Clean Label Supplements: The Health-Conscious Choice
Clean-label supplements have emerged as a new trust, safety, and quality standard for health-conscious consumers. The clean label movement in a largely unregulated industry allows consumers to hold manufacturers accountable. Those passionate about what they put in their body want to ensure their supplements are what manufacturers claim.
The clean label movement, anchored by the Clean Label Movement, is changing the way the supplement industry operates. Today’s manufacturers must understand the movement’s expectations and best practices to compete in today’s market. Even if a manufacturer isn’t targeting the clean label market, practices from the movement can help a brand appeal to all consumers.
What Are Clean Label Supplements?
While there isn’t a formal definition for clean-label supplements, the Clean Label Movement outlines a few principles. Clean label supplements typically use simple, natural ingredients and feature transparent labeling. They avoid artificial ingredients, dyes, and preservatives and stick to natural ingredients consumers recognize. Some key principles of the clean-label supplement movement include the following:
Minimal Processing
The emphasis on all-natural ingredients extends to reducing the amount of processing to create clean-label supplements.
No Artificial Ingredients
Non-natural ingredients, such as sweeteners, colors, and flavors, are often excluded from clean-label supplements.
Allergen-Sensitive
Many clean-label supplements avoid ingredients that can trigger allergies, such as peanuts, soy, gluten, or dairy.
With shorter, more straightforward lists of all-natural ingredients and full disclosure of their ingredients, clean-label supplement manufacturers aim to win the trust of choosy consumers.
Why Do Consumers Choose Clean Label Supplements?
Consumers have become more informed about food manufacturing practices, so their eyes have naturally turned to the supplement industry. In an often opaque and unregulated industry, consumers can struggle to find out what’s really in their supplements. For health-conscious consumers, that is unacceptable and something they aim to rectify through clean labels.
Through the clean label movement, consumers aim to achieve the following:
- Health Benefits - Consumers often believe they can realize improved health benefits from their supplements by avoiding artificial additives.
- Improved Transparency - With added pressure on manufacturers, consumers can encourage improved manufacturer transparency, elevating trust.
- Sustainability and Ethics - Clean-label consumers often place a premium on sustainable ingredients that have been ethically sourced.
Common Ingredients in Clean Label Supplements
With a set of conditions consumers impose, clean-label supplement manufacturers often draw from a common set of basic ingredients. These are chosen for their natural potency and ability to deliver flavor, color, and nutrition with minimal processing. Supplements often use natural flavorings such as fruit powders, herbs, spices, agar, and more.
Challenges and Opportunities for Clean Label Supplement Manufacturers
As the clean-label supplement movement gains traction, manufacturers have numerous opportunities to distinguish themselves among consumers. However, they also may face challenges in sourcing low-cost inputs for their supplements. Manufacturers may also find they are trying to hit a constantly moving target, as what counts as “clean” is open-ended.
However, manufacturers that embrace clean labels, or elements of them, also have the chance to adopt best practices that can help them compete across market segments. By moving to meet the demands of this new market, manufacturers can also position themselves for continued success tomorrow.
Clean Label Supplement Manufacturing Services from Daily Manufacturing
Daily Manufacturing is a leader in the supplement industry and is ready to serve as your contract manufacturing partner. We offer a wide range of services and can help you design and produce your clean label supplement products with our state-of-the-art facilities.
Contact us today, and we can discuss your clean label manufacturing needs. You can also request a quote if you are ready to receive pricing information.