Herbal Dietary Supplement Retail Sales Up 7.9% in 2013
HerbalGram Herb Market Report Marks a Decade of Rising Sales
(AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 3, 2014)
Sales of herbal dietary supplements in the United States increased by 7.9% in
2013, reaching a total estimated figure of six billion dollars for the first
time. These statistics are conclusions of a new report published in the current issue of HerbalGram,
the peer-reviewed quarterly journal of the nonprofit American Botanical Council
(ABC).*
Sales in the mainstream market channel (food, drug, and mass-market stores,
plus club and convenience stores) continued to grow, increasing an estimated
7.7% over 2012 sales, while sales in natural food stores rose by a stronger
estimated growth of 8.8%. 2013 marks the tenth consecutive year that herb sales
have increased, according to data from previous HerbalGram herb
market reports.
“Consumers continue to express strong demand for a wide variety of herbs,
phytomedicines, and other plant-based ingredients for their many health
benefits,” said HerbalGram Editor-in-Chief and ABC Founder and Executive
Director Mark Blumenthal. “Over the past decade — even during the major
economic downturn — retail sales statistics demonstrate the increasing level of
interest and confidence that American consumers place in the herbal sector of
the dietary supplement market.”
The annual HerbalGram herb market report is based on herb supplement
sales statistics from the Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ)
and market research firms IRI and SPINS. The report covers only retail sales of
herbal dietary supplements and does not reflect the sales of most herbal teas,
botanical ingredients in natural cosmetics, or government-approved herbal drug
ingredients in over-the-counter or prescription medicines.
NBJ, a publication of New Hope Natural Media in Boulder, Colorado, estimated
the total herb supplement sales figures for 2013 based on data from market
research firms, company surveys, interviews with major retailers and industry
experts, and various published and unpublished secondary material.
In previous years, HerbalGram has featured separate
mainstream multi-outlet sales data from the Chicago-based IRI and Schaumburg,
Illinois-based SPINS. For 2013, the two firms collaborated to present a
combined report, with market channel coverage including food, drug, and
mass-market retailers as well as military commissaries, select buyer’s clubs,
and so-called dollar stores. (The collaborative SPINS/IRI reporting does not
include convenience store sales.) In the mainstream multi-outlet channel,
SPINS/IRI determined a total sales figure of $994,228,073 for botanical dietary
supplements in 2013 — an increase of 9.4% over 2012.
The top-selling herbs — as coded by primary ingredient — of 2013 in the
mainstream multi-outlet channel, according to SPINS/IRI, were horehound (Marrubium
vulgare), a key ingredient in throat drops; yohimbe (Pausinystalia
johimbe), used in numerous athletic performance and sexual
enhancement products; cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), popular
primarily for its claimed benefit of helping to prevent urinary tract
infections; black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), a popular aide to
manage menopausal symptoms; and senna (Senna alexandrina), used as a stimulant
laxative.
SPINS calculated sales of botanical dietary supplements in the natural channel
to be $320,722,598, a significant increase of 9.9% over 2012 sales in this
channel. SPINS’ figure does not include sales from the United States’ largest
natural foods chain store, Whole Foods Market, which sells a significant
quantity of herbal supplements. (This 9.9% increase also contrasts with NBJ’s
more conservative estimate of 8.8% noted above, based on NBJ’s range of market
data sources for natural food retail outlets.)
The five top-selling herbal supplements — as coded by primary ingredient — of
2013 in the natural channel, according to SPINS, were turmeric (Curcuma
longa) and extracts standardized to curcumin; grass (wheat and
barley; Triticum aestivum and Hordeum vulgare, respectively);
flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) and/or flax oil; aloe vera (Aloe vera);
and spirulina/blue-green algae (Arthrospira spp.). Turmeric showed a
26.2% increase in sales in 2013, taking the top ranking in the natural channel
(turmeric ranked third in 2011 and 2012).
The online version of the HerbalGram report comprises five tables
illustrating herbal supplement sales, including a table of the 40 top-selling
herbal supplements in the mainstream multi-outlet channel as determined by
SPINS/IRI, as well as a table of the 20 top-selling botanical supplements in
the natural channel as determined by SPINS. The top-selling herbal supplements
in each channel are different, both due to different preferences and values of
shoppers in health and natural foods stores versus those in mainstream stores.
In addition to the retail channels discussed, herbal dietary supplements are
sold in the United States through mail order catalogs, Internet sites, radio
and television direct sales outlets, network marketing firms that sell directly
to the consumer, health professionals who sell supplements from their offices,
and various other channels.
HerbalGram
is available at some bookstores and natural food stores and is mailed to
members of ABC. The annual HerbalGram herb market report article
is posted on the ABC website, accessible here.
* Lindstrom A,
Ooyen C, Lynch ME, Blumenthal M, Kawa K. Sales of herbal dietary supplements
increase by 7.9% in 2013, marking a decade of rising sales: turmeric
supplements climb to top ranking in natural channel. HerbalGram.
2014;103:52-56.