Originally marketed toward children, gummy supplements were brought to the market as a fun way to get kids to take their vitamins, giving parents a break from complaint. Now adults comprise up to 80% of the gummy vitamin market. Is this a symptom of the Peter Pan syndrome: not wanting to grow-up? Or is there more behind this yummy gummy craze than meets the eye?
IBISWorld research company pegs gummy products accounting for $1 billion of the $41 billion supplement market in the United States. There is a large demand for on-the-go dietary supplements, gummies nicely fitting this need, with their swallowability and their ease of consuming without the need for water on-hand.
There are numerous reasons why gummies are preferable over a regular capsule or tablet. Some of the more obvious reasons are the ease of consuming and the great taste of a gummy supplement. A rarely mentioned, pertinent reason why many adults are switching to gummies is from what has been referred to as “pill fatigue”. According to statistics from 2021, the average adult takes four prescription medications daily, which does not include supplements. Pill fatigue occurs when a person needs to take numerous pills daily and it becomes exhausting. By switching to a gummy alternative, pill fatigue can be somewhat reduced by not feeling as if you are adding another pill to your daily regiment.
Thankfully, Vitajoy has embraced the gummy solution to reduce pill fatigue and insure that adults can consume their supplements while obtaining their needed nutrition with ease, not to mention with a great taste! Besides Vitajoy’s Multivitamin Gummy, consumers can now enjoy the benefits of Vitamin C Gummies, Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies as well as the Elderberry Gummy.
Some naysayers object to the few grams (2-3 grams) of added sugar that may be included in some gummy supplements. Think of all of the nutritional benefits your body is receiving from a gummy supplement, then add the fact that the average adult body burns 46 calories per hour while sleeping. The miniscule amount of sugar in a gummy, which you will burn in eight minutes of sleep, is a hardly a contributing factor to obesity in America. Check the sugar content of that Venti Frappuccino (59 grams) you are consuming twice a week!
Another reason why many are turning to a gummy supplement is that we are humans who like to chew! The psychobiology behind why humans find chewing satisfying is quite simple: it is a primal human urge to want to chew. Have you ever wondered why crunchy foods such as potato chips, pretzels and chewy granola bars are so popular? Like man’s or women’s best friend, humans love to chew as well. Have you noticed the “impulse-buy” items lining grocery checkout aisles are filled with “chewing” gum and other food items that quench the craving to chew? Gummies share this same chewy appeal, but fortunately containing nutritional value compared to their candy-counterparts.
Looking at gummy supplements from a more pragmatic approach, some consumers have dysphagia, which is difficulty in swallowing, or don’t prefer the after-taste that a regular capsule or tablet supplement can produce. The fruity flavor of a gummy is a simple delivery system and is able to mask the bitter, unwanted taste that some supplements can leave lingering in your mouth.
The market for gummy supplements is expected to continue to rise in upcoming years. With popularity in the millennial generation along with the increase in the number of people with dysphagia, the gummy vitamin market size is expected to reach $2.2 billion by 2027. If that’s not a gummy invasion, I don’t know what is?