Healthy longevity is no longer a fringe concept reserved for biohackers or premium wellness brands. It is steadily becoming part of how people think about health, ageing and quality of life more broadly. And that shift has important implications for anyone operating in the health and nutrition space.
Awareness has clearly increased. But what feels different is the way longevity is being approached. Ageing is increasingly framed as something to be shaped and supported, rather than simply slowed or resisted. Across markets, people are thinking less about extending lifespan at any cost and more about staying active, mobile and mentally sharp for longer. And they’re looking to nutrition and supplementation to help them do just that. While levels of familiarity with healthy longevity still vary – from high awareness in China to more emerging understanding in markets like the UK – the underlying motivation is remarkably consistent. People want to feel well, capable and engaged at every stage of life.
The healthy longevity market is still evolving, which means there is real potential to shape it well. Or indeed to get it wrong. Having spent time immersed in industry discussions and scientific perspectives on this topic, most recently at the Nutra HealthSpan Summit in London, a few recurring themes stood out. Here are five ways ingredient manufacturers and B2B marketers can rethink healthy longevity to make it more meaningful, inclusive and effective.
1. From luxury segment to accessibility for all
One thing that stood out to me was how healthy longevity is still a “rich person’s game”. Pricing and positioning continue to skew towards the premium end of the market, putting longevity supplements beyond the reach of many consumers. But throughout the two-day Nutra HealthSpan event, a clear argument emerged. Ingredient manufacturers and brands across the health and nutrition space have a real responsibility to support our growing ageing global population by making longevity solutions available to lower-income groups, not just to those with comfortable discretionary income. This will help more consumers live healthier while giving brands the opportunity to unlock a significantly larger and more sustainable market.
During one talk, PepsiCo offered a compelling example of what accessibility can look like in practice. They highlighted how functional drink innovation can help bring healthy longevity to the masses, with PepsiCo Prebiotic Cola leading the way. The drink is an innovative twist on traditional soda that brings prebiotics to the mainstream. With an online launch in autumn 2025 and plans for an in-store rollout in 2026, PepsiCo isn’t just talking about accessibility but demonstrating real commitment to expanding access beyond niche, premium audiences.
2. Social media is a double-edged sword
We’re seeing a lot of influencers driving awareness of healthy longevity, contributing to the growth of the category – which is great. But they’re also inadvertently spreading misinformation, especially when it comes to dosing, scientific nuance or realistic outcomes.
For brands, this is both a challenge and an opportunity: they need to educate consumers to drive trust in scientifically-validated healthy longevity supplements while leveraging the reach of social channels. Consumers are savvy, but they also want guidance. They’re looking for products and information that feel credible, accessible and genuinely beneficial to their daily lives. The key here is to make longevity messaging understandable, relatable and trustworthy, without oversimplification.
For brands, this is both a challenge and an opportunity: they need to educate consumers to drive trust in scientifically-validated healthy longevity supplements while leveraging the reach of social channels. Consumers are savvy, but they also want guidance. They’re looking for products and information that feel credible, accessible and genuinely beneficial to their daily lives. The key here is to make longevity messaging understandable, relatable and trustworthy, without oversimplification.
B2B ingredient manufacturers and marketers can support by translating complex science into clear, human-focused stories that brands can confidently adopt and articulate. That means anchoring claims in robust evidence, while showing how those benefits fit into real routines, formats and life stages. Providing practical tools – from simple education frameworks and messaging guidance to ready-to-use content and substantiated claims – will help downstream brands communicate with clarity and confidence.
3. It’s a hard sell
Let’s face it: asking a 30- or 40-year-old to take supplements for benefits they may not see for decades is tough. You’re asking them to put their trust in a product designed for consumers aged 50+, with no immediate proof that it’s working. And in today’s world, consumers want to “feel” results right now. Furthermore, even though around 70% of people in the UK and US (and up to 85% in China) say they’ve bought more products and services to support healthy ageing and longevity in the past year versus previous years, that doesn’t mean they’ll stick with them.1 Many will give up after a while – sometimes because it feels like nothing is happening, sometimes because life gets in the way. So, there’s two big challenges for brands: getting younger consumers on board and then keeping them engaged long enough for it to really make a difference. This is where science-backed storytelling becomes essential. To support uptake (and prolonged use) supplement brands can:
- Translate complex mechanisms, like those related to cellular health, into tangible outcomes.
- Leverage biomarkers and wearables to help consumers see and track real-world effects.
- Create relatable rituals, showing how supplements can fit seamlessly into daily routines.
- Emphasise small, short-term improvements to reinforce long-term commitment.
The development of biomarkers, specifically, came up time and time again during Nutra HealthSpan Summit, with many speakers across the two days saying they will be key to healthy longevity innovation and progress. That’s because biomarkers offer measurable, early indicators of how interventions – whether supplements, nutrition or lifestyle changes – are affecting the body. By tracking biomarkers, consumers can see real-time progress (or “proof”) making the abstract idea of “long-term health” feel more tangible. Examples of biomarkers relevant to longevity include gut microbiome markers, inflammatory markers, lipid profiles and epigenetic (biological age and cellular health) indicators.
4. There’s an opportunity to sharpen the message
Cellular health features heavily in longevity conversations but as one speaker put it at the summit, it doesn’t always land with consumers in a meaningful way. For ingredient manufacturers and supplement brands, this creates a real opportunity to help consumers connect the science to outcomes people actually care about. Rather than leading with abstract concepts, like cellular health, the focus is better placed on tangible benefits linked to healthy longevity, such as mobility, heart health, sleep and sustained energy. Some top tips include:
- Leading with the benefit, then layering in the science: start with outcomes people immediately understand, like moving more easily, sleeping better or having sustained energy. Once you’ve hooked interest, bring in cellular health as the why behind those benefits.
- Help consumers connect ingredients to real life: frame benefits around daily experiences, such as climbing stairs comfortably, staying sharp through the afternoon or recovering faster after exercise.
- Focus on quality of life: highlight how longevity supplements will make someone feel and function as they age, rather than how long they might live. This keeps the conversation positive, relatable and motivating.
5. Talk about the microbiome more
The gut is central to healthy ageing, yet brands’ communications have historically prioritised other hallmarks of longevity. And while the industry talks a lot about the microbiome, it often assumes consumers already understand its importance. But in reality, most people are underinformed about how a healthy gut can influence long-term health and longevity.
B2B marketers can overcome this by making microbiome health part of a brand’s healthy longevity story. Gut health influences far more than digestion – it affects immunity, metabolism, inflammation and overall vitality. Brands that make this clear and relevant to everyday life can really connect with consumers and differentiate themselves. Some practical steps to support this are communicating the microbiome as a longevity enabler, not a standalone claim, equipping customers with simple “from gut to outcome” narratives, translating complex mechanisms into human language and offering ready-to-use educational tools, like content modules, FAQs or messaging guidance.
The key takeaway?
Healthy longevity represents one of the most compelling growth opportunities in health and nutrition, but it also exposes some of the category’s biggest communication challenges. The science is complex. The benefits are often long-term. And the expectations from consumers are higher than ever.
No single brand can address this alone. Longevity spans biology, nutrition, lifestyle, microbiome health and prevention, and it requires joined-up thinking across the value chain. This is where B2B ingredient manufacturers have a pivotal role to play. By working closely with finished-product brands, they can help shape complex science into credible, benefit-led narratives, underpin claims with robust evidence and support innovation that is genuinely accessible, not just premium.
Done well, healthy longevity marketing doesn’t overpromise or oversimplify. It helps people understand how today’s choices support how they want to live tomorrow. Through collaboration, scientific rigour and clearer storytelling, the industry has an opportunity not just to grow the category but to make a meaningful difference to how people experience ageing, now and in the years ahead.
