Market Dynamics and Product Trends in Cognitive Support Nutraceuticals

Working adults in the U.S. widely report more demanding cognitive workloads day to day. There’s plenty of cultural anxiety around “brain rot,” with people spending more time in front of screens working, consuming short-form content, and multitasking. The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is also raising concerns about the knowledge economy, education, and how young brains will develop.  

A survey of 500 adults published in Annals of Neurosciences in 2025 found the average person has moderately high levels of anxiety surrounding the use of AI. Attitudes are positive about productivity and control, but long-term AI use was significantly associated with exhaustion, strain, and information overload, and hurt “decision-making self-confidence,” according to the authors. 

“Human thought, information absorption, learning, decision-making, and interaction with the environment are all significantly impacted,” the authors wrote, and especially during developmental life stages, may diminish capacity for sustained attention, compromise academic achievement, and heighten “predisposition to decision fatigue.” 

Another 2025 systematic review/meta-analysis published in Psychological Bulletin covering 71 studies and nearly 100,000 participants found that greater short-form video use had an especially strong negative effect on attention, inhibitory control, and mental health in children and adults.  

This cultural anxiety first appeared during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Brittany Johnson, PhD, RDN, business development head at FutureCeuticals. “Society was permanently changed by the shift of remote work … We’re always on. Teams notifications are buzzing well outside office hours, you’re constantly checking emails, and jumping from meeting to meeting while trying to manage your home life. The society we live in requires your brain to constantly switch tasks, with all-day multitasking putting an enormous demand on the brain.”

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Market Landscape & Formula Architecture  

Today’s market uses broad language around focus, mental clarity, attention, brain fog, and mental energy, noted Rahul Roy, director of vitamin and specialty retail at SPINS. 

Sales of cognitive health supplements tracked by the data and insights firm grew 3.5% over the past year to reach $1.23 billion, with unit growth up 4.9%. Younger consumers are driving growth, and ingredients like L-theanine, magnesium, lion’s mane, and citicoline are performing well. In SPINS’ consumer surveys, “future interest in L-theanine reaches 7.8% among consumers 25-34, and 8.3% among 35-49, compared to just 1.9% in shoppers 65+, while interest in functional mushrooms is around 10-11% across shoppers under 50.” 

Creatine also remains a top performer in this market. “It is already a $1.03 billion ingredient growing 52.2% overall, so there is a very large existing base as the cognitive conversation around the ingredient continues to develop,” said Roy. Creatine-containing products with cognitive support claims grew 77.6% to reach $627.4 million in sales, according to SPINS’ 2026 Trends Report. 

Roy said natural and specialty shoppers are more educated and willing to buy something more specific and premium, while in mass retail, products do well if they can communicate benefits in an easy-to-understand way. “Online shopping gives people the ability to go much deeper. Someone can search specifically for lion’s mane, magnesium L-threonate, or a focus stack rather than starting with a broad cognitive health need.” 

Euromonitor’s market research suggests that cognitive support claims and ingredients are fully integrated into daily support, said Sonali Jagadev, client support senior analyst at Euromonitor International. “Among dietary supplements launched since mid-2024, 21% feature claims related to cognitive health, mental well-being, memory support, or sleep improvement, while 3% are exclusively positioned around mind and mood benefits. In addition, 10% of new supplement launches carry claims associated with stress relief, mood enhancement, relaxation, or anxiety support, with 2% focused solely on these benefits.” 

Consumers are increasingly seeking branded, clinically-supported ingredients rather than finished products themselves, and aren’t as swayed by generic marketing language as they were in the past,
Jagadev noted. 

Today’s top-performing ingredients suggest interest in acute, experiential benefits rather than long-term support, said Roy, noting that L-theanine is up 23.7% year over year, and lion’s mane is up 8.0%. Meanwhile, phosphatidylserine, a category flagship that is commonly taken for weeks to become effective for memory, is down 9.0%.

Jagadev said that adaptogens like ashwagandha and rhodiola, functional mushrooms like lion’s mane, more nootropic-centric ingredients, and gut-brain axis solutions are all generating interest in consumer surveys. NAD+ and its precursors “are increasingly being marketed for cognitive resilience, mental performance, and brain longevity, making them a category to watch.” By SKU penetration and growth momentum, magnesium and omega-3s continue to see the strongest adoption in global new product launches. 

Years ago, the cognitive health market began bifurcating into memory-support solutions for older adults and formulas that boost focus and productivity in younger consumers. But today, consumers of all ages expect the gamut of established benefits, said Steve Fink, vice president of marketing at PLT Health Solutions. “They may be asking to stay sharp during a demanding workday, learn more efficiently, handle stress without feeling sedated, sleep restoratively, or preserve cognitive capacity as they age.” 

The bifurcation of priorities still exists to some degree, but it’s more nuanced now. Young people think about lifelong benefits, while older consumers, once focused on preventing decline, aspire to achieve greater vitality, independence, and quality of life, Jagadev noted. “We’re also seeing convergence with sports nutrition,” where ingredients like creatine, Alpha-GPC, citicoline, and lion’s mane are appearing in sports nutrition products touting focus, reaction time, and cognitive endurance benefits. 

Food formats continue gaining market share. Mushrooms benefit strongly from the category blurring the line between food and supplements, especially in beverages, bars, gummies, and other functional foods. With some expertise in extraction and formulation, mushrooms like lion’s mane are particularly adaptable across formats, said Skye Chilton, CEO of Nammex.

“This creates greater demand for ingredients that can deliver meaningful benefits at low inclusion levels, and work across multiple delivery systems,” noted Blake Haynes, public relations and communications manager at Stratum Nutrition. 

Suppliers best positioned for the future can create ingredients that “remain stable, effective, and practical in the finished product,” whatever the format of choice is, said Shaheen Majeed, global CEO and managing director of Sabinsa. “Beverages, stick packs, powders, and gummies are gaining traction. Sabinsa recently added the capability to produce effervescent tablets at our Utah contract manufacturing facility,” and more onus is on suppliers to have formulation knowledge than before in this category. 

No matter the target health outcome, consumers want to perceive the benefits of a cognitive support ingredient, and have it impact their day-to-day experience, said Haynes. This “reflects where the category is heading: toward more targeted, science-backed solutions that address both immediate cognitive performance and broader cognitive wellness … The key for the industry is to avoid treating ‘fast-acting’ and ‘long-term wellness’ as mutually exclusive concepts. What matters is clearly communicating what the science actually demonstrates and setting realistic expectations around the type and timing of the benefit.” 

“An immediate sensation is not proof of a cognitive benefit,” noted Maria Stanieich, senior marketing manager at Kyowa Hakko, and consumers should see clinical data covering weeks of supplementation to better understand what they can reasonably expect. “That’s how brands build trust and keep consumers.” 

Similarly, it’s unreasonable to expect every single benefit to be deliverable in short windows. “Consumers should understand the difference between an acute effect, a cumulative nutritional effect, and long-term cognitive maintenance,” said Stanieich. 

Brian Zapp, director of marketing at Applied Food Sciences, said brands are phasing out products that simply “list the trending ingredients, check the necessary benefit boxes, and hope consumers buy in … The mistake is when formulations try to take a kitchen-sink approach and just end up with ‘ingredient confetti.’ A good cognitive stack should be an architecture, not a shopping list.” 

He noted a recent example of a product concept he encountered that “had just about every hot functional mushroom in it … It dawned on us that the product not only lacked identity, but could confuse consumers even more in the puzzling industry that is functional fungi.” 

Stacks need to be built with more intentionality, concurred Fink. “We are seeing formulations broaden from a single cognitive promise to a more complete benefit architecture, driving interest in multi-ingredient formulations, particularly where ingredients have complementary benefits, compatible doses, and different time horizons.”  

Each proposed connection still requires appropriate evidence, said Cal Bewicke, CEO at Ethical Naturals, Inc. “A systems-oriented formulation should not become an excuse to imply benefits across multiple health areas when only one endpoint has been studied.”

Multi-ingredient products, when avoiding “label decoration,” can offer efficacious doses of complementary products with a specific intent, said Michael Anthonovage, vice president of product development and innovation at Vitaquest. On the other hand, single ingredients have an advantage: consumers can easily understand exactly what they’re taking and the clinical evidence behind it, he added. 

Focus and Productivity 

Performance-driven cognitive support products have breathed new life into the category in recent years. Nootropics have also entered standard vernacular among wellness shoppers. 

Mark LeDoux, chairman and CEO of Natural Alternatives International, citing Nextin Research by MarketPlace, noted that 38% of functional beverage consumers are already actively seeking cognitive/brain benefits from drinks, and not just a single, short-term benefit. 

There’s also been a noted shift toward broader, more relatable wellness propositions. Surprisingly few nootropics have been well-studied for the downstream effects that improved cognition can offer, Johnson noted. “It takes some of the load off the everyday fatigue of brain capacity … Your mood improves, you get a little less squirrel-brained, which in turn can help you sleep.” These secondary mood, sleep, and emotional endpoints might be more relevant to the everyday experience than standardized cognitive tests, she added. 

“The nootropic direction is still very much alive,” said Fink, “but it is becoming more holistic. Productivity and focus remain major purchase drivers, especially among knowledge workers: students and professionals. At the same time, consumers increasingly recognize that high performance is difficult to separate from mood, stress, sleep, and fatigue. They want to perform well without feeling overstimulated, and they want benefits that fit into the rest of their lives.” 

Focus- and performance-aligned nootropics have spilled over into new sports nutrition product launches, said Thomas Druke, senior marketing and business development manager at Balchem. “Today’s athletes are no longer measuring performance solely by muscle gain, with many now also looking for split-second reaction times, focus through a hard leg day, and the coordination to nail a new personal best.” 

Zapp said consumers are more discerning about tradeoffs. “They may want more focus, but not if it comes with the jitters. They may want more energy, but not if it means a crash later. They may want to perform at 3 pm, but they also want to sleep at 10 pm.” Non-stimulant botanicals studied for acute cognitive benefits can win these audiences over, with positioning around “intentional state management,” he added.  

Ultimately, supplement brands need to acknowledge that products won’t provide dramatic overnight transformations. “Their value lies in improving physiological functions and helping consumers prevent, maintain, or support health over time,” said Karine Lasfargue, product manager at Lallemand Health Solutions. 

Similarly, supplements aren’t “shortcuts that compensate for consistently inadequate sleep, poor nutrition, or excessive stress,” Bewicke added. 

Recent finished product launches that highlight current market trends include Cymbiotika’s Liposomal Brain Complex, which combines Zembrin kanna extract, bacopa, gotu kola, lion’s mane, and huperzine A, formulated to help consumers feel sharp and resilient while supporting cognitive longevity. 

Zhou Nutrition’s Creatine Calm + Focus features 5 grams of creatine, Cognizin Citicoline, and Korean ginseng to support physical performance, mental alertness, and stress resilience. 

Meanwhile, Mars Men’s Ignite combines GPCgold Alpha-GPC, PSgold phosphatidylserine, lion’s mane, L-theanine, and 80 mg of natural caffeine to support calm, focused energy, memory, and cognitive function. 

Connections to Broader Health Benefits 

New cognitive health products often bridge performance, sleep, stress, metabolic health, cardiovascular function, and gut health, Anthonovage said. “The brain is not functioning in isolation; it is responding continuously to systemic physiology.” 

Majeed noted that “chronic stress can affect memory, decision-making, sleep, digestion, cardiovascular health, immune function, and hormonal balance. These relationships are encouraging formulators to consider the conditions that support cognitive function, rather than treating cognition as a standalone target.” 

Formulators recognize growing interest in the connection between metabolic health and cognition, with new formulas pairing solutions for metabolic dysfunction with neuroprotective compounds to bridge physiology, physical performance, and cognitive wellness. 

For example, Elysium Health’s Creatine+ features creatine monohydrate, HMB, and pomegranate polyphenols standardized to urolithin A precursors to support mitochondrial renewal, cellular energy production, muscle, strength, and cognition. 

Tonic Health’s Creatine + Brain delivers 10 grams of creatine monohydrate combined with taurine, biotin, and blueberry polyphenols to support physical and cognitive health.

Menopause

Menopause presents a critical window in a woman’s life when cognitive challenges ramp up significantly, noted Johnson. While products for younger and elderly women are more abundant, there’s white space for solutions to midlife challenges. “We know she experiences brain fog, and the category isn’t really speaking to her,” said Johnson. 

A Nextin Research study found that 54% of women ages 40-59 defined good health as having a sharp mind, but only 36% expected cognitive health solutions to be included in women’s health products, noted Stanieich. “That suggests an opportunity to make cognitive support a more visible part of the conversation.” 

Make Time Wellness recently launched three new products, including Make Time for Menopause & Brain Health; Make Time for NAD+ and Rhodiola; and Make Time for Brain, Body, and Beauty Stick Packs. The formulas feature NAD+, MCT oil, curcumin, acetyl-L-carnitine, rhodiola, and Cognizin Citicoline, which together supply the brain with specific nutrients and compounds needed to function. 

O Positiv’s Brain Health + Memory Support, launched earlier this year, features clinically studied doses of phosphatidylserine, sage leaf extract, huperzine A, and creatine to support cognition, learning, memory, concentration, and menopause symptom management in one daily dose. 

Cognitive Longevity

Modern lifestyles are causing today’s working adults to think about prevention long before signs of cognitive decline emerge. “Digitalization, work-related stress, multitasking, and mental overload are impacting cognitive performance across all age groups, creating a demand for proactive solutions,” Lasfargue said. 

Longer-term studies, in general, earn more trust from discerning consumers who want support for everyday life. It’s helpful to “be able to tell them what to expect and when,” Johnson said. “What they might experience on day one, at one month, and at two months … Even a 1-year study is a tiny snapshot of a life.” Because years-long studies are rarely feasible, however, marked differences in biomarkers like BDNF, linked in mainstream brain research to cognitive decline risk, are useful, she noted.  

“The industry must be clear about what ‘prevention’ means in a regulatory context,” said Majeed. “What we can credibly pursue and what the evidence supports is structure/function language focused on maintaining cognitive function and supporting neuroplasticity as part of a healthy aging strategy.” 

Gundry MD’s Longevitine Plus formula targets biological aging at the cellular level, featuring Algevity Factor, a compound derived from seagrass fatty acids. It’s shown to keep the Nrf2 pathway active, protect the brain from oxidative stress, and modulate inflammatory processes. 

Neuriva’s Memory 3D features ingredients shown to support short-term memory, long-term memory, and working memory (memory involved in complex tasks or problem solving), by featuring Cognicell, a Sicilian grape extract that supports long- and short-term memory, and Neurofactor, a whole coffee cherry extract shown to support working memory.  

Where is the Market Headed? 

Over the next few years, expect the cognitive support market to become less of a niche category and more of a core part of the everyday wellness shopper’s life. 

“Mental performance will be a bigger idea than focus,” said Fink. “We will also see clearer segmentation by use occasion and time to efficacy.” Multi-ingredient formulas will continue to grow, but competition will drive more intentionally designed products where each component has a more specific role, compared to today’s products, which tend to have crowded ingredient lists, he noted. 

Lasfargue agreed that the lines will continue to blur between cognition, emotional wellness, stress management, and connected categories like gut health. Additionally, “as our understanding of the microbiota-gut-brain axis advances, we’ll likely see more targeted, evidence-based psychobiotic solutions addressing specific aspects of cognition and mental well-being with overall health benefits.” 

LeDoux said he expects functional ingredients will appear more in food and beverage formats in the coming years. FDA guidance on New Dietary Ingredients (NDIs) would also meaningfully improve the standards ingredients are held to, separating “ingredients with real clinical and regulatory backing from those riding on borrowed research,” he said. “On top of that, I’d expect single-ingredient claims to feel increasingly dated, with multi-system, co-formulated products becoming the default rather than
the exception.” 

Zapp projected that new approaches to cognitive support will incorporate personalization tools and deeper practitioner involvement. Wearables, AI, diagnostic tools, and related platforms can provide overwhelming amounts of information, which “will make trusted interpretation even more valuable. We are already seeing that shift,” he noted, with more consumers reporting that they’re receiving supplement information from a healthcare practitioner than ever before.