India’s nutritional drinks and supplements market is experiencing significant growth, driven by evolving consumer preferences, increased health awareness and a shift towards holistic and personalised wellness solutions.
Consumers’ nutritional demands vary based on age and lifestage. This report offers intriguing insights into generational preferences for nutritional drinks and supplements, which can help brands tailor their portfolios to meet each generation’s unique health demands.
The report also identifies Active Lifestylers and Gym-goers as key consumer segments. It further explores opportunities for targeting Gym-goers beyond conventional muscle-building products.
The protein supplement market is fiercely competitive. This report pinpoints key features that enable brands to distinguish themselves within this category, specifically targeting individuals with active lifestyles.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Types of nutritional drinks and supplements consumed in the last three months
- Generational differences in sought-after health benefits from nutritional drinks and supplements
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Consumer segmentation based on exercise type and frequency: Gym-goers and Active Lifestylers
– Innovation opportunities for targeting Gym-goers
– Key driver analysis for differentiating protein supplements to target Active Lifestylers
- Three key trends playing out in India’s nutritional and wellness space
Distinct generational health goals create room for innovation. Engage Gym-goers with mental wellness and beauty benefits and offer added-value protein options for Active Lifestylers.
Tulsi Joshi, Principal Food & Drink Market Research Analyst, India
Market Definitions
This report includes nutrition drinks and powder mixes that offer supplemental nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and proteins. These products are designed to maintain a balanced diet, replace a meal or help with weight loss. It includes malt drinks (eg Bournvita, Protinex), protein powder/mixes shakes, meal replacement/weight loss drinks. It also covers packaged dairy and carbonated and non-carbonated vitamin- and mineral-enriched drinks.
This report also includes sports/energy drinks, specialised performance nutrition powders/drinks, and powders/mixes. It excludes powders/mixes for babies/infants and pregnant women.
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executive summary
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- Tailor innovation to generational priorities
- Target Gym-goers with beauty and mental wellness benefits
- Graph 1: level of stress experienced on day-to-day basis, by select consumer segments, 2025
- Boost satisfaction level among Active Lifestylers to fuel market growth in protein supplements
- Mintel predicts
- The outlook on nutritional drinks and supplements in India
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KEY TRENDS
- What you need to know
- Health continues to garner momentum
- India is steadily stepping up its fitness game
- Graph 2: frequency of exercising to stay healthy in the last three months, 2022 vs 2025
- Wellness goes mainstream as low-intensity workouts gain ground
- Graph 3: types of exercise undertaken for staying healty in the last three months, 2025
- Health innovation is on the rise: brands are innovating to address the burgeoning health demand
- Graph 4: % of launches with select category claims in food and drinks, 2022-25
- Protein goes clean
- Protein flexes its muscle in Indian food and drinks
- Graph 5: % of respondents who selected ‘high protein’ as an important factor when shopping for food, 2021-25
- Graph 6: % of launches with ‘high/added protein’ claim in food and drinks, 2020-25
- Protein goes viral
- Graph 7: post universe on the term ‘protein’ on social media channels, by month, 2023-25
- Bad press breeds consumer mistrust in protein supplements
- India wants to know what’s really in protein powder
- India’s protein supplement brands embrace ‘clean’ and ‘no-nasties’ positionings
- Graph 8: % of launches with the term ‘clean’ in protein supplements, 2021-25
- Graph 9: % of launches with select claims in protein supplements, 2021-25,
- Sugar aversion is on the rise
- Consumers worldwide are looking to prevent the onset of diabetes
- Diabetes and obesity: the rising epidemics affecting Indians
- Graph 10: number of adults (millions) with (or estimated to have) diabetes, 2000-50
- Sugar aversion alert: brands are adapting to India’s changing sugar preferences
- Graph 11: % of consumers* who chose ‘low in sugar content’ as one of their top three factors when shopping for food, 2021-25
- Graph 12: % of launches with low/reduced sugar claim in food and drinks, 2020-25
- Sugar consciousness drives food and drink choices throughout the day
- Graph 13: interest in seeking the ‘low sugar’ attribute in different meal occasions, 2025
- Graph 14: interest in seeking the ‘low sugar’ attribute in meals and snacks, 2025
- Demand for low-/no-sugar products is notable across beverage categories
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What you need to know
- Tailor innovation to generational priorities
- One size doesn’t fit all: nutritional needs vary across generations
- Graph 15: health features that encourage consumption of nutrition drinks, by generation, 2025
- Gen Z: lead with hydration; add immunity and beauty benefits to maximise reach
- Millennials : lead with boosting immunity; add mental cognition and beauty benefits to maximise reach
- Gen X: lead with fighting fatigue and boosting energy; add beauty and immune-boosting benefits to maximise reach
- Protein, energy and muscle/weight remain dominant; pre- and probiotics and beauty claims are emerging from a smaller base
- Graph 16: top five functional/plus claims in nutritional drinks and supplements, 2020-25
- Graph 17: top growing functional/plus claims in nutritional drinks and supplements, 2020-25
- Hydration is growing , garnering traction globally and locally
- Graph 18: % of launches with word variants ‘hydrate’ OR ‘hydration’ OR ‘dehydrate’ OR ‘hydrating’ mentioned on pack in nutritional drinks and supplements, 2020-25
- Macro trends amplifying hydration demand
- Competition gets fiercer: global and local beverage players put hydration in spotlight
- Case study: Unwell hydration targets women through a lifestyle-driven proposition
- Lessons to learn from Unwell’s success
- Next: offer healthy hydration by optimising nutrient absorption, sans sugar
- Focus on ‘hydration plus’ claims to cater to various generational nutrition demands
- Graph 19: health features for encouraging consumption of packaged nutritional drinks, by respondents who selected ‘hydration’, 2025
- Now: fortify to deliver ‘hydration plus’ drinks
- Next: protein meets hydration
- Graph 20: % of nutritional drinks and supplements launches with select claims with word variants ‘hydration/hydrating/dehyration’ mentioned on pack, 2022-25
- Future: hydration will get personalised
- Target the Gym-goers
- Meet the Gym-goers
- Offer stressed Gym-goers nutritional drinks with mental wellness benefits
- Graph 21: share of Gym-goers among people at different stress levels, 2025
- Now: explore various facets of mental wellbeing benefits
- Beauty matters for Gym-goers
- Status quo: beauty claims are rising globally and locally in nutrition drinks
- Graph 22: % of launches with select claims in nutrition drinks and supplements, 2022-25
- Graph 23: % of launches with select claims in nutrition drinks and supplements, 2022-25
- Now: be an all-in-one supplement – appeal to Gym-goers by delivering added beauty benefits
- Next: gut-skin axis has the potential to appeal to Gym-goers
- Graph 24: % of respondents who agree to a select statement, by select consumer segments, 2025
- Future: healthy ageing and pro-longevity will push the innovation envelope for nutrition supplements/drinks
- Stand out in the competitive protein supplement space for Active Lifestylers
- From niche to mainstream…
- Graph 25: % of total share of protein supplement launches, 2022-25
- Graph 26: % of protein supplement launches, by launch types, 2022-25
- …the protein supplement market is poised for expansion and competitive pressure
- Meet the Active Lifestylers: an important cohort for protein supplements
- Boost satisfaction level among Active Lifestylers to fuel market growth
- Graph 27: level of overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction from protein supplements among Active Lifestylers, 2025
- Key levers for elevating Active Lifestylers’ protein supplement satisfaction: price, low sugar, proof of health claims and ingredients
- Key opportunities to stand out in protein supplements
- ‘No added sugar’ is mainstream in protein supplements, but ‘low-sugar’ is in demand and a growing niche
- Graph 28: % of launches with select claims in protein supplements, 2020-25
- Graph 29: % of launches with ‘no added sugar’ claim in protein supplements, 2020-25
- Now: a white space opportunity to appeal to sugar-conscious Active Lifestylers with low sugar variants
- Next: real fruit inclusions to (mildly) sweeten protein supplements
- Clean label – no more a trend, but a standard
- Graph 30: % of launches with select claims in protein supplements, 2022-25
- Now: the cleaner, the better
- Now: move from claims to proof and traceability to build credibility
- Novel plant protein ingredients are emerging
- Graph 31: ingredient landscape (protein and food enzymes) of nutritional and replacement drinks, 2025
- Next in plant protein: combine multiple plant proteins to offer a complete amino acid profile
- Next: gut health and absorption is the next frontier for protein supplements
- Future: protein and meal replacement supplements will innovate to target GLP-1 users
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appendix
- Report definition
- Consumer survey methodology
- TURF analysis
- Key driver analysis – correlation analysis
- Social data research methodology
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