US Sales of Herbal Supplements Increased by 4.4% in 2023
September 12 2024 - 12:39PM
Annual retail sales of herbal dietary supplements in the United
States totaled an estimated $15.551 billion in 2023, according to
the nonprofit American Botanical Council’s
(ABC’s) 2023 Herb Market Report.¹ US consumers spent an
additional $533 million on these products in 2023 compared to 2022
— a 4.4% increase in annual sales.
ABC’s 2023 market report was published in the fall issue (#141)
of HerbalGram, ABC’s quarterly, peer-reviewed journal and one of
the benefits of ABC membership. The issue will be mailed to
subscribers later this month.
The 2023 Herb Market Report is based on US retail sales data
provided by SPINS, a wellness-focused data technology company based
in Chicago, Illinois, and Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ), a
publication of Informa/New Hope Natural Media based in Boulder,
Colorado. It was written by Tyler Smith, managing editor
of HerbalGram; Carly Lang, media relations manager at SPINS;
and Erika Craft, market research analyst at NBJ.
The sales figures for individual herbs and fungi discussed in
the Herb Market Report reflect sales of herbal dietary supplements
in which the particular herbal or fungal substance (or derivative
thereof) is the primary ingredient. The report does not include
sales of most herbal teas, cosmetic products containing botanical
ingredients, or government-approved botanical drug ingredients in
over-the-counter medicines (e.g., senna as a stimulant laxative or
slippery elm as a demulcent for sore throats).
NBJ based its total herbal supplement sales figures for 2023 on
data from market research firms, company surveys, interviews with
major retailers and industry experts, and other secondary
materials. SPINS determined sales of herbal supplements in two
retail channels: the mainstream channel (i.e., the multi-outlet
channel powered by Circana [previously IRI]) and the natural
channel (now called the “natural expanded” channel). SPINS’
mainstream channel includes select grocery stores, drug stores, and
mass merchandisers such as club, dollar, and military stores. The
natural channel includes co-ops, associations, independent
retailers, and large regional chains (excluding Whole Foods Market
and Trader Joe’s).
The 2023 Herb Market Report explores the ingredients with the
top sales and strongest sales growth in both retail channels. In
the mainstream channel, for the second consecutive year, the
top-selling ingredient was psyllium, the seed and seek husk of
which are commonly used in products marketed for cardiovascular and
digestive health support. (Separately, psyllium is also sold as an
FDA-approved bulk laxative, but those sales are not included in
this report.) Among the 40 top-selling ingredients in the 2023
mainstream channel, beet root had the strongest sales growth of
108% from 2022. Six other ingredients on the top 40 list in this
channel had sales increases greater than 20%, including several
ingredients commonly used for cognitive health (e.g., ginkgo,
bacopa, and oat). Only three ingredients had significant mainstream
sales decreases in 2023: ivy leaf, elder berry, and cannabidiol
(CBD, derived from hemp).
Turmeric ranked first in sales in the 2023 natural channel for
the third year in a row. According to SPINS, pain/inflammation and
joint health were the top-selling health focuses of turmeric
products sold in this channel. Barberry had the top sales growth in
the natural channel, with sales nearly doubling from the previous
year. Sales of this herb likely benefited from the increased
awareness and popularity of berberine, a naturally occurring
alkaloid found in barberry and other plant species, which trended
on some social media platforms in 2023 for its association with
potential weight-loss benefits. Six of the top 40 ingredients in
the natural channel experienced notable sales increases in 2023,
including certain fungi and algae supplements, and two ingredients
had sales declines greater than 20%: quercetin and elder berry.
“After record-breaking sales of herbal supplements during the
first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first drop in
sales in nearly a decade in 2022, the return to annual sales growth
in 2023 is remarkable,” said Smith, who has been the lead author of
ABC’s annual Herb Market Reports since 2014. “After years of
pandemic-related fluctuations, several signs point to a market that
is continuing to normalize, including increased consumer spending
on products marketed for healthy aging and the ongoing sales
decline for some ingredients commonly used for immune health. For a
market segment that has seen annual sales growth for most years
since at least 2000, a return to ‘normal’ is clearly a welcome
development.”
“The growth of herbal dietary supplement sales in 2023 indicates
US consumers’ continued interest in building and maintaining
optimal health using plant- and fungi-based dietary supplements,”
said Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of ABC. “With
few exceptions, sales of herbal dietary supplements have been on a
steady increase for the past 20 years, a trend that reflects a
significant demographic movement, i.e., the growing commitment to
natural health by millions of Americans.”
The 2023 Herb Market Report spans 15 pages
in HerbalGram and features six main tables and one chart,
including tables of total annual sales of herbal supplements in the
United States from 2015 to 2021 and the 40 top-selling herbs in the
US mainstream and natural retail channels. It also includes
detailed descriptions of SPINS and NBJ market channels and tables
of sales broken down by product type (single-herb supplements vs.
combination formulas) and retail channel (mass market; natural,
health food, and specialty; and direct sales).
HerbalGram’s 2023 Herb Market Report is available for
free on ABC’s website.
Reference
- Smith T, Lang C,
Craft E. US sales of herbal supplements increase 4.4% in
2023. HerbalGram. 2024;141:54–69. Available
at: www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram/issues/141/table-of-contents/hg141-hmr/.
Accessed September 11, 2024.
About the American Botanical Council
Tanya Garduno
American Botanical Council
512-926-4900 ext. 129
publicrelations@herbalgram.org