Patches and Topical Supplements Are on the Rise Due to Pill Fatigue

Patches aren’t just for acne.

As pill fatigue increases and consumers turn to alternative forms of supplements, other new options are gaining traction — most notably topical supplements such as patches, creams and sprays that deliver vitamins and nutrients through the skin.

“[Patches] “It’s a great alternative to the traditional way of taking medication,” says Mark Lacey, director of investment banking at Raymond James. “It’s something you can wear, it’s easy, and it’s there all day.”

Over the past few years, consumers have increased their supplement intake; 74% of American adults take supplements daily, according to a survey by the Council for Responsible Nutrition. But with that comes pill fatigue and a demand for alternative formats. Gummies, for example, have become increasingly popular and are often cited as the preferred and fastest growing format in the vitamin and mineral supplement (VMS) space. Additionally, the craze for “sleepy girl mocktails” and “sexy water” has made powders and liquids the norm.

Recently, however, alternatives to oral supplements have begun to appear on the market. Though still in their early stages, topicals, especially patches, are showing great potential and are growing rapidly due to growing consumer demand for alternative solutions.

According to data from NielsenIQ, patch sales exceeded $3.3 million over the past year, up more than $1 million from the previous year. Though it’s a small category in the overall supplement market (for comparison, gummies made $1.8 billion in the same year), patch sales have grown rapidly, up from about $380,000 just three years ago.

As the category is building, most of the products on the market are centered around core needs, often named to reflect the benefit or use case (such as sleep or stress), and with easily recognizable ingredients. “This is an emerging category, so the core will be multivitamins, vitamin B12, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, energy, immunity… [and] The “sleep” theme isn’t a very niche use case, it’s more like “this is a new category, let’s take a big category with VMS and go after it.”

In the medical field, topical solutions such as nicotine patches and birth control patches exist but are relatively new to the broader health field, and in the beauty field, acne patches and other skin care-oriented products are gaining popularity and establishing a foothold.

“Supplements, including wellness patches, have emerged as a key concern for our customers,” Penny Coy, Ulta Beauty’s senior vice president of merchandising, said in an email. “Initially, patches revolutionized the beauty industry through acne and skin care solutions that became status symbols and forms of self-expression that could be worn proudly in public. We knew it was only a matter of time before wellness-oriented patches gained similar popularity.”

Koi highlighted The Good Patch, which launched in 2018 and is available at Ulta Beauty, Target, CVS and Revolve, as a “pioneer.”

“Rooted in efficacy and results-driven solutions, the wellness patch has great potential,” she said. “It’s easy to wear and will appeal to both men and women of all ages looking for support to get through their daily lives.”

One of the early entrants in the space, Goodpatch focuses on essential, everyday products like the $12 energy booster B12 Awake and the $12 melatonin-free sleep aid Slumber, which CEO Cedar Carter says are its two best-selling products.

“Anything that can brighten up your day is always going to be appealing to consumers,” she said.

Patch Brand co-founder Gil Brodski started the company after his own experience with gluten and dairy allergies led to nutritional deficiencies. Sold in 12,000 stores, including Urban Outfitters, Walgreens, Kohl’s and 7-Eleven, the brand also focuses on important everyday needs with its sleep patch ($24) and energy patch ($24), and is branching out into other trending areas like sexual health with its latest release, the libido patch ($24).

“We don’t have to get too carried away with developing new products,” Brodzki says. “We see what’s already on the market. We see what customers already want to buy.”

One of the things that attracted Brodzki to the format is that it doesn’t contain any fillers or additives that are common in capsules, liquids or gummies — a key factor for celebrity trainer Isaac Boots, who sells Mindset Wellness x Torched Energy Patches ($30).

“I love gummy bears, [but] “I and many of my clients fast,” says Boots, co-founder and chief mindset officer at Mindset Wellness. “The patch helps us turn off the noise in our heads. What could be better than this delivery system that gives us the energy we need without the risk of ingesting calories?”

In addition to not containing fillers, proponents say topicals offer many other advantages over oral forms: Instead of passing through the digestive tract, where nutrients can be destroyed, patches go directly into the bloodstream. Plus, because patches are removable, users have control over their experience, removing the supplements when they no longer need their benefits.

“That’s why our sleep patches, especially Dream ($12), have been so well received by consumers,” Carter says. “The patch delivers a small amount of sleep medication for up to 12 hours while you wear it. It puts you in control.”

Cleo Davis-Erman seized this opportunity with her brand, Barrière, which sells in over 1,200 stores, including Anthropologie, Free People, Hapier Grocery, Larude, and Uncommon Goods. After realizing she wasn’t getting enough nutrition from ingestible sources, Davis-Erman became obsessed with the patch format, but was disappointed with the look and feel of what was on sale.

“I just couldn’t see myself wearing them for a lot of reasons,” she says. “They’re bulky, they irritate the skin, you can’t get wet, you can’t sweat.”

Barrière takes a design-first approach, with each patch featuring a small piece of art or symbol, such as a flower, sun or strawberry.

“It was important that the product was something people wanted to wear and looked forward to wearing,” Davis-Erman said, noting that Barrière has a repeat customer rate of more than 60 percent and thousands of regular subscribers.

“The big opportunity in the patch market is to improve branding and make it more relatable to a younger generation,” Lacey says. “Branding is important now because it can’t just sit on a shelf.”

While many brands are seeing consumers use the patches in addition to their regular supplements, Davis-Erman said that over time, they’re starting to see users add the patch to their routine or eventually use the patch in place of supplements.

When it comes to topicals, it’s not just patches that are making a difference: brands are also turning to sprays, creams, and balms that are easy to use on the go.

For example, Hire Dose’s Transdermal Magnesium Spray ($35) can be sprayed on to soothe muscles, promote recovery, increase sweat production, and promote sleep. The spray is part of a line of topical products aimed at enhancing the effects of the brand’s wellness technologies, particularly its infrared sauna blanket ($699). As magnesium deficiency becomes increasingly common, searches for topical magnesium have increased 231.9%, according to Spart data.

“One of the best ways to absorb magnesium is through the skin,” said Lauren Berlingieri, co-founder and co-CEO of HigherDose, noting the challenges of taking it orally. “Magnesium can be quite disruptive to the digestive tract and can increase abdominal bloating, so absorbing it through the skin is a great solution.”

Known as the body’s “master detoxifier,” glutathione is another ingredient that shows promise for topical innovation. Typically, glutathione comes as expensive infusions or injections, or as sticky liposomal supplements. But Auro Wellness founder Dr. Nayan Patel has developed a transdermal spray that employs multi-patented sub-nanotechnology, and he’s working on developing similar technology for NAD+ and copper peptides.

“It all depends on the body’s ability to accept it,” he said, noting that not all ingredients work in this format.

Other founders of the topicals industry also say consumers need to be careful because not all nutrients can be delivered through the skin.

“There are a lot of brands out there, especially online, that are making bold, egregious claims that aren’t true or can’t be delivered in a patch format,” Carter said, giving probiotics as an example: “The patch holds a certain amount of milligrams.”

Collagen is another ingredient that doesn’t get absorbed effectively through patches, Davis-Erman said.With uncertainty across the market, experts agree that retailer support is essential to building a trusted category.

Additionally, some say there is still work to be done to improve the format.

“Some patches can irritate the skin, they need to be left on all day, and there are studies that question their effectiveness,” Lacey said. “There are different regulations and rules around the world regarding transdermal patches. The question remains: Can this be rolled out globally and will it be widely adopted?”

That said, Lacey said the category is expected to see the most growth globally, with Asia showing particular potential. As interest grows and other alternative supplement formats pave the way, the category will evolve and grow.

“As the science advances, the patch will likely become more and more popular,” Lacey said.

Goodpatch Slumberpatch, $12

With more customers looking for melatonin alternatives, The Good Patch has launched its latest all-natural sleep enhancer with L-theanine, magnesium and tart cherry.

Mindset Wellness x Torched Energy Patch, $30

Mindset Wellness x Torch’d Energy Patches combine green tea extract and L-Theanine to give you a sustained energy boost without the post-coffee energy drop.

Patch Brand Libido Patch, $24

The patch brand’s latest offering contains ingredients like L-arginine, maca root, and vitamin B6 to boost excitement.

Oro Wellness Glutaryl, $120

Using sub-nano technology, this topical glutathione is absorbed through the skin and provides detoxifying benefits.

HigherDose Transdermal Magnesium Spray, $35

Four squirts of this HigherDose spray delivers 100 milligrams of magnesium, absorbed through the skin to reduce tension, promote sleep, and enhance the benefits of training or sauna sessions.

Barrière Energy Boost Vitamin B12 Mini Patch, $13

Barrière Energy Boost Vitamin B12 Mini Patches contain 100 micrograms of active ingredient and 400 micrograms of folic acid in a 1/2 inch patch.