With their fruity taste and jelly-like texture, they are increasingly appealing to fans of nutritional cocktails in search of well-being. Gummies – candy-like chewable gums enriched with plant, vitamin or mineral concentrates – have been invading pharmacy and supermarket shelves in recent years. Will they put old-fashioned capsules and tablets to shame?
Apple, pineapple, blackberry, peach, strawberry… The pop-colored bottles, inspired by confectionery codes, are available over the counter for all ailments (sleep, stress, vitality, digestion, menstrual discomfort) and at all prices. On average, they cost between 10 and 20 euros for a three- to four-week course of treatment.
The cost doesn’t seem to deter buyers, won over by their convenience. In pharmacies, where 54% of dietary supplement sales are made in France, their sales have jumped from €16 million in 2020 to €59 million in 2022. “Today, gummies occupy 12% of the space in pharmacies devoted to food supplements for sleep, and already more than 40% of multivitamins for children,” said Jean-Sébastien Eudes, at Fact Pharma.
Coming straight from the US, where they now capture over 20% of the country’s dietary supplement sales, these health treats were popularized in France in 2019, spurred on by a handful of start-ups, including Marseille-based Lashilé Beauty (swallowed up in 2021 by the Cooper Consumer Health laboratory), and Paris-based Mium Lab. The latter, which counts Groupe M6 among its minority shareholders, distributes its products in a dozen countries.
This strong growth has not gone unnoticed. Today, the sector’s pioneers face competition from a host of start-ups, as well as from major pharmaceutical laboratories (Havéa, Arkopharma, Forté Pharma, Upsa etc.), which have rushed to bring out gummy versions of their star products.
‘Pay attention to product composition’
“This new format, which is more fun and easier to ingest, is interesting, but you have to pay close attention to the products’ composition, particularly the concentrations and types of sugars and active ingredients. They can vary considerably from one manufacturer to another and therefore influence their effectiveness,” said Odile Chambin, Professor of Galenic Pharmacy at the University of Burgundy.
Sugar is often the first ingredient listed on the labels of these chewable gums, and nutritionists and pharmacists are concerned. David Gueunoun, the founder of Mium Lab, said: “Some brands have capitalized on the gummies phenomenon, putting products of questionable quality on the market, which is detrimental to the image of this galenic form of chewable gum, which nevertheless has many advantages, including the ability to improve compliance, i.e. the person continues the treatment to the end.”
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