Performance nutrition summary
- Everyday athletes increasingly drive performance nutrition growth across global markets
- Category value reaches 62.8bn dollars globally with rapid expansion projected
- Younger consumers prioritise protein hydration recovery and cleaner evidence‑based formulations
- Retail shifts move sports products mainstream driving higher volumes and accessibility
- Brands respond with clearer education simpler messaging and transparent on‑pack numbers
Performance nutrition is no longer the preserve of the professional athlete.
Ninety-five percent of Europeans now say health is a top priority, according to a poll of 9,000 adults by Bain & Company as part of their 2025 Consumer Lab. And, alongside everyday habits like cutting sugar (56%) and processed foods (50%), a growing proportion are investing in specialised sports nutrition products to support their healthier, more active lifestyles.
These ‘everyday athletes’ are blending whey protein and creatine into breakfast smoothies, snacking on high protein, high fibre snack bars and dissolving electrolyte tablets in water. Nearly one in five consumers now say they buy sports or functional nutrition products to support hydration, according to Innova Market Insights.
It’s a behavioural shift that has transformed the once-niche category. “Historically, performance nutrition was largely aimed at elite or ultra-endurance athletes - people training for Ironman, marathons or professional competition, and who already had a good level of specialist knowledge,” says Daniel Temm, CEO of Puresport. “What we’re seeing now is a much broader audience entering the category, driven by a huge increase in participation in exercise, particularly among younger generations. Covid was a major accelerator, especially in areas like running and gym training, and many of those habits have stayed.”
The biggest impact is sheer scale.
The category is now worth $62.8bn (€53.7bn) globally in 2025, according to Fortune Business Insights (FBI), with projected growth of 82.3% over the next decade, and a forecast valuation of $114.5bn by 2034. Though Asia Pacific dominates the market – with a 38.4% share – Europe and its growing roster of specialist sports nutrition brands is also driving this boom, with annual regional sales worth $14.5bn as of December 2025, say FBI.
UK firm THG Nutrition, for example, which owns Myprotein, saw sales climb 10% in Q3 2025, its best quarterly growth in over two years, off the back of international expansion, strong online performance and a 90% sales jump in social commerce sales like TikTok Shop and Amazon.
But the impact of these ‘everyday athletes’ on the performance nutrition category goes beyond simply broadening penetration.
Shift in priorities
The priorities and preferences of a new mainstream sports nutrition consumer are driving all sorts of decisions in the category too, says Jake Hyten, CEO at Superior Supplement Manufacturing.
“On the manufacturing side, the shift is decisive: everyday users now drive a large share of briefs, volumes, and retail placements,” he says. “Retailers have moved key items from specialty bays into mainstream shelves, and brands are prioritising familiar, portable formats like RTD protein, hydration sticks, high‑protein dairy, and ‘fitness‑energy’ drinks," he adds.
Big launches such as Gatorade Water, BodyArmor Flash I.V., and the hydration stick boom have reframed sports products as daily wellness tools, while social media has normalised ingredients like creatine and electrolytes.
The practical impact is broader pack sizes, more flavour variety, and clearer on‑pack numbers, which together expand consumption occasions and push scale through grocery, convenience, and e‑commerce.
Even the meaning of ‘performance’ has shifted, says Temm. “It’s no longer just about race results or personal bests, but also about feeling better day to day - sleeping better, having more energy, recovering well and being more consistent.”
A handful of credible ingredients, those with more substantiated claims and benefiting from wider consumer awareness, is doing much of the heavy lifting. “Ingredient requests centre on whey or blended plant proteins, electrolytes with meaningful sodium and potassium, creatine at evidence‑based doses, and caffeine with stated milligrams per serving rather than aggressive stimulant stacks,” says Hyten. “Formulators are trimming proprietary blends, moderating stimulant levels, and highlighting transparent numbers on the front of pack to simplify comparison,” he adds. In Europe, in particular, he says that brands are leaning on authorised nutrition statements such as ‘protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass’ and straightforward benefit language, “often alongside third‑party testing marks to support broader retail acceptance.”
“There’s been a noticeable move towards cleaner labels, fewer ingredients and more evidence-based formulations,” agrees Temm. “This audience tends to be younger, more informed and more sceptical, so they want to know what’s in their products and why.”
Clear and simple
As performance nutrition has moved into the mainstream, brands and manufacturers are shifting the way they market products too.
“There’s been a much greater need for clear, simple education,” says Temm. “Many consumers know that hydration, protein or energy products are important, but don’t fully understand how or when to use them, or how they support performance and recovery.
“Marketing now needs to focus on explaining benefits in a straightforward, accessible way, rather than using technical or elite-focused language. Addressing practical concerns like taste, texture and gut comfort is also increasingly important. The brands performing best are those that meet people where they are, offering high-quality products alongside clear guidance that helps everyday athletes use them safely and effectively.
“At the same time, the rapid growth of the category has lowered the barrier to entry, meaning a lot of lower-quality products have entered the market. That makes it even more important for brands to focus on genuine functionality and credibility, rather than chasing trends.”
Because ‘everyday athletes’ may not be specialist sportspeople – but their knowledge and expectations are increasing all the time, driving the performance nutrition category to diversify products, tailor formulations and, ultimately, to raise the bar.
