2025 Consumer Health Trends
A look at the trends influencing packaging design and innovation in the consumer health sector.
Introduction
The first half of the decade has seen the consumer health industry impacted by significant disruptions, including COVID-19 (and its aftermath), supply chain challenges, and inflationary pressures. However, the industry’s future growth will no longer be influenced by the shadow of the pandemic. Consumer interest in healthy aging, targeted products, sports nutrition, beauty from within, and smart solutions will drive product development and category innovation.
Healthy Longevity
Consumers are living longer, and attitudes toward aging are evolving. This shift is driven by health consciousness, growing access to information around health and wellness, and technological advancements. People don’t just want to live longer; they want to live healthier and feel better longer. According to a McKinsey survey, more than 60% of consumers consider it “very” or “extremely” important to purchase products or services that help with healthy aging and longevity. Mintel data shows an increase in North American product launches that promote “well-ageing,” signaling a shift away from anti-aging messaging and mindsets.
Consumers are changing their behaviors and focusing more on prevention vs. treatment, total body management, and products targeting different life stages. The growing popularity of functional food and beverages, targeted vitamins and supplements, fitness tracking technology, and self-care routines align with this desire to live healthier, longer. Brands targeting “pre-aging” (preventative care and habits for younger generations), women’s health and menopause concerns, aging skin and hair, and personalized supplements are on the rise. Science-backed ingredients and claims are also gaining traction as consumers seek products with proven efficacy and transparency.
“Consumers from different age cohorts are demanding different age-related solutions.” (Euromonitor)
Accessible package design can appeal to the aging population as well as those with physical limitations and visual impairments. This includes ergonomic container shapes, easy-grip closures, tactile markings, larger font sizes, and more. For older consumers with common afflictions such as chronic pain and arthritis, easy-to-open and use packaging is essential in creating a positive user experience. Ergonomic solutions that allow seniors to utilize the stronger parts of their hands - such as palms or power-grasp fist positions - can differentiate your brand from the competition and drive brand loyalty.
Specialized Instructions
Today’s consumers are interested in personalized products and tailored healthcare solutions. Euromonitor notes, “As people are looking for preventative solutions and products that target specific concerns, brands should focus on creating practical, targeted solutions for specific audience segments.” GlobalData research shows that multi-functional consumer health products decreased in 2024, signaling a shift away from all-in-one solutions to single-purpose products that allow consumers to build their unique health care regimens. GlobalData lists self-investment as a key trend this year, saying “The self-investment trend refers to consumers increasingly taking ownership over creating a health and wellness regimen tailored to their specific needs and goals…The trend emphasizes empowerment, transparency, and customization.” Consumers also prefer products that they can use "in their own way" as it fits their lifestyle. Single vitamins provide consumers with more flexibility to determine if the products align with their personal health needs.
“Brands should cater for consumers' desires to exert more control over their health and wellness regimens.” (GlobalData)
When it comes to packaging, incorporating focused health and benefit claims can attract consumers seeking personalized and targeted solutions. Providing clear, science-backed information to support ingredients and claims can build credibility. Smart technology—like on-pack QR codes—can direct consumers to a company’s website where they can learn more about products and get personalized recommendations.
Peak Performance
The sports and active nutrition market is showing tremendous growth. According to Euromonitor, “sports nutrition continues to outpace the rest of consumer health considerably, with a constant value CAGR of 5.4% expected for 2024-2029 compared to just 2.3% for the industry as a whole.” Younger consumers are a driving force behind this growth. Gens Y and Z are especially concerned with their fitness and are highly likely to purchase sports and active nutrition products. However, older consumers—like Generation X and Boomers—are also interested in maintaining their fitness routines and should not be forgotten.
GlobalData notes, “there is a growing focus on dietary strategies and products designed to support athletic performance, recovery, and overall physical health.” A sustained focus on fitness is driving consumers to seek nutritious products that help them meet their health goals, as well as protein supplements, energy bars, hydration solutions, and functional foods that support their individual fitness programs. Older consumers seek products addressing joint health, muscle recovery, and age-specific nutrition.
“Sports nutrition has a long runway for growth, as the industry is embracing wider benefits and messaging to attract a more diverse group of consumers.” (Euromonitor)
Package design that reinforces performance, quality, and effectiveness can appeal to consumers interested in products that support their active lifestyle. A strong color palette, bold fonts, and metallic details can help communicate efficacy. Custom structures can differentiate from the competition and raise the bar. Studio One Eleven developed packaging for Gold’s Gym that has a unique metallic decoration. Our design and engineering teams split the closure into two pieces, allowing for selective Vacuum Metallization that creates the gold stripe decoration around the rim. It also allowed for a more precise alignment of the heat-stamped logo on the closure with the label on the jar. This creative solution helped create the premium aesthetic the brand needed.
Beauty From Within
For years, we’ve seen consumer health categories evolving beyond just physical health and wellness. There has been a rise in products targeting mental and emotional wellness, and a blurring of lines between beauty and health care categories. According to Euromonitor, “The convergence of beauty and consumer health has reached a crescendo in recent years.” This can be seen in the rise of clinical skincare, dermocosmetics, and beauty supplements. Asia has led in sales of beauty supplements, but growth there is slowing, while the US saw 18% growth 2023-2024 (Euromonitor).
Younger and female consumers are driving the growth of beauty from within. A recent Euromonitor survey found that 35% of respondents aged 18-29 and 42% of respondents aged 30-44 report using vitamins and dietary supplements for beauty/skin health (up from 30% and 35% respectively in 2020). Social media has played a key role in positioning ingestible beauty products as a critical part of beauty care. Innovations in ingestible beauty are expected to focus on products addressing health needs that can be linked to beauty, such as gut health, sleep, and energy.
“The convergence of beauty and health benefits products from both industries: beauty products can garner legitimacy with more clinical approaches, while consumer health products can generate a buzz that rarely accrues to health.” Euromonitor
Packaging that marries the aesthetics of beauty care and health care products can align with both categories and speak to their shared benefits. Berlin Packaging supplies ultra-premium packaging for Nutrafol, utilizing a custom glass jar with spray and screenprint for a seamless, luxurious aesthetic. The white color palette and simple graphics feel clean, clinical, and modern. The jars utilize 30% post-consumer recycled content and are designed to be refilled and reused to support a circular economy.
Smart Thinking
People are increasingly integrating digital tools into their everyday lives and relying on them when making purchase decisions – from getting inspiration from social media to purchasing products online to seeking product recommendations from brand websites. This digitalization is impacting consumer health categories. According to GlobalData, “The continual integration of AI tools, algorithms and big data into consumers' lives offers an opportunity to generate highly personalized health insights.”
Consumers are interested in monitoring their health data through wearable devices and digital tools that help them gain a better understanding of how they’re meeting their health goals. People are becoming increasingly confident in artificial intelligence technology and willing to share their data to get personalized recommendations and targeted solutions. GlobalData notes that “successful brands are building credibility by offering convenience, security, and proven results.”
“The ascendance of technologies continues. Traditional products are increasingly accompanied by or paired with mobile apps to track the products’ progress/efficacy.” (Euromonitor)
Packaging is evolving to incorporate digital tools that help brands engage and connect with consumers. A quick phone scan of QR codes or near-field communication (NFC) technology redirects shoppers to a brand’s website to view product tutorials, get personalized recommendations, browse products, read reviews, discover ingredient information, learn about a company’s social or environmental initiatives, and more. E-commerceready packaging makes it easier for brands to sell products through online channels. Berlin Packaging understands the challenges and requirements for e-commerce package design, and we help consumer health customers find the best packaging solution for their products.
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The brands mentioned in this report are trademarks of their respective owners. Inclusion of these brands in this report is not meant to imply an association with or endorsement from the respective trademark owners.