The reason the botanical market will continue to grow at a double digit rate is that the botanicals are no longer a final product in and of themselves. The consumer does not have to take a pill to get them or consume a less than tasty product. More and more the supplements are being enjoyed as part of another product. For example, lecithin added to fruit smoothies, ginko and echanacea being added to beverages like Mad River and SOBE, Alpha hydroxy acids to cosmetics. Sales of herbal supplements reached nearly 2 billion dollars last year and all predictors say that we should see growth continue in the double digits for several years to come.
Botanicals are ingredients that are here to stay.
Some will enjoy surges in popularity as attention is drawn to them, but as a whole the industry does and will continue to grow.