You’d be hard-pressed to name a macronutrient more synonymous with active and performance nutrition than protein. Once the domain of gymgoers’, protein has exploded into a mainstream consumer megatrend driving momentum across the broader health and wellness space.
According to data from US market intelligence company SPINS, sales of protein supplements and meal replacements grew in double-digit unit (+13%) and dollar (+12.4%) terms year over year, with protein supplement sales alone generating $8.6bn in 2025. In comparison, electrolytes – the second biggest category by annual sales – notched $266m in the period.
Scott Dicker, SPINS senior market insights analyst, told us: “The surge in protein innovation signals that consumers increasingly expect protein to function as a wellness delivery system, not just a macronutrient.
“Protein products grew +9.1% this year, and we’re seeing rapid expansion in ingredients tied to performance and recovery. Creatine is up +44%, magnesium +14.6% and electrolytes +21.9%, which consumers now view as complementary to their protein routines. This reflects a broader shift toward stacked functionality in everyday nutrition. At the same time, shoppers are more open to novel and differentiated protein sources if they feel simple, clean, and effective.”
As more consumers embrace an active lifestyle, how protein is consumed is also evolving. Here’s how the trend is influencing format innovation.
Protein’s format evolution: from powder to RTD
In the food and beverage space, protein is seen as a key value-added ingredient that can elevate nearly any mainstream format and category. But how protein-fortified products perform varies – some are more sought-after than others, and proof is in the sales figures.
SPINS data shows that alongside established categories such as powders and wellness bars, growth is coming from high-protein snacks, bar alternatives and emerging concepts such as clear protein and protein gels. Meanwhile, protein-rich shots and sodas are among the emerging formats that are drawing in significant consumer interest, according to the market intelligence agency.
Snacking and bakery-adjacent formats are also bulking up: with cereal, chips and pretzels, and cookies and pastries now adopting 15g+ protein callouts.
Other convenience formats driving consumption is ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages.
SPINS notes that RTD protein sales rose at a 13% CAGR over the past two years, increasing from $6bn in 2023 to 7.6bn in 2025.
Protein-rich RTDs are growing in popularity among consumers year after year, with around 40% of US households now buying some form of RTD drinks. The format’s success is also underpinned by habitual consumption – around 75% of consumers repeatedly bought such drinks in the period, SPINS data shows.
“RTD protein has grown at a 13% two-year CAGR, household penetration climbed to 39.9% and repeat purchase rates continue to rise,” Dicker told us. “These are clear signs that protein has moved from an athletic product to a daily habit. New formats like clear protein, protein sodas, shots, gels and high protein snacks are meeting consumers in more moments of their day.”
Indeed: within RTD, clear protein RTD shakes drove the highest sales growth in 2025 (up 34%), followed closely by dairy-based drinks such as ultrafiltered protein shakes (up 25%), and protein waters, shots and sodas (up 12%).
Protein’s next wave: Targeting the space in between
Younger consumers such as Gen Z and Millennials are the most protein-focused cohort. Those consumers spend more on protein-rich foods and are more likely to trade up for protein-fortified products than Gen X shoppers, SPINS notes.
In the US, 56% of younger shoppers say they follow a high‑protein diet – and 32% also follow a plant‑based diet. This suggests an opportunity for brands to innovate in high-protein niches that offer value to vegetarians, flexitarians and plant-forward omnivores.
Brands such as Danone are already doing this through Silk High-Protein, while in refrigerated creamers, plant-based and functional creamers are increasingly coming to the fore as brands strive to meet consumer wellness needs.
Whey powders come under pressure
Format innovation in the active nutrition space is clearly hotting up, but established formats such as powders continue to be a reference point.
SPINS data shows that whey protein powder holds 43.3% share and is driving the most sales and growth (up 13.5% YoY). Meanwhile, sales of collagen powder (20.4% share) were slightly up (+1.9%) while plant (16.0% share, −6.0% YoY), non-whey animal (4.1% share; −5.9% YoY) and blends (3.3%; −0.2%) all softened.
But the share leader is facing headwinds due to production and pricing pressures affecting the wider whey protein space.
SPINS data shows that whey protein powder price per ounce rose around 8% from 2025 and into 2026, suggesting that cost pressures are slowly lifting shelf prices.
“Whey continues to lead, but collagen, blends, and emerging plant-forward formats are redefining what protein can look like across a wider range of wellness needs,” Dicker explained. “Younger consumers in particular are driving this shift: 56% of them report following a high-protein diet, and they significantly over-index on functional add-ons.”
The upward pressure on whey protein prices is also down to a perfect storm of structural supply constraints, processors costs, and global WPI and dry whey commodity price increases.
China tariffs on US whey exports – which shrank in Q4 2025 – temporarily softened the pressure on the internal US market last year – but domestic inventories are now normalising, which is likely to contribute to shelf price rises in the long term.
These constraints aren’t unique to whey protein powders, however, notes SPINS. Products such as coffee and orange juice are facing similar challenges in the US market, where production cost increases have been followed by sustained shelf price inflation.
So who will lead the category’s next growth phase?
The broad takeaway in the current market is that brands can’t afford to innovate only at format level, Dicker said.
“The next wave will pair strong protein fundamentals – digestibility, taste, and transparency – with multifunctional benefits and delivery systems that fit seamlessly into consumers’ routines.
“The data shows consumers are already expecting protein to work harder for them, and the brands that anticipate that expectation rather than react to it will lead the next phase of growth.”
