Why powder growth matters for careful label readers

$72.88 billion is the figure to keep in mind. That was the recorded value of U.S. dietary supplement sales in 2025, after growth of 5.5 percent, in Nutrition Business Journal data reported at Natural Products Expo West in March 2026. Fitness and energy passed general health as the leading stated use.

Gummies ranked first among delivery formats, with powders just behind and liquids third. Powders posted the fastest growth during the year, followed by liquids and chewables. The pattern points toward products mixed in a glass at home or carried through the day.

Traced from capsule to origin, sports nutrition rose 8 percent and specialty ingredients rose 7.1 percent. Herbs and botanicals traced to farm and forest rose 5.8 percent, reaching 19.2 percent of the market. Meal replacements rose 5.7 percent. Vitamins traced from label to origin kept the largest share at 26.7 percent but recorded modest growth, as did minerals.

That breakdown shows which supply chains are widening. Protein, creatine and hydration now extend past competitive athletes. A midyear update dated June 30, 2026 says creatine is finding buyers among women, active aging consumers and lifestyle wellness audiences. Traced to farm and fermentation tank, healthy aging rose 14.3 percent, while gut health rose 6.5 percent.

Mushroom coffee shows how a harvested crop becomes a shelf powder. Tracing this capsule back shows a global market valued at 3.41 billion dollars in 2026 and projected to reach 5.56 billion dollars by 2035. From origin to shelf, North America held 29 percent revenue share in 2026. At the processing stage, powder held 64 percent share, while supermarkets and hypermarkets held 47 percent distribution share.

Electrolyte gummies show convenience paired with added steps. Following the supply chain outward, the global market is predicted to increase from 1.94 billion dollars in 2026 to about 5.25 billion dollars by 2035. On the finished label side, online stores held the largest distribution share in 2025. From farm and extraction costs forward, higher production costs lift retail prices, alongside strict country rules on gummies as dietary supplements.

Buying channels are moving as fast as finished formats. By retail origin, the mass market held 27.1 percent share, followed by natural and specialty at 25.4 percent and online commerce at 24.3 percent. Tracing sales channels back, online commerce grew fastest in 2025 and is projected to lead by 2028.

Traced from sale back to source, social commerce remains small yet persistent. Early sourcing estimates suggest TikTok Shop sold about 1 billion dollars of supplements in 2025. For the year ending in January 2026, it represented 3 percent of all supplement sales, up 71 percent from the prior year, traced from capsule back to source. Asking where these products come from and how they are sold, most brands surveyed said they do not feel ready for social commerce.

The question of whom buyers trust is also changing. A 2026 NBJ consumer survey found 71 percent regarded supplements as essential or important for everyday health, from origin to capsule. As guides to origin and proof, healthcare practitioners as an important information source rose to 55 percent, compared with just 23 percent in 2024. Erika Craft, market research analyst at NBJ, said healthcare practitioners have truly become a major source of product discovery that people now depend upon.

Watch whether e-commerce holds its path toward the projected 2028 lead, and whether practitioner advice keeps guiding which botanicals earn a place in the household jar.