April 30, 2025 – When considering trends in natural ingredients in the US, one needs to consider trends on a macro level, along with consumer insights, activities by brands, and launch trends in food and beverage products and ingredients. Macro trends are global, and they impact consumer and innovation trends around natural food and beverages globally and in the US. Consumer trends include attitudes, behaviors, product preferences, and reaction to product packaging claims. Activities by brand and launch trends show leading claims and claims that are emerging on food and beverage packaging. An examination of ingredient trends on products with natural claims shows which ingredients are becoming more widely used and promoted.
Defining Natural Food and Beverage Products
Natural food and natural beverage products are defined as having a natural claim and/or natural ingredients. Natural products are foods and beverages that have a natural health claim or that have ingredients considered to be natural, namely botanicals, extracts of herbs and fruit, nutraceutical ingredients, functional ingredients, and/or bioactive ingredients.
Consumer Trends Related to Natural
Innova gathers US consumer trends from several different research. These include the Innova Trends Research 2024 and 2025, Innova Category Research 2025, Innova Lifestyle & Attitudes Research 2024, and Innova Health & Nutrition Research 2024. The Category Research has around 3,000 US participants and the other research has around 2,000 US consumer participants.
About three-quarters of US consumers were researched by Innova say they have taken action toward healthy living in the past year. This includes considering health and nutrition as important when buying food and beverage products. Even more consumers in the US work to better their health with foods and beverages that have specific health benefits for the gut, heart, or immunity. Many consumers in the US participating in research say that healthy eating includes having food and beverage products with natural ingredients. They also say that indulgent products could be healthier if they were made with more natural and fewer artificial ingredients.
Natural ingredient trends reveal that naturalness matters to about one in five US consumers. Certain groups – Millennials, Boomers, families with teens, vegetarians, and flexitarians – are more likely to make natural ingredients a priority.
US consumer interest in natural varies with categories. Natural claims are most likely to influence purchasers of juice, sauces, and dairy. US consumers say that natural claims influence their purchases of indulgences also.
Natural Food and Beverage Launches Are Stable
Launches of US food and beverage products with a natural claim are relatively stable over a recent five-year period. Over one-third of launches with a natural claim or natural ingredients are in the categories of sauces and seasonings, bakery, or confectionery. Natural ingredient trends are especially strong in baby drinks, ready meals, chocolate, and sauces and dressings. A majority of products display the word ‘natural’ in the ingredient list but do not make other natural claims. A small percentage of launches make a natural claim on the package.
Patterns in Natural Claims and Ingredients
Players with natural food and beverage products have small percentages of total launches over a recent five-year period. Large US supermarket chains lead smaller chains and markets in carrying natural products.
In the US, one in 10 food and beverage launches has a natural claim. Claims that may accompany natural include plant-based, vegetarian or vegan, and organic. High protein and high fiber claims are widely used. Gluten-free and non-GMO claims are prevalent but declining on natural food and beverage products. Active health claims involving energy, immunity, or digestion on natural products have a modest presence. Watch for emerging claims regarding prebiotics, skin health, and bone health on natural products.
Natural ingredient trends show that botanical ingredients are present in nearly all launches of natural food and beverage products in the US. Cocoa powder and turmeric stand out as botanical ingredients that are increasing in use, possibly because of their health benefits such as antioxidant for cocoa and anti-inflammatory for turmeric. Ingredients with a growing presence in natural products include vitamins and minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants. Other ingredients to watch are probiotics and collagen. Natural bioactive ingredients are stable; watch for the emergence of ginseng, quercitin, and chrysin. Emerging natural botanicals feature astragalus, ginseng, and functional mushrooms like reishi and lion’s mane. Rosemary, spirulina, green tea extract, and monk fruit stand out among herbal and bioactive ingredients in natural products. Herbal and fruit extracts that should be watched are milk thistle, grape skin, acerola, maca, and ashwagandha.
What’s Next in Food and Beverage Launches with a Natural Claim or Ingredients?
Innova Market Insights highlights several areas to look out for in products with a natural claim or ingredients. More label claims regarding natural could accompany natural ingredients. Brands can concentrate efforts on categories where consumers are most interested in natural claims. Launches with natural claims or ingredients could be promoted to demographic groups that are the most interested, namely Millennials, families with teens, and Boomers. Natural ingredient trends also support highlighting nutrition-rich ingredients like wholegrain and sprouted grain. Natural can be linked to other clean features such as no additives or preservatives and clean formulations. Leading brands have the opportunity to capture a part of the natural market. And brands can continue to call out hero ingredients that are present in natural products.
This article is based on Innova’s Now & Next in Natural Ingredients in Food & Beverage in the US report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
