Scientific Poster Session II: Students Research-in-Progress

Students Research in Progress
  Sunday, November 12, 2023
  12:45 PM–02:15 PM

Abstract

Introduction:

Gummies are increasing in popularity as a dosage form in the herbal and natural supplement market.

Research Question or Hypothesis:

The goal of this project is to evaluate common herbal gummies available and analyze main variables.

Study Design:

Sugar content, herbal dose and cost of herbal gummy products sold through multiple channels of distribution were collected, tabulated and analyzed.

Methods:

ConsumerLab.com ‘Top-rated Merchants on Overall Consumer Satisfaction’ list was utilized to identify 4 sales channels carrying a variety of brands of herbal gummy products. The following were selected – Pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens), Online Multi-Category Retailer (Amazon), Discount/Warehouse (Costco), and Herb/Vitamin Retailer (Cambridge Naturals). The trends were evaluated.

Results:

Four herbal categories of products are commonly sold in a gummy dosage form – elderberry, turmeric, ashwagandha, and apple cider vinegar. The total of 22 products were identified. They were available via pharmacy (72.7%), online multi-category retailer (59.1%), discount/warehouse (13.6%) and herb/vitamin retailer (18.2%).

The following criteria were evaluated and trends were identified within this group products: total sugar content (high 40.9%, medium 13.6%, low 45.5%), variety of sugar sources (high 4.5%, medium 81.8%, low 13.6%), cost per serving (high 22.7%, medium 22.7%, low 50%), main ingredient dose (high 22.7%, medium 40.9%, low 36.4%), variety of additional supplement labels (high 18.2%, medium 59.1%, low 22.7%), and healthcare professionals involvement in product development (specified 36.4%, unspecified 40.9%, no presence 22.7%).

Conclusion:

Gummies are a growing market for natural products due to their ease of use and absorption, as well as taste. The majority of herbal gummies evaluated in this project appear to have lower total sugar content, as well as cost per gummy. Three quarters of all products have at least some healthcare professional involvement in product development. Due to the increasing popularity of this dosage form, further research is necessary to evaluate other dietary supplement gummy products.

Presenting Author

Ching Nung Lin Pharm D Student
Massachusetts Colleges of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Authors

Lana Dvorkin Camiel Pharm D
Massachusetts Colleges of Pharmacy and Health Sciences