The Everwell Health team just got back from the Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, CA, where over 3,000 exhibitors and more than 86,000 attendees gathered to share information and learn what’s new in natural foods, beverages, and supplements. It was the largest event in the show’s 45-year history. Exploring the show floor and attending seminars and networking events, we zeroed in on five trends to watch out for in 2026.

Muscle Health: Beyond Powders

Growth in the muscle health category is primarily driven by protein but delivery formats are moving outside traditional powdered supplements and into the functional food space, with drinkables making a big splash. Creatine in particular is booming; brands are adding the ingredient to protein, women’s health, longevity, and cognitive health products, thereby linking muscle and cognitive benefits.

• Everwell Health can help manufacturers differentiate their formulations from other muscle health products with MyoVera™, our patented muscle and strength optimizer.*

Protein Wars: How High Can You Go?

Protein is appearing in everything from pudding to pretzels. Brands are competing to max out the amount of protein per serving they can highlight on front of pack, with many RTD beverages boasting 20-40 grams—and some even more. 

We saw a huge amount of drinkable RTD and sparkling protein beverages on the show floor. Dairy protein appears to have overtaken plant-based protein in popularity; clear whey protein drinks were everywhere. Compared with high-protein foods, RTDs and protein powder represent a lower-calorie option for maximizing protein intake.

Taste will be the key to success in this segment, as protein maxing often causes poor taste and texture. Brands that offer features beyond protein content alone will stand out by giving consumers multiple benefits from a single product. Adding fiber to protein drinks is one way to double up on nutrition claims.

• MyoVera™ is an excellent complement to any protein product because it helps the body use protein more efficiently, allowing consumers to get more out of every gram of protein consumed.*

Women’s Health: Getting Specific 

For years, women’s health supplements tended to fall into one of three buckets: PMS support, menopause formulas, and women’s multivitamins. Today, brands are homing in on what women need and meeting them where they are at particular moments in time, with products aimed at menstrual cycle-phase support, vaginal health, fertility, postpartum recovery, sexual wellness, hormone metabolism, natural beauty, and perimenopause support. 

• Lustriva® is ideal for beauty-from-within formulations—supporting fuller, thicker hair and healthy skin, with noticeable benefits seen in as little as 3 weeks.*

Hydration: Many Ways to Hydrate

Hydration products are ubiquitous, both in tried-and-true forms like RTD beverages and RTM powders, as well as some new formats like gels and sparkling powders. Some brands best known for stick packs are now launching bulk powder tubs. Stacking has also become common; numerous products now feature hydration plus other benefits.

• All Everwell Health products can be formulated into RTD beverages, RTM powders, and/or gels. Use Lustriva® to stack beauty benefits with hydration or nooLVL® to stack hydration with mental and physical energy.* 

Clean Energy Plus: Pairing Energy with Other Benefits

Expo West saw many beverages touting natural, clean caffeine sources or bolting on added functional benefits such as cognitive function, metabolic health, and more. Recovery RTDs are no longer content to focus narrowly on muscle repair and rehydration but are providing broader benefits such as energy restoration, mental clarity, and healthy inflammation response alongside traditional muscle support. Energy ingredients are also moving beyond RTD drinks, showing up in powders and gummies, too. 

• Nitrosigine® and nooLVL® are ideally suited for clean energy formulations aimed at physical performance or mental clarity.*

Taken together, these trends point to one key takeaway. Consumers want products that work harder for them—and that opens the door for smarter formulation.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.