While supplements make a splash in the gaming-verse, digital technology is shaping the wellness space. “Machine learning, artificial intelligence and generative AI are helping us rethink everything from personalized nutrition to pharmaceutical manufacturing, from operational efficiency to supply chain optimization,” says Karan Singh, managing director of ACG.
Nearly one in three U.S. millennials say they prefer personalized products and services, according to McKinsey, and wellness products are adapting. Your bed, for instance, will one day monitor your body processes. “A mattress I was testing warned me that my heart rate had dropped dramatically. It turned out my dog was on the bed, but it highlights the potential of AI in personalizing sleep environments,” says Stewart Schaefer, CEO of Sleep Country, which is developing “AI-driven duvets and pillows” that adjust based on body temperature and sleep pattern.
At PB Leiner, CEO Alexis Bortoluzzi says AI is helping to cut waste and optimize blending processes for gelatin—“similar to creating blended whiskeys.” Haleon has recently launched Panadol’s Health Inclusivity Screener Tool, an AI-powered tool "designed to improve representation across our digital advertising content,” says CMO Tamara Rogers. Elsewhere, Bayer is using AI to slash product development and manufacturing timelines and “understand consumer behaviour and preferences at an unprecedented scale,” explains Julio Triana, president of the Consumer Health Division.
Delivery-platform technologies are levelling up, too. Pills are out; capsules, gummies, gels and food-additives are in. “No matter how effective a product is, people will not stick with it if the experience is unpleasant,” says Julie Boyster, CMO of LifeVantage, which offers liquid collagen in small, refrigerated shot glasses with natural flavoring, and GLP-1 activators as a drink or baking mix-in. Delivery systems are a big conversation in the industry, with consumer pill fatigue likely to shape product sales in 2025. According to Nutrition Business Journal, the market for chewable gummy vitamins is now worth over $7 billion, outstripping pills, as consumers increasingly shop for taste, color and experience.
Making gummies is a notorious challenge, as sensitive ingredients are at risk of being destroyed under high temperatures. Many brands are therefore holding back until the technology improves, while others, like Funtrition, are experimenting across gelling agents and formats: “Gelatin provides elasticity, while pectin is more temperature resistant. We’re working on liquid-center gummies which allow us to incorporate heat-sensitive activities,” says GM Joel Minski.
As new formats emerge, preservation technologies suited to delicate bioactive substances are coming into their own. Freeze-drying, for example, is being used by companies like Oregon Freeze Dry to boost product stability, potency and viability. “The process is inspired by the ancient practices of the Incas, who discovered that high-altitude cold drying could preserve vegetables,” explains CSO Walt Pebley. International Flavours and Fragrances (IFF) is also marrying biotechnology with vegetables to “create natural umami flavors from upcycling carrot production byproducts,” according to CEO Erik Fyrwald.
Fully bioengineered edibles are part of a new category unnervingly titled “new food.” “New food includes sub-categories like biomass, where byproducts such as microorganisms from beer production are turned into sustainable plant-based foods,” explains Pedro Gonçalves, VP of marketing at Tetra Pak. The Swedish multinational is investing in biomass on the outside of products as well as the inside, with a breakthrough in eco-friendly barrier materials in the pipeline. “Traditional solutions are often difficult to recycle and have high carbon footprints. The goal is to have our paper-based barrier technology ready for widespread use by 2030,” says Gonçalves.
Smaller companies like U.K.-based Ethical Nutrition are also championing green standards with 100 percent paper packaging and shipping materials, while bio-industrial service providers like Mérieux Nutrisciences help others to break up with plastic by offering accelerated product testing for compostable packaging. “For food companies looking to shift from chemical to natural ingredients, those services quickly ensure safety and shelf stability while assessing the environmental impact,” says CEO Nicolas Cartier.
The future of everyday wellness, then, is one of personalized testing services, body-tracking devices and tailored supplements. It’s an era in which we bake, drink, chew and snack on bioengineered plant-based nutraceuticals. One where social media communities are the repositories of health information, and digital marketplaces rule the retail space with vast choices and rapid global delivery. The industry will be led by those who thrive in this new landscape.