Health and wellness trends are driving functional drinks as consumers look for solutions that improve gut health, boost energy levels, reduce waistlines and sharpen cognitive performance. Consumers also demand clear ingredient labels with no misleading claims attached.
Younger generations drive demand, seeking stimulating beverages in the morning and relaxing options in the afternoon. Tastings, social media campaigns and staff education can help increase product awareness and sales.
Skin Health
Functional cosmetic beverages currently dominate in terms of ingredients that promote skin health, such as anti-ageing substances such as coenzyme Q10 and green tea polyphenols as well as vitamins A and E. Dairy drinks have proven especially popular carriers for such ingredients, such as Danone’s Bio Aloe Vera, Latteria Sociale Merano’s Bionessere Henri Chenot Anti-Oxidant Yoghurt Drink and Central Lechera Asturiana’s Natur Jalea con Aloe Vera (Datamonitor 2007c).
Notably, functional drinks should not replace a balanced diet or regular physical activity and should only be consumed as part of an overall healthy lifestyle. Consumer awareness for these beverages remains low so marketing them appropriately to maximise their benefits is key to their full realization.
Stress Management
Modern consumers seek beverages that promote mental and physical wellness. Functional beverages meet these consumer demands by providing multiple feel-good benefits in a portable format, including digestive health benefits like probiotic sodas. Kombucha, yogurt-based drinks and prebiotic sodas offer low-sugar alternatives to traditional soft drinks for such purposes.
Stress management beverages have emerged as another leading beverage trend, capitalizing on society’s rising awareness of mental wellness. Such drinks may contain ingredients known to support normal bodily processes – for instance chamomile can have calming properties while turmeric gives immunity-enhancing boost.
Brands may also benefit from using adaptogens like saffron and L-theanine to promote relaxation and stress relief. Studies have shown these ingredients reduce excitatory brain chemicals while simultaneously increasing calming and mood-elevating ones, as well as boost alpha brain waves.
Immune Support
Immune support beverages have become an emerging trend, featuring ingredients such as probiotics, botanical herbs and adaptogens. These super-foods and extracts have long been recognized for their health-boosting effects as well as relaxation or cognition enhancement; brands like JOYA use adaptogenic herbs in their elixir blends and herbal teas to provide all of these benefits simultaneously – such as ginseng, lion’s mane reishi moringa tremella and chamomile.
Botanical ingredients present unique opportunities for functional beverage formulators as they tend to possess both inherent functionality and specific sensory properties. For example, floral flavors such as rose and hibiscus have an uplifting quality which helps improve mood.
Botanical ingredients present a challenge because each has a distinct taste and aroma, necessitating brands to find ways to incorporate these ingredients without altering flavor or creating unwelcome off-notes.
Energy
Functional drinks, or functional beverage beverages, typically feature natural ingredients that support physiological and health-related body functions within their normal ranges. Such substances may be present in beverages with flavoured and near-water content as well as in premium chilled juices, non-carbonated fruit teas or herbal soy drinks.
Mintel research reports that consumers rank hydration as their top expectation when it comes to functional beverages, followed by immune boosting and relaxing benefits. Brands using adaptogens like mushrooms or L-theanine and other herbs to provide mood enhancing beverages have also become a growing segment for functional drinks aimed at managing stress levels, increasing clarity or relaxing consumers.
Retailers know the importance of offering healthier products that taste delicious while packed with beneficial ingredients is paramount to satisfying health-conscious consumers. In order to do this, utilizing functional ingredients such as CBD and botanical extracts without off-notes or bitterness is key; here is where Sweegen’s taste optimization technologies come into play – helping to produce energy drinks or wellness beverages enhanced by natural caffeine sources and phytochemicals like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
