Supporting the Perimenopause Journey

Millennial and Gen X women currently represent the functional food industry’s most strategic consumer segments. With a growing set of wellness priorities and immense purchasing power, women, especially as they age, are an ideal demographic for healthy products to support. While the interests of women in this segment can span from sleep to focus to stress support, one emerging area that stands out is hormone balance. These trends strongly coincide with women’s major life-stage shift in perimenopause, where the body gradually prepares for the end of menstruation and child-bearing years. As a result, new ways to support women as they navigate perimenopause is gaining a lot of attention among consumers and brands alike. Despite the rising awareness, few products are aimed at meeting the specific needs of this transition, creating a timely opportunity for innovation in functional products.

“Google Trend data shows that the demand for perimenopause-related information has outpaced menopause, heart health, and obesity as top search topics for women’s health,” said Brian Zapp, marketing director at Applied Food Sciences (AFS). “With women experiencing perimenopause earlier in life, women are looking for products that can help ease symptoms like brain fog, mood changes, and sleep problems.”

For more than 20 years, AFS has brought inspiration and innovation to functional ingredients. Now, they are offering science-backed health ingredients, supported by clinical research and multiple patents, to help address this emerging need in the market.

Why is perimenopause becoming the new face of women’s health?

Social media conversations around women’s health reflect increased interest in the perimenopausal transition. For example, the advanced social listening data from Brightfield Group reports that over the last five years, across more than 70 million tracked social posts captured from Instagram, TikTok, and X, more than 5 million mentions were of women’s health. Of those, about 231,000 were perimenopause-related, with a substantial connection to hormonal balance. Perimenopause now has a 5% share of voice on social media, surpassing conversations on obesity/weight loss.

What happens during perimenopause?

Hormone fluctuations are a natural part of aging. Yet for women approaching their 40s and beyond, the body produces a bigger shift where it changes its predominant form of estrogen from estradiol (used during reproductive years) to a more stable long-term form called estrone. For many, this transition is not a graceful one, often due to a condition called estrogen dominance, where excess levels of estradiol create an imbalance that can noticeably impact numerous health conditions.

How are xenoestrogens from chemicals and plastics impacting hormones?

Estrogen dominance is compounded by added estrogen intake through diet, medications, and the environment. Arguably the most significant contributor is the effect of xenoestrogens, which are synthetic chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body (specifically estradiol). Year over year, we are recognizing how many substances lead to the absorption of xenoestrogens, such as pesticides, preservatives, microplastics, and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFUAs). In order to maintain a healthy hormone balance, these various forms of estrogen need to be effectively metabolized and removed from the body to avoid accumulation.

Does estrogen imbalance impact men's health?

The hormone conversation often overlooks men, who also produce a small amount of estrogen through the conversion of testosterone. When estrogen levels in men get too high, especially with the intake of xenoestrogens, it can disrupt hormonal balance and even suppress natural testosterone production.

What is the solution for product manufacturers looking to support hormone balance?

While many products aim to address individual symptoms, a more holistic approach is to target the root cause through science-backed ingredients that can enhance the body’s natural detoxification pathways. It’s exactly these pathways that are responsible for metabolizing and deactivating excess estrogens and xenoestrogens.

For example, CelluThrive, is an ingredient that enhances the body’s natural glucuronidation process to support liver and hormonal health, making it easier for the body to eliminate toxins, hormones, and other waste products. Backed by over two decades of research, this ingredient has been clinically shown to drop estradiol levels by 56% compared to placebo. Additional research demonstrates CelluThrive’s ability to combat specific gut bacteria, called β-glucuronidase, that disrupt the detoxification process and recirculate estrogen and other chemicals back into the body. The added effect resulted in a 23% reduction in estradiol concentration in the bloodstream. This means CelluThrive helps the body effectively remove metabolized estrogens, prohibiting them from getting recirculated or reactivated. Furthermore, CelluThrive aids in the removal of toxic compounds, including microplastics, PFUAs, and food additives, which are key sources of xenoestrogen intake. That means CelluThrive is not only a powerful hormone support ingredient but also provides additional liver support that women in perimenopause are currently seeking.

What’s the takeaway for formulators?

Women are rewriting the wellness narrative, and brands have an opportunity to lead the way. By addressing hormone health at the root, not just the symptoms, products formulated with CelluThrive can become a trusted hormonal support system for life’s biggest transitions.

Learn more about CelluThrive from AFS.