According to a new report by Credence Research, Inc., the prenatal vitamin supplement market was valued at $319.6 million in 2016, and is expected to reach $673.8 million by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2017 to 2025.
 
Prenatal vitamins supplements contain the minerals and vitamins advised to be taken by women during pregnancy and postnatal lactation. Prenatal vitamin supplements are not intended to replace food, however they are designed to help fill nutritional gaps in a normal diet. Such supplements have been linked to the reduction of birth defect risk, preterm birth, and low birth weight, while helping women to maintain their own health during pregnancy. Prenatal vitamins are similar to other multivitamins, but contains different amounts of specific nutrients to better suit the needs of an expecting mother.
 
The report breaks down the global prenatal vitamin supplement market into product type, including information on folic acid, iron supplements, calcium supplements, essentials fatty acids, and others. Folic acid supplements accounted for the largest share of the prenatal vitamin supplements market, according to Credence Research. Folic acid is advised in the early stages of the pregnancy and even prior to conception, as it is important for fetal development during the first weeks of early pregnancy. Market experts also predicted essential fatty acids would have the strongest growth during the forecast period due to the trend of supplement use in working women and product innovation by key market players.
 
The report suggests prenatal vitamin supplements are gaining acceptance in the market due to aggressive promotion and enhanced sales channels increasing accessibility to the consumers. The prenatal vitamin supplement market on the basis of sales channel are segmented into supermarket, drug stores, and online stores. Online stores held the largest share in the prenatal vitamin supplement market due to the availability of a wide variety of products as compared to supermarkets and drug stores. The variety in price points, private labels, product launches, broad product ranges, and discounts offered have increased the popularity of online stores. Nutritional product manufacturers are targeting supermarkets and hypermarkets to reach the masses, helping sales in this segment grow at the steady rate during the forecast period.
 
In the base year 2016, North America dominated the global prenatal vitamin supplements market due to the higher penetration of dietary supplements, increasing number of self-directed consumers, and easy availability of quality products. Europe followed North America in sales of prenatal vitamin supplements. The European Union has established the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, where stricter regulations have led to the introduction of safe and efficient products in Europe. Asia-Pacific is anticipated to become a growing consumer of such supplements thanks to factors such as increasing awareness among upper-middle-income segment, a large pool of the target population in the region, existing populous countries, and continuous economic development.
 
While numerous companies develop prenatal vitamin supplements, most of the companies are located in the North America and others developed regions. The report suggests these companies have untapped opportunities in the developing regions of Asia Pacific and Latin America. Companies are coming up with various products in the developed nations due to high acceptance and accessibility of these products. Key companies in the market include Biotics Research Corp., Church & Dwight Co. Inc., Country Life, Garden of Life, Rainbow Light, Metagentics, Thorne Research and others.