India’s nutraceutical industry is rapidly evolving to meet growing demand for preventive healthcare and support for healthy ageing.
With their proactive approach to buying supplements, consumers can easily feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice available, and this decision becomes even more critical given the high cost of these products. This Report highlights the key features and claims that build consumer confidence in supplements’ efficacy, and explores the present, emerging and future strategies for effectively communicating efficacy.
The faith in VMS in preventing and managing health conditions drives consumers to seek a wide range of health benefits. This Report highlights the key health priorities emerging from modern lifestyle stressors, emphasising the critical importance of timely metabolic health support as a cornerstone for long-term wellness.
Although a niche market, children’s supplements show growth potential, driven by Gen Z parents who view them as an appealing way to enhance their kids’ health. This Report offers a comprehensive overview of the category, focusing on aspects such as consumer interest, market barriers, product formats and desired health benefits.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Consumption of VMS
- Decoding features that can increase confidence in VMS’ effectiveness
- Uncovering consumers’ top health priorities, with a focus on modern lifestyle-related concerns such as hairfall, poor eyesight, mental fatigue, and emerging interest in VMS for metabolic health support.
- Understanding the now, next and future of kids’ supplements, with a focus on target cohorts, top health benefits of interest and potential challenges.
Address modern lifestyle health issues to expand usage, future-proof with metabolic health solutions, and target Gen Z parents to boost kids' supplement reach.
Anamika Banerji, Senior Research Analyst – Food and Drink, India
Market Definitions
VMS includes: single/dual vitamins and minerals, multivitamins and minerals, combinations with supplements in which vitamins and/or minerals form a main selling point, supplements-amino acids, proteins, plant/botanical extracts, seeds, fish oils, prebiotics, probiotics.
It excludes: supplements in which vitamins are naturally intrinsic to one of the ingredients and products that require prescriptions, and functional foods – food and drink fortified with or rich in vitamins, minerals.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- Beyond health, consumers connect naturalness with efficacy
- Graph 1: top three features that increase confidence in VMS’ efficacy, 2025
- Prioritise modern lifestyle concerns
- Graph 2: interest in taking VMS for preventing/managing health issues, 2025
- Prime VMS as a category to support metabolic health
- Graph 3: interest in taking VMS for preventing/managing select health issues, 2025
- Target Gen Z parents with kids’ supplements
- Graph 4: agreement with select statements about kids’ VMS, by generation of parents, 2025
- The outlook for the Indian VMS category
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key trends and market factors
- What you need to know
- Demographic-focused wellness takes the spotlight
- Supplements are evolving to meet the needs of diverse consumer cohorts
- Graph 5: demographic claim landscape for the VMS category, 2017-24
- Consumers look to address health issues at their core
- Pre- and probiotics are emerging as gut health gains traction
- Graph 6: functional claim landscape for the VMS category, 2017-24
- Prebiotics are set to grow in popularity as consumers seek diverse fibre sources
- Sceptical consumers demand supplement transparency
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what consumers want and why
- What you need to know
- It’s about winning the loyal and re-engaging the curious
- Graph 7: consumption of VMS, 2022 vs 2025
- Immunity steps back as energy, beauty and bone health surge
- Graph 8: VMS launches featuring different functional claims, 2020-25
- Uncovering what fuels confidence in supplements
- Efficacy is a key factor when choosing supplements
- Now: beyond health, consumers connect naturalness with efficacy
- Graph 9: top three features that increase confidence in VMS’ effectiveness, 2025
- Graph 10: VMS launches featuring select claims related to naturalness, 2024-25
- Now: strengthen the natural story with scientific proof of efficacy
- Graph 11: features that would increase confidence in supplements’ effectiveness, 2025
- Now: win with supplements rooted in nature and backed by science
- Third-party testing and certification platforms dial up consumer demand for scientific proof
- Next: turn early interest in advanced features into future advantage
- Graph 12: features that would increase confidence in effectiveness of supplements among consumers interested in learning about efficacy, total vs consumers interested in learning about efficacy, 2025
- Case Study: Wellbeing Nutrition simplifies the science of absorption for everyday consumers
- Wellbeing Nutrition highlights enhanced potency and superior absorption
- Differentiate with advanced delivery systems for superior efficacy
- Explore time-controlled, multi-phase delivery for optimised delivery
- Cosmix differentiates with an AM and PM dosage as a smarter way to take a multivitamin
- Next: offer precision wellness with personalised supplements
- Future: AI-powered supplement recommendations will help consumers meet their wellness goals
- Leading medical nutrition brands have embraced AI
- Future: sustainability will fuel efficacy
- Unlocking opportunities in prevention and management of health conditions
- Indians turn to VMS for proactive and responsive care
- Graph 13: select behaviours around use of VMS, 2025
- Now: address modern lifestyle concerns
- Graph 14: interest in taking VMS for preventing/managing health issues, 2025
- Now: solve hair loss from within
- Graph 15: hair-related concerns, by VMS consumers, 2025
- Now: tap into the quest for hair fall solutions to recruit young Indians
- Graph 16: interest in VMS for preventing/managing hairloss and thinning, by age, 2025
- Position supplements as ‘hair fall heroes’ to drive deeper consumer engagement
- Now: address low mental energy to fix health at its core
- Graph 17: interest in VMS for preventing/managing chronic mental fatigue, 2025
- Graph 18: interest in VMS for preventing/managing select issues, by VMS users interested in VMS for chronic mental fatigue, 2025
- Strengthen strands and soothe the mind with combined care
- Bridge mental wellness with holistic health for deeper impact
- Next: future-proof the mind with mental resilience and cognitive detox
- Now: eye health is a concern for all ages
- Graph 19: interest in VMS for preventing/managing poor eyesight, by age, 2025
- Fish-derived fats are more strongly linked to supporting eye health
- Provide targeted eye care, from vision support to strain relief
- Safeguard young eyes in the digital age
- Now: prime VMS as a category to support metabolic health
- Graph 20: interest in taking VMS for preventing/managing select health issues, 2025
- Next: recruit younger Indians aspiring to prevent and reverse metabolic disorders
- Instill confidence in VMS’ role in supporting metabolic health
- Future-proof wellness with targeted solutions for metabolic health
- Keep the gut and mind at the heart of wellness
- Next: focus on vital organ care to protect healthy metabolism
- Future: leverage hyper-personalisation to champion preventive metabolic health
- Supporting kids’ health with nutraceuticals
- Now: Gen Z parents are more engaged with kids’ supplements
- Graph 21: VMS for children as a share of total VMS launches, 2020-25
- Graph 22: agreement with select statements about kids’ VMS, by generation of parents, 2025
- Now: position kids’ supplements as an extension of the trusted adult range for family health continuity
- Now: build trust and educate to inspire doctor-dependent consumers to transition to proactive use
- Now: act as partners in nutritional education
- Now: parents are keen to try child-friendly formats
- Graph 23: kids’ VMS launches in different formats as a share of total kids’ VMS launches, 2020-25
- Graph 24: preference for formats that are easier for children to consume, 2025
- Now: blend fun and feeding for fuss-free nutrition
- Now: position VMS as complementary to home-cooked food
- Parents view supplements as tools for elevating health, rather than just filling deficiencies
- Graph 25: health benefits of interest in kids’ VMS, 2025
- Now: prioritise foundational health benefits that support overall wellbeing and resilience in kids
- Graph 26: kids’ VMS launches featuring different functional claims as a share of total kids’ VMS launches, 2020-25
- Now: engage with parents by combining gut health with immunity
- Now: elevate immunity talk by addressing recurring respiratory infection
- Graph 27: agreement that supplements that can help prevent/manage recurrent respiratory infections in children are appealing, 2025
- Now: steer the conversation toward respiratory health
- Bring in the next wave of wellness by balancing energy and calm
- Next: unlock opportunities in energy, focus and calm
- Next: advanced diagnostics will create room for supplements in preventive healthcare
- Patent insights around advanced diagnostics for preventive health
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appendix
- Report definition
- Consumer survey methodology
- TURF analysis
- Repertoire analysis
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