Health products ride baby boom wave

3/7/2017
Purveyors of health products have been riding the baby boomer wave for some time now, and it doesn’t appear to be cresting any time soon. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans ages 65 years old and older is projected to more than double from 46 million today to more than 98 million by 2060, and the 65-and-older age group’s share of the total population will rise to nearly 24% from 15%.

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This will create a demand for many age-related over-the-counter remedies, including these best-selling products that are featured.

For example, solutions for incontinence, including Kimberly-Clark’s Poise brand, certainly resonate with seniors. Sales of adult incontinence products as a whole totaled $1.8 billion on 5.7% growth for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 25 across total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI, and with good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 43.8% of noninstitutionalized seniors had experienced some form of incontinence.

Quincy Bioscience’s Prevagen is another popular product that promotes memory function and brain health — two issues that weigh heavily on the minds of Americans. According to AARP’s 2015 Survey on Brain Health, three-quarters of adults over the age of 40 are already concerned about a decline in their brain health down the road. While most adults haven’t noticed any change in their mental abilities, one-third of those over the age of 40 are already reporting impairment to their ability to remember things.

Eye care is another age-centric concern that has catapulted an eye-care supplement, such as Bausch + Lomb’s PreserVision, to the top of the sales charts. The major eye diseases among seniors include cataract (20.5 million Americans over the age of 40, according to CDC), diabetic retinopathy (5.3 million adults over the age of 18), glaucoma (2.2 million Americans over the age of 40) and age-related macular degeneration (1.6 million Americans over the age of 50). The prevalence of vision impairment increases rapidly with age, particularly after age 75.

And according to the 2016 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements, the oldest population surveyed (adults ages 55 years old and older) maintains the highest percentage of supplement use at 74%. Not only is Pharmavite’s Nature Made line of supplements one of the better-selling brands, it was awarded the 2016 Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand in the supplement category.
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