Whilst it may seem counter intuitive to pair additional health benefits with alcohol, two brands are seeking to break down traditional notions of ‘’good’’ and ‘’bad’’ for you with their functional alcohol offering.
The last few years have seen a rapid rise in functional food & drink, promising added benefits beyond that of normal food formulation with the rise of nootropics and adaptogenics fuelling the squeezing out of maximum benefits from FMCG purchases. The European market for functional food & drink was estimated to be worth €38 billion in 2016 (Euromonitor), with products from sweets to soft drinks designed to minimise nutritional gaps in our daily diets or boost wellbeing. And it appears this trend has no bounds, with the alcohol the latest category to get aboard the functional train.
Young In Spirit are the world’s first alcoholic drinks company to combine spirits with collagen. Their rose pink Collagin is the ultimate drink of the moment, promising the age defying benefits of collagen to the spirit of the generation, in a shade of ‘’millennial pink’’. In comparison, Hop Heart is a craft beer with added vitamin B6 to support heart health, reducing the risk of heart disease by using natural ingredients like water, barley and yeast.
These are only two of many examples in the expanding territory with consumer expectations rising, wanting more bang for their buck in the form of multi-functional products. Enhancing cognitive, physical and holistic wellbeing is being slowly de-medicalised, with consumers turning from pill popping towards the perceived healthier platform of food & drink.
Looking forward, this could become an intersection of the hyper-personalisation trend, with brands curating a specific health experience for the consumer. Could it be that we’ll see the rise in Percy Pigs for better skin? Kettle’s crisps for advanced immunity? The personalisation possibilities are endless (if a little absurd) for FMCG.