CHICAGO — The COVID-19 pandemic has created a flourishing demand for self-care products as consumers take their health care into their own hands. The latest IRI research, “Vitamins, Minerals, Herbal Supplements Propel Self-Care,” examines consumers’ desire for a healthy, vibrant lifestyle as they await their COVID-19 vaccine.

While nearly 13% of U.S. residents have received a vaccine, vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) prove to be a trusted and necessary part of consumers’ rituals. In fact, more than eight-in-10 consumers routinely rely on the broad-based vitamin category to bolster their immune systems, according to IRI’s proprietary research.

VMS Purchasing

• Vitamin usage is nearly ubiquitous, with five in six Americans claiming to include them in their daily regimen. Usage skews toward older and more educated households.
• A strong faction (17%) of consumers are expecting to spend more this year. While millennials and Gen Z have been slow to adopt a vitamin regimen, both generations, as well as previously resistant lower-income households, appear focused on increasing their spending in the category.

VMS Outlook

• Americans’ diets continue to evolve, and recent IRI research finds that more than one-third of U.S. consumers believe that “food is better medicine than medicine.”