According to research conducted by Euromonitor International, women are prioritising their health and embracing holistic, long-term solutions and trends to take charge of their well-being.
This growing focus is driven by personalised care and self-care trends, which offer significant business opportunities.
"Breaking taboos around topics such as menstrual care and menopausal health is boosting consumer demand. While supplements have traditionally addressed women's health due to their targeted and concentrated nature, there is a rising recognition of functional foods' potential," said Maria Mascaraque, Head of Food and Nutrition at Euromonitor International.
"This offers an opportunity to incorporate beneficial ingredients into everyday diets to complement a holistic approach to supporting women's health."
Nutrition is crucial in promoting women's well-being. It addresses needs across different life stages with specific nutrients and botanicals, which can offer support in preventive and treatment contexts.
Women prioritise clean labels and avoid sugar, showing similar preferences across age groups, except for the 60-plus group, which exhibits distinct preferences, seeking to enrich their diet with additional nutrition as a priority.
Those between 45 and 59 are highly interested in seeking specific ingredients and nutrition labels. They also prefer to address health concerns with natural treatments, including supplements and traditional solutions.
This contrasts with this group's waning interest in prescription medicine since 2020, indicating potential for functional nutrition, such as soy-based foods and phytoestrogen botanicals like black cohosh and red clover.
Other common nutrients and botanicals targeting women's life stages include Siberian ginseng and ginger to support hormonal balance for menstrual care and diets with folic acid, calcium, and omega-3s during pregnancy and postnatal care.
"Hormonal changes during pregnancy and menopause affect weight, an area of focus, while hormonal fluctuations influence digestive health and metabolic syndrome and can benefit from prebiotics and probiotics."
Women are also more predisposed to conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, joint pain, and cognitive issues. A balanced diet with whole grains, lean proteins, and essential nutrients can help manage these. Antioxidants and omega-3s can also help with stress and anxiety due to hormonal factors.
"The crucial goal is to ensure transparency in communicating benefits that resonate with these consumer groups, rather than overly labelling towards a woman's specific life stage."
The availability of functional foods is not consistent across different life stages. Efforts have traditionally been directed towards maternal health.
There are opportunities to adopt a holistic approach in targeting women beyond reproductive age and the potential to incorporate botanicals and traditional herbs, widely acknowledged in traditional Chinese medicine or Ayurveda and cater to markets such as China and India.
