Vitamin E Sales Continue to Decline. Will Other Antioxidants Follow?

The recent report on the danger of antioxidant supplementation may have a powerful impact on sales.  If Vitamin E sales provide any indication the road for supplement makers ahead might be challenging.   

According to data provided by SPINS for the year ending December 31, 2006 sales of Vitamin E continued a two year decline, losing 12% from year ago dollars in Combined Natural Supermarket and Mainstream Food Drug and Mass channels.   More importantly 2006 sales compared to 2004 showed a 48% decline, with 2006 sales of Vitamin E at $80.6 million compared to $154 million in 2004.

The good news, if you can call it that, is that the steady decline is getting less steep.  More importantly overall sales of vitamin and nutritional supplements were up last year but the power of bad press suggests the fragility of this growth.

Nonetheless time will tell if the recent study on antioxidants has a similar impact.  I thinks not, as the overall consumer confidence in antioxidants has been high and unlike Vitamin E, this study that question antioxidants was not only one of a kind, but likely perceived by the public as a bit unbelievable as its conclusion was not only that antioxidants provide no benefit, but that they might actually kill you.