According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2035 older adults are expected to outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history.¹ The “graying of America” joins the ranks of other countries in Europe and Asia experiencing similar demographic trajectories. In addition to the 65+ category (from which the statistics are based), there’s a much larger group of consumers who are rethinking their approach to staying healthy as they age, and nowhere is this more evident than with women.

Healthy aging. A Growing Category for Women

Healthy aging is a dynamic concept encompassing notions of staying active and engaged in life; a proactive approach to maintaining physical and mental health. And consumers are increasingly turning to dietary supplements to meet that need. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), dietary supplement use increases with age and women are driving that growth.² In fact, women continue to lead in supplement purchases compared to men. By 2023 supplement sales in women’s general health category will outpace men by almost $800 million ($2.15B vs $1.36B).³ That number reflects the attitude: women are approaching the latter part of their life with the expectation that aging, and the changes that come along with it, shouldn’t be deterrents to an active life. 

Natural Solutions for Women Continue to be a Whitespace

Healthy aging can often serve as a euphemism for tackling the most significant change during midlife: perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause, and the symptoms associated with those stages, which can last up to 10 years.⁴ Each year 1.3 million women enter menopause in the U.S.⁵ But the need and approach for solutions to help manage symptoms and concerns, like bone loss, is mixed. The State of Menopause survey reported that 65% of women familiar with hormone replacement therapy would not consider it for symptomatic treatment.⁶ Additionally, even though the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is high among menopausal women⁷ there is still a large group – approximately 73% – choosing to forgo any treatments.6 Whether it’s due to a lack of awareness or safe and effective options, it’s clear that the healthy aging category is a whitespace opportunity for woman entering midlife.

The Takeaway: Supporting an Active, Healthy Life is About Empowerment

Women are superheroes. Juggling family, professional and personal lives during midlife means formulators and marketers need to start thinking in the context of empowerment. Menopause impacts so many aspects of a woman’s life that addressing the symptoms is just one aspect to consider. Sleep, sports performance, cognitive health and intimate health are some of the categories important to women entering midlife, and where age-and gender-specific formulas are a few. Awareness campaigns, together with effective formulas, can provide more options for women looking for natural solutions to stay active and healthy as they age. As part of our ingredient portfolio, Givaudan offers several solutions for women’s health. Lifenol® is a standardized extract of hops that has been clinically shown to significantly reduce the number of hot flashes and improve bone mineral density at the small dose of only 85 milligrams. And to help with your formulation needs, Givaudan has a complete portfolio of supporting ingredients for women’s health, including black cohosh, dong quai, chasteberry, cranberry and maca, to name a few. Let’s explore women’s health together.   

1. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/03/graying-america.html
2. CDC. Dietary Supplement Use Among Adults: United States, 2017–2018. Page last reviewed: February 2021
3. 2020 NBJ Condition Specific Report
4. Avis NE, JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):531-539
5. Kimberly Peacock; Kari M. Ketvertis. Menopause. StatPearls. Last Update June 2021
6. Bonafide. State of Menopause Survey. 
7. P.Posadzki, et al., Maturitas 75 (2013) 34–43

Brian Appell

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