March 20, 2025 – Products that are targeted for mental performance aim to benefit cognition, clarity, focus, and concentration. Brain health benefits are found mainly in beverages, including soft drinks and hot drinks, and supplements. Soft drinks is a big category that includes flavored and unflavored bottled water, drink concentrates and mixes, energy drinks, fruit and other flavored non-carbonated drinks, iced coffee and iced tea, juices and nectars, meal replacements, and plant-based waters. Included in hot drinks are tea, coffee, malt, and other hot beverages. Supplement ingredients often carry a brain health, mood health, or mental acuity claim.
This article is based on Innova’s Ingredients in Beverages & Supplements for Mental Performance – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
Mental Health Concerns Consumers
Consumers participating in consumer trends research say that they are most concerned about mental health as it relates to stress, anxiety, sleep and fatigue. They also worry about performance aspects such as memory, concentration, focus, mental agility, and clear thinking. Types of concern vary among generations. Trends in beverages reveal that boomers worry most about memory and cognition while younger generations are concerned about concentration and focus. Purchasing actions differ – Boomers are least likely to purchase functional food and beverage for mental health and younger consumers are most likely to buy products that aid memory and cognition.
Diet Offers Tools Supporting Mental Health
In consumer trends research, consumers respond that they are at least moderately interested in food, beverage, and supplement products for mental health. Over half say that functional food and beverage products can help maintain or improve mental health.
Consumers look for natural products like fruits, vegetables, and nuts for inherently beneficial ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and omega-3s and other healthy fatty acids. Trends in beverages show that bottled water and supplements also are popular sources of mental health ingredients. Smaller percentages of consumers are interested in probiotics, botanicals, tyrosine, and functional mushrooms for mental health benefits.
Soft Drinks with Mental Health Benefits are Growing
Soft drinks with mental health benefits represent a small niche within soft drinks but launches are growing faster than soft drinks overall. Energy drinks are the most important soft drinks subcategory for mental performance claims. Innova also is tracking strong growth in energy drinks, carbonates, and drink concentrates for brain health.
Several ingredients are important in drinks for mental health, including combinations of B vitamins, caffeine and natural caffeine, green tea ingredients, and L-theanine (especially in the US). Niche and growing ingredients include functional mushroom extracts, choline-related ingredients, and certain amino acids, particularly L-tyrosine.
Hot Drink Launches for Mental Performance Grow
Launches of hot drinks for mental performance are a small niche but are growing at a much faster rate than hot beverages overall. Mental health claims focus most on mood and relaxation, especially in the largest subgroup – tea. Malt and other hot beverages may carry brain health claims related to their added vitamins. Coffee launches with brain health benefits are extremely niche.
Green tea leads other ingredients in hot drinks with mental health claims. It also is a natural source of the functional compound L-theanine. B vitamins and botanicals are important. Fast-growing botanicals include holy basil, moringa, and ginseng.
Mental Health Benefits are Established in Supplements
Mental support is well-established in supplementation and nearly one in five launches carries a mental performance claim. Growth is extremely strong. Botanical supplements, along with vitamins and minerals, are the top supplement ingredient formats for mental health, while supplements targeting specific brain issues like focus and memory are also growing.
Ingredient Trends in Supplements
B vitamins are the leading supplement for brain health, followed by other vitamins and minerals. Active botanical ingredients such as lion’s mane mushroom and ashwagandha are growing strongly and are the featured and only supplement ingredient. Mental health supplements may blend ingredients like botanicals, B vitamins, minerals,
and amino acids. Ingredient-specific supplements, for example, vitamin B complex or zinc, may include brain health claims among other claims.
Trends in beverages show that botanicals, active mushrooms, L-theanine, and L-tyrosine are growing in use, typically in combination with other brain health supplement ingredients. Ashwagandha and lion’s mane mushroom often are featured on their own.
What’s Next for Brain Health?
Manufacturers can target different age cohorts since younger consumers are most likely to purchase products for brain health and are most interested in concentration and focus. Older consumers represent an untapped market.
Vitamins and minerals are highly trusted by consumers and can be the base for mental performance food, beverage, and supplement products. They also can be a partner for less well-known supplement ingredients.
Mushrooms are hot. Lion’s mane is well-known and often features as the main or only active ingredient in supplements. Other functional mushrooms can be featured and promoted in a similar way.
L-theanine offers potential for brain health globally. It is popular in the US and has potential globally, depending on restrictions on its use.
Trends in beverages reveal that carbonated soft drinks are growing and have additional growth potential for brain health. Exciting and innovative functional soft drinks may appeal especially to younger consumers seeking mental health benefits.
Botanicals have potential in hot drinks. Tea is well-established as a vehicle for mental performance benefits, and innovation and launches highlight botanical ingredients. Manufacturers can expand their product line with botanical ingredients, as well as combine supplement ingredients that enhance mental performance. Another growth area is in new types of botanicals that can add value to hot coffee products.
Mental health benefits in supplements can be even more strongly promoted. Several vitamins and botanical ingredients are well-known for boosting mental function and performance. Brands have the opportunity to innovate supplement ingredients that are formulated specifically for brain health. Supplements also can be segmented around specific brain health functions such as memory or focus rather than toward general brain health.
This article is based on Innova’s Ingredients in Beverages & Supplements for Mental Performance – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
