Industry body Complementary Medicines Australia (CMA) revealed popular health supplement categories and Australian consumer purchasing behaviour for 2025 in its annual industry snapshot published last week (Nov. 26).
Women’s health has continued to dominate the most popular dietary supplements category, with total retail value hitting AUD$375m (US$245m) this year.
This is followed by digestive health (AUD$264m), joint health (AUD$184m), immune system (AUD$158m), and bone health (AUD$136m), the report wrote, citing Euromonitor International 2026 Consumer Health Market Data.
The women’s health category includes products such as women’s multivitamins, which recorded a total retail value of AUD$97.4m (US$63.6m) or 24.2% of the total multivitamin market.
More than one-third of women aged 40 to 60, or 37%, used menopause or bone health supplements, wrote the Euromonitor report, which surveyed 2,015 consumers.
Women were also more likely to use supplements than men, with nearly four in five (78%) using supplements, in comparison to 69% of men.
About three in four took supplements
In total, almost three-quarters (74%) of Australians reported taking supplements in the past year, with 41% taking them daily.
The most commonly used supplements included multivitamins (43%), vitamin D (35%), vitamin C (33%), probiotics (28%), and omega-3/fish oils (26%).
More than half (58%) took supplements mainly for prevention, while 24% took them to manage a diagnosed condition.
Over two in three (71%) agreed that supplements should complement conventional medicines to improve outcomes.
This was against the backdrop of low satisfaction rates with the healthcare system, especially for the management of chronic conditions.
Only 36% of Australians said they were satisfied with how the healthcare system managed chronic conditions, while 62% believed it was treatment-focused with a lack of emphasis on prevention.
Satisfaction rates were also low with sleep-related treatments at 28%, menopause at 27%, mobility issues at 28%, and digestive health at 35%.
Low treatment satisfaction linked to higher supplement uptake
The low satisfaction rates with these treatments were reflected in a higher uptake of health supplements addressing these needs, as seen in the case of menopause support and digestive health products.
Digestive health, which has a treatment satisfaction rate of 35%, was the second most popular health supplement category, after women’s health.
The market had also more than doubled since 2016 as probiotics and microbiome-focused products became “everyday family staples”, wrote the report.
Still, more than two in five Australians (42%) were actively seeking better options for digestive health.
Mood and relaxation supplements have also become one of the fastest-growing categories, recording a 21.3% CAGR between 2020 and 2025.
“Australians report low satisfaction with care for several common health concerns…These same areas show strong demand for new solutions, with more than four in 10 Australians (42%) actively seeking better options for digestive health and one in three for sleep problems (33%),” wrote the report.
Poor sleep, often exacerbated by screen exposure and lighting, was estimated to cost the economy $66.3 billion each year, and 31% of Australians identified stress or anxiety among their top three health priorities.
Consumers also expressed willingness to try new prevention or treatment approaches, with 29% willing to do so to manage stress and anxiety. This has also shown “persistent gaps in how the health system supports holistic wellbeing and preventive care”.
