Throughout 2024, Radicle Science celebrated 12 industry visionaries through our monthly Trailblazers series—leaders redefining what’s possible in wellness. Reflecting on a transformative year, we spotlight these pioneers to explore trends shaping the future of health and wellness. Unified themes emerge: transparency, innovation, education and inclusion are the cornerstones of the industry’s future. These diverse leaders turned challenges into opportunities, rebuilding trust, elevating standards and advancing an inclusive wellness landscape.

Here are six critical lessons for the New Year.

Lesson 1: Build consumer trust through transparency

Transparency is crucial to building consumer loyalty, credibility, restoring trust and differentiating brands in a scrutinized market. Transparency about ingredients and processes builds trust and positions companies as industry leaders.

“Consumers trust brands showing authenticity through real, compelling human stories,” said Joe Dickson, Merryfield, co-founder and head of standards at Merryfield. “[They are] looking for brands and founders connecting on a human level, sharing their journeys and providing credible, transparent information about their products. Companies aren’t people, but their founders are, fostering real human connections is irreplaceable.”

Establishing clear, enforceable guidelines for product safety, efficacy and labeling, and leveraging third-party verification breeds trust. Use accessible channels, like websites and social media, to share this information directly with consumers.

“There are several ways to build authentic customer engagement—my favorite is vulnerability,” shared Elan Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Labs. “Brands need to connect with consumers. Vulnerability is a gate that, when open, draws the buyer in to satisfy their curiosities. Trust comes from transparency—another form of vulnerability. … Studies show consumers choose transparency brands over those that aren’t.”

Being open about safety, efficacy, and sourcing transforms skepticism into trust. Trust is a competitive edge that builds loyalty among consumers, retailers, and regulators.

Lesson 2: Revolutionize research and personalization with technology

Technology is upleveling the development, validation and consumer personalization of dietary supplements. From data-driven formulation development to AI-powered clinical insights, advanced technologies drive wellness innovation at an ever-accelerated pace.

“There is good reason to be enthusiastic about AI speeding up discovery and creating and eliminating interesting possibilities using massive data sets from which skilled people can then advance ideas,” noted Loren Israelsen, president and founder of the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA).

There are countless opportunities to leverage advanced technologies, including machine learning and gen AI, making data-driven insights more broadly accessible, useful and impactful.

Greg Horn, CEO of Specialty Nutrition Consulting, stated: “Four themes—smarter computing, better metrics, a bigger toolbox of bioactives and advanced insights into highly complex ‘-omic’ interactions—come together to herald a new era of applied effective nutrition with a degree of precision and tunability with feedback that we can only imagine today. … The democratization of information and scaling of data made possible first by the internet and now by AI enhances breakthrough accessibility.”

Harnessing technology elevates every facet of product life cycles, from accelerating innovation, creating more effective finished products, powering higher regulatory compliance and informing more targeted marketing—all driving higher revenues, margins and improved stakeholder trust.

Lesson 3: Commit to consumer education with science-based messaging

In an era of misinformation, educating consumers with clear, science-backed insights is key. Knowledgeable consumers are empowered to make informed health choices, boosting trust and loyalty.

“Brands need to research their products’ efficacy and dosages, share results and talk about the continuous improvement of their products.” said Susan Kleiner, PhD, founder and owner of High Performance Nutrition.

The opportunity is to create educational campaigns that translate complex scientific data into approachable, relatable messaging. It’s an opportunity to showcase clean, potent, clinically validated products while tackling myths and concerns.

Gene Bruno, ‘The Vitamin Professor’ and chief scientific Nutraland USA chief scientific officer, is authoring a new book about ‘Real Science’ vs ‘Marketing Science.’ He shared: “The dietary supplement industry is rife with ‘fairy dust’ products containing inadequate doses of nutraceuticals supposedly providing beneficial effects. Too often they also don’t provide the right form of the nutraceutical…At the same time, there are many legitimate dietary supplements with the right doses of the right nutraceuticals based on real science, including human clinical research supporting their efficacy.”

Well-informed consumers are more likely to invest in brands that demonstrate integrity and clarity establishing these brands as trusted authorities.

Lesson 4: Address misinformation through ethical standards

Trailblazers expressed frustration over the persistent misconception that the dietary supplement industry is unregulated. They emphasized the importance of self-regulation and collaboration with regulatory bodies.

“Effective self-regulation would further complement and enhance government regulation. … Refinements in the efficiency, independence and transparency of the existing self-regulatory machinery and its administration would benefit the industry and consumers,” said former FTC Commissioner Pamela Harbour.

This can be complemented by updates in the regulatory paradigm.

“Regulatory relics of the pre-internet economy prohibit companies from disseminating certain truthful and not misleading information about dietary supplements and ingredients to the public,” observed Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). “These barriers are overdue for modernization to enable industry to better inform and educate consumers, in turn helping strengthen long-term consumer trust in the category.”

While supporting these efforts, companies can develop robust quality control systems and craft campaigns spotlighting their commitment through transparent communication—enhancing overall industry credibility.

Lesson 5: Reduce health disparities through inclusion

Addressing health access disparities has become a defining focus. Prioritizing inclusion fosters equity, opens markets and resonates with socially conscious consumers, driving growth. This aligns with technology’s growing role in advancing the sector.

Danielle Masterson, editor at NutraIngredients-USA, shared: “I am enthusiastic about AI’s role in health and wellness, notably within the dietary supplement industry… My biggest concern is lack of dataset diversity, which leads to algorithmic biases that don’t benefit everyone—especially women and minorities… If executed correctly, AI holds the potential to positively reshape the world.”

What could this look like? Companies could invest in research and product development aimed at underserved populations, tailoring marketing and distribution strategies to be culturally sensitive and accessible, reflecting the diverse needs of global consumers.

“We need to change our definition of success,” said Karen Howard, CEO and executive director of the Organic & Natural Health Association CEO. “Sustainable growth thrives with meaningful outcomes, this requires addressing health disparities linked to limited access to healthy foods and supplements.”

Lesson 6: Invest in supply chain integrity and sustainability

Sustainability is a key focus as consumers and industry demand eco-friendly practices. From ingredient sourcing to production, trailblazers are setting the standard.

Technology is front of mind with Lori Bestervelt, PhD, senior VP of certification services at the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Lab, who cited blockchain and digital product passport potential to support supply chain efforts.

“Complete supply chain transparency, including ingredient origin, manufacturing processes, and potential side effects, is crucial. … and key for the industry’s future,” she said.

Similarly, Kenn Israel, partner and co-founder at BeyondBrands, commented: “AI-empowered SynBio, precision fermentation and cellular agriculture are capable of consistent manufacture at scale of desired molecules and/or complex ingredient materials. These technologies de-risk, smooth and scale supply chains, democratizing rare compounds, reducing wasteful extraction and eliminating seasonality and environmental risk.”

Moving into 2025, these insights from Radicle Trailblazers serve as a roadmap for driving growth, fostering trust and advancing health and wellness for all.