Vitamins

Drug Store News, May 20, 1996

Recent success in the vitamin category can be summed up in one wore: herbs. Rerbal supplements, complexes and products are being eagerly embraced by consumers. "They appeal because they work," said Michele Reynolds, president of Pharma Botanixx. "People understand that this is where our medicines come from. Herbs are the genuine article."

Added Greg Rubin, chief executive officer of Vitamin Classics, "Vitamins can help your nutrition, but herbs can fix things. Consumers can see and feel a difference."

Frank Lucchetta, director of marketing and product development for Jamieson Natural Sources, classifies vitamin customers in two groups. "The more ardent, knowledgeable users look for sophisticated complexes with vitamins, minerals, herbs, coenzymes and phytonutritional foods," he said. "They are also customers who experiment and who put together their own regimen ... their own health cocktail."

"The more general, mainstream customer's desire revolves around what he or she sees in the media," Lucchetta added. Far example, when folic acid is touted in magazines or the television, sales go up. "In Canada, we recently saw a great deal of coverage about the importance of calcium for pregnant women and our calcium sales surged."

Drug store vitamin customers usually fall into the latter category; however the line between the two is growing ever-more blurred. "Every year that goes by, more people are reading about herbs because magazines are promoting them more often and they're becoming more mainstream," said Klee Irwin, president of Irwin Naturals. "Instead of the higher quality nutritional items being relegated to health food stares alone, they're now moving into mass channels."

Manufacturers generally agree that the growth in vitamin and nutritional supplement sales can be attributed, in part, to the growing number of American's who are over the age of 50.

"Growth is also due to people placing more demands on themselves to work harder, smarter, longer and better. They recognize the link between their performance and what they put in their bodies," said Craig Larsen, special projects director for Amerifit. In addition, the rising cost of health care and a slight skepticism about the medical profession have led people to investigate vitamins and nutritional supplements as ways to improve their health and prevent or treat some ailments.

Although many customers take vitamins and supplements for general good health, a growing number of consumers are turning to the category to address particular complaints. "They want energy, they want to lose weight, they want to calm down," said Jim Siegel, vice president of sales for Natrol.

Melatonin, a hormone that has been found to be a natural sleep aid, was a category stand-out in 1995. Ginkgo Biloba, an herb that reportedly enhances memory and mental clarity, is expected to spark sales in 1996. Cold treatmentproducts, such as Ester C (a patented form of vitamin C) and Echinacea, also are expected to grow in the coming year, as is Pycnogenol, the registered trademark for an antioxidant derived from pine trees that grow along the coast of France.

While health food store customers are more likely to buy such supplements individually, drug store customers tend to seek out blends or complexes of several vitamins, herbs, and other supplements with specific functions.

"Our biggest seller, which is a surprise to me, is our male potency formula. It's out-selling our diet product," said Reynolds of Pharma Botanixx. The company's other hot sellers are pain control and allergy control formulas.

Vitamin Classics recently introduced Sleep Max PM, an herbal blend containing valerian, chamomile and melatonin, and Ocu-Max 20/20, with bilberry and eyebright to enhance night vision.

Leiner Health Products debuted three new lifestyle multivitamins in its Your Life line. They include Physically Active multi, with Siberian Ginseng; Women's Multi, with antioxidants and nutrients to fight osteoporosis; and Dieter's multi, with chromium picolinate to enhance metabolism. The company also added a Pycnogenol supplement.

Irwin Naturals now offers Life Extender Complex inn's Linus Pauling Vitamins line. The complex, which includes supplements such as Gink-go Biloba, Garlic and Grape Seed Extract, has been added to all the Linus Pauling formulations.

This year, Irwin also launched System 6, an all-natural weight loss plan, which uses herbs as active ingredients to stimulate bodily functions and increase energy.

Larsen of Amerifit points to chromium supplements -- which enhance the body's insulin activity for food absorption -- and phytonutrients -- high-powered vegetable concentrates in pill form -- as possible growth areas in future. But because acceptance of these products depends heavily on consumer education, sales growth in drug stores will probably be slow. A noticeable sales increase is likely to come only when the benefits of these products are explained in media-reports.

"The media have helped people understand the importance of a low-fat diet and the importance of vitamins," Larsen said. "It has helped customers to make reasoned, informed purchase decisions. We can see the effect in the calls we receive on our consumer help line. People are asking the right questions."