When butterfly pea flower went viral on social media for its eye-popping blue hue, brands wanted in immediately. The problem: no commercial supply chain existed yet to support them.
That gap between trend and infrastructure is widening. Ilana Orlofsky, associate director of brand and communications at Imbibe, points to a growing mismatch between what consumers and brands want and what the global supply chain can realistically deliver. Scalability itself is not new, but the speed and scale of viral trends are accelerating the problem.
The same dynamic is repeating across categories. FDA approval of natural colors like butterfly pea, gardenia blue, galdieria extract and calcium phosphate has spurred demand for cleaner labels. But two obstacles collide: supply has not caught up, and formulators need significantly higher usage rates of these natural colors to match the vibrancy of synthetic alternatives they replace. "The math doesn't work, yet," Orlofsky said.
Clear protein illustrates the deeper problem. Consumers want protein in every format possible, especially in refreshment-forward categories where the hydration trend is strong. But a high-quality, consumer-ready version does not exist at the scale brands need right now.
The infrastructure gap forces R&D teams to think differently. Tom Pliml, scientist at Imbibe, explains that locking down multiple suppliers is no longer enough. Brands are using "reduction" projects: R&D tactics that introduce complementary or novel ingredients to stretch a constrained raw material. This allows lower usage rates while minimizing sensory and functional shifts caused by supplier rotation. Taste modulators can mask off-notes and balance bitterness to maintain consistency when sourcing natural ingredients that shift flavor profiles due to harvest changes.
Botanicals and adaptogens face added complexity. Isabel Mirfakhraie, technical marketing associate at Imbibe, notes that potency and consistency vary significantly by origin, harvest timing and extraction method. Regulatory alignment matters too: a claim like "supports stress resilience" and "reduces cortisol" are treated differently from a regulatory standpoint, which ultimately impacts scalability of that ingredient.
Brands are not walking away from hot ingredients. Instead, they are recalibrating how those ingredients appear in formulations. Adam Johnson, associate principal scientist at Imbibe, describes the trade-offs: reducing the number of ingredients, switching from a branded or licensed supplier to a generic one, or dialing back the inclusion rate so the ingredient still appears on the label without making any claims.
Product development is shifting toward what Mirfakhraie calls "intentional product development": creating products on purpose, not by accident. This means starting with a clear understanding of the consumer need, then building a formula around real-world constraints from day one: cost targets, ingredient and benefit claims, regulatory requirements and supply realities.
Success hinges on decisions made long before products reach shelves. Pliml stresses that scalability is built or broken early. Product stability and supply chain resilience are the two most critical factors, and both deserve heavy front-end investment.