Summary of our market study

The market for sports supplements in France is estimated at over 120 million

The global market for sports supplements is estimated at $30 billion

Manufacturers and retailers identify three key customer segments: professional bodybuilders/athletes, regular athletes and lifestyle consumers.

Some 40-45% of athletes consume sports supplements. Athletes aged 30 to 40 represent the largest segment, with over 60% regularly incorporating supplements into their diet.

Around 20% of athletes take supplements to address specific nutrient deficiencies.

Less than 10% of athletes use supplements specifically to enhance stamina or power.

Over 20% of athletes are influenced by sports tips found in magazines or online.

The important role of self-medication among athletes is significant, with less than 35% following the advice of a healthcare professional when choosing dietary supplements.

Influencers and social media marketing play an important role in driving demand, with popular fitness industry figures partnering with or creating their own supplement brands.

The growing number of athletes and fitness centers is driving the market. The number of athletes registered with federations is around 15 to 20 million.

Fast-growing players in the sector

  • MyProtein: Initially sponsored by influencer Tibo InShape
  • InShape Nutrition: Founded by Tibo InShape after his partnership with MyProtein
  • AM Nutrition: Own brand of All Musculation.
  • Isostar
  • EA Pharma with Eafit
  • Prozis: online retailer
  • Fitness Boutique
  • Super Physique Nutrition
  • Les trois Chênes laboratory is a major French player
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Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Categories and uses of food supplements for athletes

Food supplements are concentrates of various substances (vitamins, minerals, plant extracts...) in edible or drinkable form, with a nutritional or physiological effect as defined by the European Parliament Directive 2002/46/EC. They are between food and medicine, supposed to complement the former while avoiding the consumption of the latter.

Sportsmen and women, whether athletes or occasional, often have a much more demanding lifestyle than non-sportsmen and women. Their daily needs, especially in minerals, proteins and carbohydrates, are greater than those of inactive people. Supplements allow them to :

  • Make up for their nutritional deficits
  • Improve their performance, before, during and after exercise

There are 3 main categories of food supplements for athletes:

  • Those that have an effect on health, they provide the body with nutrients that the body may lack due to unbalanced nutrition;
  • Those consumed during the effort, they serve to maintain or even improve performance for a certain period of time;
  • Those allowing a better recovery.

The market for sports food supplements is booming and is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 6% by 2024. The growth of the French market follows the global growth of dietary supplements for sports.

This study does not cover energy/energy drinks (see the study on the Energy Drinks Market) nor sports food products (cereal bars, gels, enriched meals, etc.).

1.2 An explosion in global growth

As detailed below, the global market is growing. Explanatory factors include a growing awareness of the importance of exercising (***).

In recent decades, sedentary lifestyles and increased access to food have led to a sharp increase in the number of obese people worldwide: **% of adults are overweight and **% of adults are obese worldwide in **** according to the WHO, a proportion that has almost tripled since ****.[***] Aware of the problems associated with their lifestyle, mainly on their long-term health, Westerners have gradually become sports enthusiasts.

There is no exact data regarding the size of the sports nutrition supplements market, so we will estimate the size of this market.

According to Research Dive, the global sports nutrition market size was US$ **.* billion in ****. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of **.*%, reaching US$ **.** billion by ****. This market includes energy drinks, cereal bars and energy bars as well as sports nutrition supplements (***).

Havas Worldwide breaks down the sports nutrition market into * categories:

Protein bars, worth US$ *.* billion in **** Protein powder for sports, worth US$ *.* billion in **** Ready-to-drink sports drinks, worth US$*.* billion in **** Non-protein sports products, worth US$ *.* billion in ****

We consider the sports supplement market to include protein powder for sports and non-protein ...

1.3 Consequences of COVID-19 on the dietary supplements market according to a market expert

This interview was conducted by a Businesscoot analyst with a sector expert validated by our teams

Please note: this interview concerns the dietary supplements market in general and not only dietary supplements for sports

What is your vision of the market?

The dietary supplements market is growing at a rate of * to **% per year. However, we have to dissociate * sub-segments of this market: the vitamin market which is decreasing, the omega * market which is stable and the pro-biotics market which is strongly increasing. The market is very fragmented and there are several hundred references. Approximately *** new references are launched on the market each month and as many are released.

What do you think is the impact of COVID-** on the market?

Currently, sales are in free fall. The pharmacies' advisory area is closed. The small neighborhood pharmacies are working, but the big pharmacies are almost at a standstill. With two months of almost zero sales, the volume should therefore drop by at least **% over the year. The lost volumes will not be made up, but once the crisis is over, consumption will return to pre-crisis levels.

Will public policies have an impact on the market?

Dietary supplements are not reimbursed, so ...

1.4 A growing French market

There is no exact data regarding the size of the sports nutrition supplements market, so we will estimate the size of this market using the same process as the global market.

How much do the French spend on sports nutrition supplements?

A study published by My Protein in November **** classified the per capita spending of the French on sports nutrition supplements. Myprotein asked a sample of more than **,*** people in ** European countries how much they spent each month on everything from protein shakes to personal trainers, gym memberships to meal plans, and more. The results are presented in the following graph:

Dépenses annuelles en moyenne par habitant pour les suppléments sportifs France, ****, en euro Source: ****

The dietary supplements market in France:

The turnover of the dietary supplements industry in France for the year **** was *.** billion euros, according to SYNADIET. This includes all types of food supplements, including those related to sports. However, still for the year ****, the French Union of Specialized Nutrition estimated that the products related to sports represent *.*% of the total market for food supplements. 

Therefore, by doing a calculation it is possible to estimate the size of the market for sports food supplements for the year ...

1.5 A trade balance in surplus

For this part we consider the customs code closest to the category "food supplements" which is ******** " Food preparations, n.e. s., containing by weight *.*% milk fat, *% sucrose or isoglucose, *% glucose or starch ". It should be noted that the scope of the customs code considered is the closest to our study object but is not identical because it is broader and includes food supplements in general. [***]

For this scope of data, we thus see that in ****, French imports amounted to ***.** million euros, while exports reached ***.** million euros. By observing the coverage rate over the period (***), we can see that France remains largely in surplus, with a coverage rate ranging between ***% and ***%. [***]

Source: ****

Foreign trade in other food preparations France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

Main export destination countries France, ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

Main countries of origin of imports France, ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

Exports are highly fragmented with Africa (***).

2 Analysis of the demand

2.1 Profile of the average consumer

The average consumer of sports supplements is a young male from Generation Z or a millennial, born after ****. Typically from affluent families, or earning comfortably in the case of millenials, typical consumers are more likely to be members of a fitness club.[***]

It is important to note that the graphs below are based on a study of athletes who participate in athletics. However, the answers may vary depending on the sport practiced: a weightlifter will not have the same objectives and need for supplements as a javelin thrower or an IronMan Trail runner. In fact, as explained in a thesis from the University of Lorraine, the results found among athletes are that **.*% of athletes supplement themselves. A survey "Consumption of food supplements among triathletes in Franche-Comté" revealed that **% of triathletes used food supplements. In addition, another study revealed that during the World Cup, **% of footballers consumed sports food supplements. [***]

The definition of the term food supplements used in this study is the one quoted in the introduction (***), which is the definition given by the European Union and transposed in **** in the French law:" Foodstuffs whose purpose is to supplement the normal diet and which constitute a concentrated source of nutrients or ...

2.2 Manufacturers identify 3 main areas of demand

The manufacturers and sellers of food supplements for sports distinguish * main categories in which they are particularly interested:

Bodybuilders and professional athletes: with the objective of improving their performance, they consume supplements to strengthen the effects of their training. Regular athletes: generally passionate but not professional, they do not push the effort as far as bodybuilders, and do not necessarily see the need. However, they appreciate the effects of sport and are willing to use supplements in order to be satisfied with their training sessions. Lifestyle consumers: Driven by the desire to feel good about their bodies, people in this group do not use supplements for their sports exercises. Instead, they drink a beverage or balance their deficiencies with products designed for athletes.

What type of clientele are you targeting? World, ****, in % Source: ****

For example, brands tend to target middle to high income earners (***).

2.3 Main demand drivers

We can identify several factors that determine the consumption of dietary supplements, which also suggest a robust growth for the industry:

The increasing number of sportsmen

The rapid increase in the number of fitness centers and practitioners of this activity (***) allows for greater access to sports machines, generates an increased demand for specialized dietary supplements. Centers generally sell these products in order to increase their turnover.

The number of athletes registered in federations increased by * million between **** and ****, from ** to **.* million registrants.

Change in the number of licences and participation certificates issued by sports federations France, ****-****, in millions Source: ****

Rapid urbanization

Lifestyles are changing, and the French are becoming more sedentary. Urban dwellers (***) with sports activities. Consuming food supplements becomes a more or less effective method to overcome this problem and achieve their sporting or personal goals with targeted supplements to maximize the effects of their sports practice.

evolution of the urban population in France France, ****-****, in % of total population Source: ****

Digitalization

Advertising for sports supplements has surged with the influence of social networks and influencers on YouTube or Instagram. The latter often create partnerships with brands or found their own brand.

The most famous influencers in the food ...

2.4 Women consuming dietary supplements for sports: a trend that is still not well addressed by brands

The advertising of sports nutrition supplements is mainly directed towards men, with a strong emphasis on mass gain and bodybuilding.

However, as the graph below shows, almost as many women as men consume sports supplements on a regular basis.

Share of athletes consuming dietary supplements for sport, by gender France, ****, in % Source: ****

Indeed, **.*% of women athletes consume dietary supplements for sport against **.*% of men.

Some brands have realized this evolution and create partnerships with fitgirls on social networks, in order to reach more easily an arge female clientele adept at fitness and ready to use dietary supplements to achieve their sports goals. Among these firgirls, we can notice Jujufitcat or Sissymua, who each have several million subscribers on their Youtube channels.

2.5 A demand for vegan food supplements in sports

While many sports nutrition supplements contain animal proteins (***), there is a growing demand for vegan supplements, using vegetable proteins to obtain results similar to "traditional" protein supplements.

Evolution of the use of vegetable proteins in protein powders Europe, ****-****, in % Source: ****

In fact, the graph below shows that soy, rice and pea proteins, which were barely used in **** (***), represented more than **% of the proteins used to manufacture sports food supplements in ****.

Soy protein was the leading protein, accounting for *% of total protein used, followed by rice (***).

3 Market structure

3.1 General organization of the sector

Organization of the sector

The market corresponds to a classic market, in which the product passes by a manufacturer then a distributor before reaching the consumer. However, there is a growing trend towards direct sales, from manufacturers to consumers through online sales sites.

Two main categories share the market for the manufacture of dietary supplements for sports. Firstly, there are the manufacturers, among which * types of companies stand out:

Specialists in sports nutrition (***) Pharmaceutical laboratories (***)

Manufacturing process of food supplements

Source: ****

3.2 A production system that meets precise quality standards

Large laboratories and companies have appropriated the production of food supplements for sports. Often derived from natural products (***), the strength of these supplements lies in their concentration in active ingredients.

In order to be ingested effectively, the role of the industrialist will be to isolate the molecule sought or to synthesize it. It may be necessary to dry, grind, crush, press or ferment plants or animal parts. The molecule thus recovered will then be concentrated in capsules, drinks or powders.

Throughout the production process, quality requirements apply:

HACCP analysis: "consists of an analysis of the hazards, their severity and frequency of occurrence associated with each stage of the design." By identifying hazards to consumers, the manufacturer must strive to eliminate potential risks. Quality control, which stipulates that the final packaging must include the information necessary to identify the product and which obliges the manufacturer to ensure the purity of the ingredients used during the manufacture of the supplements. Quality assurance, which includes all audits carried out to verify compliance with hygiene standards in particular.

3.3 Distribution

Distributors

A **** report from the European Commission details the preferred sales channels in Europe. Although this study is dated and does not only concern France, it allows us to roughly evaluate the weight of each distribution channel mentioned in the table above. However, it should be borne in mind that the online offer has grown significantly over the past * years, particularly with the arrival on the market of pure players dedicated entirely to the sale of supplements for sports (***).

Main channels of purchase of dietary supplements for sports Compilation of * European countries (***), ****, in % Source: ****

In ****, supermarkets were the top sales channel, followed by sports stores at **% and specialty stores at **%. Pharmacies and parapharmacies represent only **% of sales of sports supplements (***).

The study used in part *.* to detail the profile of the average consumer indicates the places of prediction of purchase of athletes in France in ****

Places of purchase of sports food supplements by athletes France, ****, in % Source: ****

Among the places of purchase, pharmacies and parapharmacies are largely in the lead with **.*% of athletes who buy there. They allow a sanitary guarantee of the product and a sale controlled by a health professional who can take advantage of it to warn the ...

4 Analysis of the offer

4.1 An expanded offer to reach a larger audience

The sports nutrition market has a long and painful history, tainted by doping scandals, but has gradually reinvented itself. For some people, food supplements for sportsmen have almost become everyday products. Progressively, manufacturers and distributors are multiplying the number of products available on the market in order to reach a wider public. While dietary supplements were originally intended for experienced athletes, their use has gradually been democratized thanks to more and more innovations.

Global launches of sports nutrition products have more than doubled between **** and **** and suppliers are now segmenting their offerings to meet the varied needs and interests of customers. There are currently three particularly strong development trends: the provision of herbal products, clean label innovation and greater customization.

Half of the world's dietary supplement manufacturers surveyed say they want to expand their dietary supplement segment. They are also **% to increase their protein powder offer.

Which sports nutrition format would you like to grow in your company in the future? World, ****, in % Source: ****

4.2 New offers

A notable trend is the change in communication by distribution and manufacturing companies. Companies are increasingly highlighting the protein source of sports supplements (***).

At the same time, we are seeing the development of products for people who want to live a healthy lifestyle (***). The rise of the vegan movement coincides with the launch of vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free products by manufacturers. The development of products with the Clean Label confirms this trend. Clean Label is a program that randomly tests the products of a brand to have its composition analyzed by a laboratory and verify the accuracy between the results obtained and the composition of the product indicated on the label by the manufacturer. This is a guarantee of product quality and transparency.

The top ** claims on the labels of dietary supplements for sports Europe, ****, in % of total number of items Source: ****

We see that almost a quarter of sports supplements claim to be high in protein, this result is not surprising since a large part of the supplement market is dedicated to whey and protein. Beyond the promises of contributions, **.*% of products claim to have a low sugar content. It should be noted that while **.*% claim to lead to a ...

4.3 A multitude of products to meet many needs

One of the characteristics of dietary supplements for sports is the multitude of products available, not only by the number of brands on the market, but also by the type of products they offer. By the appearance and composition, the products are different from each other. Here is a list of the main products used in food supplements by athletes:

Whey: food supplement used in the recovery period after the effort, its real name is "whey protein". It is a whey protein extracted from the cow's bed during the manufacture of cheese. For one kilo of cheese, * kilos of liquid sweet whey are recovered, which is then composed of **% water, *.*% lactose and *% whey. It is then treated to be dehydrated and packaged in powder form. A method to increase the protein content of whey has been discovered and today we find whey composed of **% protein and *% lactose. There are many types of whey. [***]

The BCAA (***): these are branched amino acids called leucine, valine and isoleucine. They are consumed in the form of tablets, capsules or powders. They are accessible to sportsmen even beginners and have many effects, among which : improvement of strength thanks to a high energy intake improved performance during ...

4.4 Price analysis

It is quite complex to give the average price of a sports food supplement, given the variety available on the market. From the analysis of some retailer sites (***), it is nevertheless possible to make a topology of prices:

These few price ranges show that prices tend to be relatively high, for products that are usually sold in small quantities to the consumer. The athlete is not only paying for the product itself, but also for the research, development and marketing behind it, just like perfumes. The fact that the target audience is generally affluent allows the brands to sell in spite of this.

5 Regulation

5.1 Current regulations

Regulations set up at national and European level establish a list of authorized ingredients in the manufacture of food supplements, as well as the maximum dose not to exceed for vitamins and minerals.

However, unlike drugs on the market, the marketing of these food supplements for sports does not require specific authorization to market after a prior study of the effects and risks by an independent body. The manufacturer alone is responsible for the compliance of its products with the regulations, and has the duty to inform the consumer correctly and not to mislead him.

The production of food supplements must comply with three restrictions according to thedecree of September **, ****:

The amount of active ingredient must be limited so as not to exceed the dose required to achieve the desired objective The daily consumption of the product must be limited to doses recognized as safe (***) If the product can be defined as a medicine (***), then it is a medicine and it becomes subject to the legislation specific to this category

Directive ****/**/EC has been transposed into French law by Decree No. ****-*** on food supplements. It requires prior notification to the DGCCRF - Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control ...

5.2 The role of ANSES

In France, the national health security agency is responsible for assessing the risks associated with the consumption of supplements and has the role of setting legal limits of concentration in food supplements. In order to fulfill this mission, ANSES has set up a nutrivigilance system that collects data from health professionals regarding the adverse effects of supplements.

With the increasing number of scandals, health professionals are alerting consumers about the use of food supplements. Too much consumption (***), a figure that must have been multiplied since.

Other risks come from counterfeiting as indicated by Synadiet on its website, athletes are particularly vulnerable because sometimes ready to do anything to get the most out of their sports sessions.

6 Companies

6.1 Company segmentation

  • Nutrition et Santé (marque Isostar)
  • Diete Sport France (Overestim.s)
  • Laboratoire Les Trois Chênes
  • EA Pharma Olyos (Eafit, Granions, Punch Power)
  • Menarini group (Marque Isoxan)
  • Apurna (Lactalis)
  • Nutrimeo
  • Prozis
  • Glanbia
  • My Protein (The Hut Group)
  • Nutrimuscle
  • Nutripure
  • Power Nutrition
  • Nutrisport
  • Krissport
  • Coca-Cola European Partners CCEP Groupe Powerade
  • AM Nutrition - N4BRANDS Groupe
  • Atlet TCA
  • Biotech USA Group
  • Eric Favre (Les 3 Chênes)
  • Laboratoire Les Trois Chênes (Eric Fabre)
  • Meltonic
  • Myprotein
  • Nutergia
  • Overstims
  • Scitec Nutrition (BiotechUSA Group)
  • STC Nutrition (Laboratoire Ineldea)
  • Ta Energy

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