One of the most enjoyable parts of Vitafoods was discovering the ingredients behind the brands.

Some I was late to the party on. Some I had heard of, but had not properly understood. Others were completely new to me. What struck me most was not just the science, the formulation or the claim. It was the story.

Like a fine fragrance, every ingredient has notes: origin, process, texture, proof, ritual and desire. There is the place it comes from, the way it is extracted, fermented, stabilised or delivered, the tradition behind it, the clinical evidence around it and the sensory form it eventually takes.

Most importantly, there is the simple story someone can remember and pass on.

That matters because in health and wellness, word of mouth is still one of the most powerful marketing tools we have. If someone can understand the ingredient, remember the story and retell it to someone else, the brand has already created momentum.

At Vitafoods, these were the ingredients and formats that stayed with me, grouped around the bigger trend areas shaping the show.

It was impossible to walk around Vitafoods without seeing the influence of GLP-1. What started as a medical and pharmaceutical conversation is now shaping product strategy, formulation, claim architecture and brand positioning.

GLP-1 is not creating one product opportunity. It is creating a new ecosystem of needs around appetite support, protein intake, muscle maintenance, gut comfort, hydration, fibre, micronutrient support, portion control and metabolic health.

GLP-1 SLIM+ from Laboratoire PYC was a clear example of how quickly the industry is building around this new context. Positioned as a GLP-1-centred weight management solution, it focuses on appetite, metabolic balance and lasting results. It can also be complemented by high-protein, low-carb products designed to support weight control and preserve lean mass.

What is interesting here is not just the product, but the architecture around the consumer. The brands that win will not be the ones that simply badge products as GLP-1 supportive. They will be the ones that understand the changing behaviours, anxieties and nutritional gaps of this consumer group.

Re-Vaya™ also sat in this more intelligent metabolic space. Rather than leaning into the usual “fat burner” or quick-fix weight management language, the story is about metabolic balance, inflammatory stress and how fat tissue behaves. The formulation brings together selenium, vitamin D, yeast beta-1,3/1,6-glucan and zinc.

What I liked was the shift in language. Not weight loss as punishment. Not metabolism as a speed dial. More a story of metabolic well-being as part of long-term nutritional health. That feels much more aligned with where the category is going: less extreme, more intelligent and more connected to ageing, energy, inflammation and overall resilience.

Protein has been the hero for years, but fibre was everywhere at Vitafoods. It is finally stepping into a bigger role, not just as a digestive health ingredient, but as part of a broader wellness story around satiety, gut health, metabolic support, comfort and daily balance.

Fibalance™ PHGG was a good example of this shift. PHGG, or partially hydrolysed guar gum, is positioned as a gentle prebiotic soluble fibre. Low FODMAP-certified, suitable for sensitive stomachs and designed to nourish gut bacteria without bloating, it feels especially relevant for IBS consumers, sensitive stomachs and GLP-1 users.

The word that matters here is “gentle”. Not all consumers want maximum strength. Not all consumers want extreme. Many want something that fits quietly and comfortably into daily life. Sometimes the strongest proposition is not more intensity, but more tolerance, usability and repeatability.

Chios Mastiha Powder Sticks also sat beautifully in the digestive comfort space. Authentic Chios Mastiha has a very specific sense of place. It is not a generic digestive ingredient. It carries provenance, cultural heritage and a naturally memorable name.

The format made it even more interesting: a 3g stick pack that dissolves directly on the tongue, with no need for water. That small detail matters because it removes friction. No preparation. No glass. No delay. It becomes something you can use at home, at work, after eating or on the go. Traditional origin, modern delivery and a clear sensory moment come together neatly.

Nvive Digestive Comfort was a special one for us because we helped create the brand. What stood out at the show was not complexity, but simplicity: the first liquid gummy.

That is easy to say, easy to understand and easy to repeat, even though technically it is anything but easy. It combines a chewable shell with a liquid core, designed to deliver rapid digestive comfort. From the first bite, the liquid ginger extract creates a strong sensorial effect in the mouth, while the pre-solubilised ginger extract is then absorbed in the stomach and small intestine for further relief.

What I loved seeing at the show was how quickly people understood the concept. Not because it had the longest claim or needed a complicated explanation, but because the product experience carried the idea: chewable outside, liquid inside, ginger relief, digestive comfort. That kind of simplicity takes real work.

Longevity was one of the clearest themes at Vitafoods, but what interested me most was how broad the territory has become. It now stretches across cellular health, metabolic balance, cognitive performance, mobility, cardiovascular health, recovery, sleep, inflammation, beauty, stress and emotional resilience.

Shilajit is a brilliant example of how ancient ingredients are being pulled into modern longevity language. In Ayurveda, shilajit is a herbomineral resin traditionally associated with Himalayan rocks. It is formed over long periods of time through the decomposition of plant matter and is known for containing humic substances, including fulvic acid, alongside trace minerals.

From a brand perspective, it has all the raw material for storytelling: altitude, time, earth, minerals, ancient tradition and natural formation. It feels elemental. But that is also where the watchout sits. Ingredients with a powerful origin story need even more discipline around quality, sourcing, testing and credibility. The more mysterious the ingredient feels, the more reassurance the brand has to provide.

The Adaptive Cellular System concept captured the more scientific side of longevity. Its positioning moved beyond “adding years to life” and into the more emotionally resonant idea of adding life to those years. Built around a three-capsule formula designed to support cellular vitality, metabolic balance and restorative recovery, it gave longevity a clear structure.

That architecture matters because longevity can become too broad very quickly. Three capsules, three systems, one longevity story helps make a complex territory more understandable for consumers.

MenaQ7® and MyCondro™ also sat in this credible, long-term health space. MenaQ7® is vitamin K2 as MK-7, produced through fermentation. Its story is about calcium direction, bone health and cardiovascular health. In simple terms, it is about helping the body use calcium in the right places.

MyCondro™ is a fermentation-derived, non-animal chondroitin sulfate for joint health. That makes it especially interesting in a category where traditional chondroitin has often been animal-derived. The story here is not loud or trend-led. It is about precision, purity, fermentation, bioavailability, vegan suitability and better alignment with modern consumer expectations.

Cardiovascular Support was another example that caught my eye, partly because of the format: a capsule within a capsule. There is something immediately intriguing about that. You can see the innovation before you even understand the formulation.

The concept combines plant-based omega-3 DHA, olive polyphenols and phospholipid delivery technology in one cap-in-cap formula, positioned around heart and blood vessel support. Plant-based omega-3 DHA brings the sustainability and vegan-friendly angle. Olive polyphenols bring Mediterranean health cues and protective antioxidant associations. Phospholipid delivery technology brings the scientific delivery story. The cap-in-cap format brings visual differentiation.

For cardiovascular health, a category that can often feel quite clinical or traditional, this kind of innovation makes the proposition feel more premium, modern and engaging.

Zynamite® and Cereboost™ showed how cognitive performance is also moving into the longevity conversation. Zynamite® is a natural mango leaf extract positioned as a caffeine-free route into mental and physical energy. That is a great story because it starts somewhere unexpected: not the mango fruit, but the mango leaf.

In a market full of caffeine, stimulants, energy drinks and pre-workouts, the idea of non-stim energy has real appeal, especially for consumers who want focus, alertness or performance without feeling wired.

Cereboost™ takes a different route, using a standardised American ginseng extract positioned around cognitive performance, focus, memory, attention, mood and energy. Both ingredients show that longevity is not just about living longer. It is about performing better, thinking clearly, recovering well and feeling more resilient day to day.

Prostvin™ was a useful reminder that longevity also needs to become more specific. Positioned around prostate health and male urinary function, the formula combines Serena repens, nettle root, bromelain, PEA, zinc and antioxidant vitamins.

This is an important territory because men’s health can often be under-branded or awkwardly communicated. The need is real, but the conversation is not always easy. That creates an opportunity for brands to bring more confidence, clarity and dignity into the category.

Beauty from within was everywhere at Vitafoods, but it has clearly moved beyond collagen alone. The more interesting examples are starting to talk about protection, resilience, inflammation, microbiome balance, antioxidants and long-term skin health.

Exposome Beauty Shield stood out because it uses a more sophisticated beauty framework. Rather than simply talking about glow, skin or collagen, it focuses on the exposome: the internal and external factors that influence skin ageing over time, including UV radiation, pollution, inflammation, diet, microbiome balance and environmental stress.

This is a much richer story for beauty consumers because it reflects how people now think about skin. They know ageing is not just age. It is lifestyle, stress, air quality, sun exposure, sleep, diet and the body interacting with the environment every day.

A beauty from within supplement positioned around enhanced polyphenol antioxidant benefits gives brands a more strategic way to talk about protection, resilience and long-term skin health.

Astaxanthin also fits naturally into this space. The Astaxanthin Cacao Sticks developed in collaboration with Lively Drive were a great example of how beauty, cellular health and indulgence are beginning to overlap.

Pure cacao, prebiotic chicory root fibre and bio astaxanthin come together in a format that feels much closer to a daily indulgence than a traditional supplement. Astaxanthin itself has a strong antioxidant story, often connected to cellular health, oxidative stress and protection. But in a cacao stick, the story becomes more sensual and more accessible.

It is not just “take your antioxidants”. It becomes cacao, fibre, cellular support and natural energy in a format people may actually look forward to taking. That is where beauty from within becomes more interesting: not just a claim, but a ritual.

One of the biggest things I took away from Vitafoods was how much the format now matters. Tablets and capsules are no longer the default. The show was full of gummies, liquid-filled gummies, powder sticks, melts, chews, chocolate, soft chews, micro beads, sprays, sachets and cap-in-cap concepts.

The format is no longer just the carrier. It is part of the brand experience.

Sustained release micro beads were one of my favourite examples. These small spherical particles, around 0.5 to 3.0mm, hold nutrients inside with coatings outside. Vitamins, minerals, herbals or other actives can be held inside the bead, while the coating helps control how and where they are released.

Programmed nutrient release, gastric or enteric delivery, capsules, tablets, solid drinks, cosmetics and personal care all become part of the story. There is something beautifully visual about the idea. Consumers may not understand the full technical process, but they can understand the idea of nutrients being protected, carried and released more intelligently. It feels precise, engineered and premium.

OMEGA Brain Boost was another format story that felt very relevant. A sugar-free omega-3 soft chew with DHA, EPA, magnesium, zinc and vitamins B6, B12, D3 and C, positioned around brain, immune and energy metabolism support.

Omega-3 has historically had a sensory problem: large capsules, liquids, fishy aftertaste and a general lack of enjoyment. A citrus soft chew changes the emotional entry point. It feels more like a sweet. It feels easier. It feels friendlier.

It also made me wonder whether the big confectionery players, Mars, Cadbury, Nestlé and others, will eventually move more seriously into this space. The lines are blurring. Confectionery understands taste, texture, habit, impulse and pleasure better than almost anyone. Supplement brands understand claims, science, efficacy and need states. The future may sit somewhere between the two.

Perform-X Mind Concordix® was another chocolate-based example, using patented Concordix® emulsion technology in a chocolate orange chewable format. Again, the story is not just “another supplement in chocolate”. The technology is doing the work.

The format combines multiple performance-focused actives, including eXtra® for sustained, non-stimulant mental energy and B-vitamins for cellular metabolism support. The blister packaging also plays a role, helping protect sensitive ingredients while preserving stability and flavour.

This is where the finished product starts to feel considered. Active ingredients, delivery technology, taste, convenience, protection and on-the-go mental clarity all work together. For consumers, that is a much easier story to engage with than a list of actives on the back of a tub.

Vitafoods is overwhelming.

As I touched on in my last article, part of that overwhelm comes from seeing just how easy innovation can start to look. Stand after stand of manufacturers, ingredient houses and formulation specialists presenting the perfect base, the perfect delivery system, the perfect claim structure and the implicit invitation: your brand name can be inserted here.

That is exciting, but it is also a warning signal.

Because if everyone has access to the same formats, the same claims and the same trend-led formulations, then the finished brand needs to do much more than simply wrap the product and take it to market.

Walking the show and circling around these ingredients reminded me that ingredients are not just inputs. They are stories.

Sometimes those stories get hidden behind the veil of the finished brand. The consumer sees the pack, the claim, the flavour and the format, but not always the fascinating journey underneath: where the ingredient comes from, how it is grown, extracted, fermented or stabilised, why it matters, what makes it different and how it connects to a real human need.

That feels like a missed opportunity.

Many of these ingredients and delivery systems already have what brands spend years trying to create: provenance, distinctiveness, science, ritual, cultural meaning, sensory experience and talkability.

But ingredient storytelling has to be handled carefully. It cannot become folklore without proof. It cannot become science without emotion. It cannot become a claim without clarity.

The most powerful brands will be the ones that can hold all of this together: the origin story, the evidence, the consumer benefit, the daily ritual, the reason to believe and the reason to remember.

For me, the most exciting ingredients at Vitafoods were not necessarily the ones with the loudest claims. They were the ones with the strongest stories.

The ones you wanted to repeat to someone else.

And in a category becoming more crowded by the day, that may be one of the most valuable brand assets of all.