that address the full spectrum of stress-related symptoms. As such, brands like Boiron are high-lighting single-ingredient and combination formulas that address both the emotional and physical symptoms of stress. Boiron’s branded StressCalm product includes Ignatia amara, Gelsemium sempervirens, and Aconitum napellus to target situational stress, nervous tension and irritability.
“A major selling point is that homeopathic stress relief products do not cause drowsiness or dependency,” Apps explained. “This is especially relevant as more consumers become wary of pharmaceutical solutions. Homeopathic medicines are taken at the first sign of symptoms to provide relief, whereas some supplements may need to be taken over a period before stress relief benefits are attained.”
Retailer Strategies for Promoting Stress Relief Supplements
Dietary supplement retailers can promote stress relief supplements in a variety of ways. Apps recommended creating dedicated in-store displays that highlight homeopathic remedies like meltaway tablets; she noted that these displays should emphasize the convenience and non-habit-forming nature of these products. Furthermore, Apps said, training staff is key; it’s important to ensure retail staff can help customers understand how these products address emotional stress, nervous tension and sleep issues.
“Offering in-store events and wellness workshops can engage shoppers and build trust in the products,” Apps said. “Online, retailers should provide detailed product descriptions and usage guides to inform e-commerce customers, while social media and influencers can further promote the benefits of stress relief options. Promotions like bundled deals or discounts can incentivize purchases, and packaging that emphasizes natural ingredients and eco-friendly materials appeals to health-conscious shoppers. Combining education, convenience and wellness-focused messaging can drive success in this growing market.”
Bowden noted that consumer education is key. Stress is a hidden but important factor in almost every disease, he explained, which can exacerbate disease symptoms or slow recovery. He also noted that stress can even bring on a heart attack.
“People need to realize that the folks who used to say, ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ are all probably dead right now, and earlier than they needed to be,” Bowden said. “Take stress seriously.”
Myers said that one of the challenges involved in promoting supplemental stress relief formulas is that supplements often take longer than prescription drugs to have an effect. As such, it’s important for retailers to be able to manage consumer expectations around timelines and efficacy.
“As for promoting supplements, end displays and scheduled guest speakers are excellent ways to promote stress relief options,” Myers explained. “Stores can partner with a local practitioner or dietician to talk about dietary interventions that help reduce stress and provide a table loaded with literature to introduce customers to options they might not have considered before.”
Future Stress Supplements to Get Smarter
The future of stress relief products is a bright one. Chapman said that future stress relief products will be fast-acting solutions that can help consumers manage everyday stress more effectively; she noted that quick-relief products will be popular among consumers who deal with episodic stress. Meanwhile, she explained, research-backed ingredients like GABA will become top performers, especially due to their ability to be used as-needed.
As stress relief supplements expand, products will get smarter and more personalized. Bowden noted that future stress relief supplements could be customized to a consumers’ “stress type,” whether that’s “wired,” “anxious” or “fatigued.” Bowden also said that emerging solutions like biofeedback technology and AI integration are making it possible to create smart supplements, which can take advantage of data like heart rate variability and other stress biomarkers.
“I think it’s entirely possible that the next wave of stress supplements might be focused on plant-based compounds like polyphenols and flavonoids that enhance stress resilience at the cellular level,” Bowden said. “You’re going to see a lot of products that specifically target the gut-brain axis, which is a concept you’re likely to hear more about.”
Myers said that future stress relief supplements will continue to explore the limits of bioavailability, absorption and time-release features. She noted that supplementing for stress will also become a proactive concern rather than a reactive one, much like bolstering the immune system with nutrients during cold and flu season.
“It’ll be increasingly understood in the mainstream that it’s responsible and realistic to supplement to build resilience in the face of stress,” Myers said.
Stress Relief Products Go Mainstream
The stress relief supplements market is rapidly growing because of rising stress levels in the population. Consumers are struggling to handle the stresses of modern life, and they’re looking for natural health solutions to help boost their resilience to stress. Emerging solutions like vitamins, minerals, herbs & adaptogens, and other supplements are giving consumers a wide array of options for addressing both the physical and psychological manifestations of stress. These clinically validated solutions offer not only freedom from stress, but also preventative health benefits, as stress is often a precursor to illness.
As the stress relief supplements market expands, retailers can take advantage of this market growth by stocking clinically validated products, offering educational workshops for consumers, and using wellness-focused messaging to promote stress-relief ingredients. Whether it’s an herbal blend, a homeopathic solution, a vitamin or mineral, or something else, retailers are well-positioned to boost stress relief product sales and help consumers get a handle on their stress.VR
References:
1 American Psychiatric Association. “American adults express increasing anxiousness in annual poll; stress and sleep are key factors impacting mental health.” Published online May 1, 2024.
2 Future Market Insights. “Stress relief supplement market – growth & consumer demand.” Published online March 2024.
For More Information:
Boiron, www.boiron.com
EuroPharma, www.europharmausa.com
Life Extension, www.lifeextension.com
