Probiotics show promise with new delivery formats

Probiotics have continued to rake in sales this fall, and it’s a product category that still has plenty of growth potential. According to a survey by Procter & Gamble, 53% of women still don’t know what probiotics are, but 74% are interested in how their digestive system works.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)

Many of the larger probiotic brands are experiencing significant growth. i-Health’s Culturelle generated $63.7 million in sales on a growth rate of 44.1%, according to IRI data for the 52 weeks ended Oct. 6 across U.S. multi-outlets. Sales of Bayer’s Phillips Colon Health were up 15.4% to $58.7 million, and sales of Florastor were up 29% to $20.8 million.

Although Procter & Gamble’s Align, with $69 million in sales, was only up 2.5%, that brand still serves as the key driving product in the category.

Probiotics also is growing in diverse selection and new delivery formats. Canadian supplement supplier Jamieson recently launched two probiotic product offerings in the United States: an eight-strain tablet and a two-strain powder. According to the company, consumers are looking for the highest cell counts or varieties of strains available in probiotics products, unique selling features like specific claims or gut-protected formulas, and alternate delivery formats.