Are supplements the new superfood? Here’s a peek inside India’s nutraceutical boom

“There is no super-ingredient floating around the world like some high-powered electron. Magnesium, for example, comes in about 15 forms, each with its own use. It boils down to the right formulation.” According to a study by Astute Analytica, the Indian nutritional supplements market is currently valued at US$11.85 billion and is projected to hit a market valuation of US$28.70 billion by 2032. There’s a seemingly endless food court of brands—Setu, Plix, Bodywise, Nyumi and a dozen others crowding drugstores, Blinkit and Zepto pages. They offer a buffet of melts, strips, gummies, powders and pills that extract and compress the goodness of everything from Ayurveda-approved ingredients like ashwagandha and shilajit to trending ones like marine collagen and protein powders.

They frequently interrupt my doom scroll—little bursts of hope that leave me fantasising about hair like Rapunzel’s and poreless skin like Snow White’s. Naturally, they’ve struck a chord with people across generations. My mother is exploring the wild world of CBD oils to relieve chronic pain. My 22-year-old sister has replaced her prescribed multivitamins with Cosmix products to fix her hair fall and acne woes. I’m still popping Centrum daily to compensate for stress-eating McDonald’s burgers.

Some in the medical establishment remain sceptical. “Despite claims of being ‘nature-sourced’ or ‘traditionally sourced’, many of these supplements are not adequately backed by clinical research to demonstrate real health benefits,” says Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, a hepatologist. While doctors and nutritionists might have differing views on the need for supplements, Makhija says, “The closer something is to real food, the better its effect on our body”. Meanwhile, inspired by Ozempic and ‘supermodel grannies’, nutraceutical companies are expanding into weight loss and anti-ageing.

“There are still very few nutraceuticals for women that don’t cater to vanity,” says Chopra. “We don’t have a glow-your-skin gummy, but we do have a magnesium gummy which will give you that result in three months anyway. We’re yet to think of our health first, as women.” This doesn’t surprise Makhija either. “When are you more likely to take curcumin? If it makes your cough stop or if I tell you it’s an anti-ageing product? Sadly, vanity will continue to drive a lot of these choices. But I need to give my body what it needs for it to give me what I need—good hair and skin, more energy and stamina, and an absence of disease. Lots of hot keywords sell nutrition, but in its essence, you are what you eat.”

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