The white-labeled pots and powders that formed the first ripples of sports nutrition are history. The third wave of the nutritional segment has struck shore, powered by a surging current of flavour, culture and purpose. Let's dive in.

It happened to coffee. First we saw coffee pop in Europe and America, categorised by fresh products and new uses. The early caffeine pioneers brought taste, method and community to the largest markets on earth, turning a geographically and culturally-defined product into an international trend. Then came industrialisation and the rise of Starbucks, Costa and a thousand other franchises. Tastes began to evolve with simple additions like syrups, and other ingredients began to bring new flavour profiles to a market that had developed enough demand for the product. Now we sit firmly in the third iteration, with experts refining the craft into a scientific art. Unique products are made by the likes of Cold Brew Coffee Company, and hyper-specialists like WatchHouse are turning artisanal skill into big business.

Granted, coffee has a slightly longer history than the sports nutrition segment by a few thousand years. But nutrition (think protein, pre-workouts, creatine, hydration et al) has followed a similar path. In an era dominated by early bodybuilding, and where the lifting platform became a proxy for the Cold War, a first wave of built-for-purpose nutrition products hit the market. Single-ingredient formulations, which were categorised by artificial flavours, cloying aftertaste, clumpy mouthfeel and a generally unpleasant experience.

Protein Bulks Up

Culturally hyper-segmented to a very specific user, these products were very much not for the masses. Often ordered from an advert in the back of Flex or Muscle and Fitness magazines, they were for the ‘fitness guy or girl’. The earliest product widely recognised in this space was Hoffman's Hi-Proteen, introduced in 1952 by Bob Hoffman, the founder of York Barbell Company. A soy- and whey-based product, it was consumed for its nutritional benefit, rather than its taste. As the industrial by-product of soy manufacturing, the flavour was far from the focus.

In the second wave, generally categorised by industrialisation and international appeal, we saw the first major global brands begin to establish themselves. RedBull appeared in the 1980s with a product that ostensibly held a different, radical flavour profile but had an impact on your physical state and was available internationally. Whey protein became a viable product in the early 1990s, whilst plant-based options like pea became more commercially available. With more variety in terms of taste and mouth feel, we saw the rise of global brands like Met RX, who tapped into a cultural zeitgeist with endorsements from the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger (obviously) and Clint Eastwood (less obviously).

Hitting The Mainstream

Now, with the awareness of the role of specific compounds in prolonging health and longevity seeing a considerable spike, we’ve seen a huge shift in consumption of products that cater to the biohacking trend. Walk into a petrol station, or your local supermarket, and you are highly likely to see a range of protein bars and energy/functional drinks in the front aisle, instead of the traditional chocolate and confectionery.

The industry is no longer just targeting the hyper-engaged fitness consumer. They want everyday people upping their protein content and boosting their vitality. That trend has had a notable effect on the numbers. According to work by Mordor Intelligence, the 2025 UK protein market is estimated at 622 million USD, and is forecast to reach 807.7 million USD by 2030.

The evolution of the sports nutrition world has been rapid, too. The first generation of grainy shakes has largely disappeared. Over the past few years, the category has embraced both retro nostalgia and modern flavour science to tap into a millennial appetite for the tastes of their childhood, now spliced into the products they use to support their wellness goals. In the current climate of brand collaborations and hype-driven drops, nutrition brands are borrowing tactics from streetwear. C4, one of the most prominent names in performance nutrition, launched a sell-out, Millions-flavoured pre-workout in 2024. This month, it brings a major new protein collaboration to the UK with Reese’s, one of America’s most iconic confectionary brands.

C4’s Vice President of Marketing, Paul Coppin, comments: “We’ve seen huge demand for nostalgia-led products in recent years. Millions was a major success, and with Reese’s having such an iconic flavour profile, we were confident it would be a strong entry into protein for the UK. In other markets, we’ve already seen similar results with collaborations featuring Skittles and Sour Patch Kids.”

“Taste has always been a priority for C4. We know our products deliver on performance, but we’ve also consistently outperformed on flavour in taste tests. These collaborations bring another layer. They speak to cultural taste as much as nutritional need.”

The Flavour Wave

The selection of flavours for the modern consumer has become a careful mix of art and science. In the US, innovations like the Nerds Gummy Cluster have become cult products, designed to maximise sensory impact through the precise combination of crunchy, chewy, sweet and salty. In the UK, brands need to strike a slightly different balance. Local tastes tend to be less aggressively sweet, but there remains a deep cultural connection to American treats. For many millennials, Reese’s Pieces were a rare prize, often smuggled home in suitcases after a US holiday or found in the hands of a lucky friend. Put that moreish treat into a protein powder and you've got a powerful driver of consumer behaviour.

That younger, culture-savvy crowd is driving change. Mintel research states: “A significant portion of sports nutrition consumers are highly committed, with a large majority of UK consumers using these products at least once a week. However, users of sports nutrition skew heavily towards younger generations. In the UK, three-quarters of people aged 16-34 use sports nutrition products, compared to under one in ten among those aged 65 and older.”

In this third wave of nutrition products, it’s not just hyped-up collabs which create consumer resonance. Humantra, an electrolyte hydration brand, has released a series of ‘cultural’ flavours, including Apricot during Ramadan and the much-lovedBlack Cherry, tapping into its Middle Eastern heritage and cultural roots. Both limited editions sold out so quickly that they are now being added to their always-on range.

‍Free Soul has created an entire brand by focusing on the needs and taste of the female consumer, tapping into cultural relevance and a collective movement from a health conscious female consumer which has been underserved both in the market and  science (Check out the work on the gender gap in female nutrition science by Latrobe University). Innovations like the Designed By Her innitiative take their consumers into the product development process, togive consumers an even larger 'ownership' slice of what they're purchasing.

From bodybuilders chewing through the first protein shakes as means to a muscly end, through the age of samey  tubs of product, all the way through to the current combination of science and culture. The consumer of nutrition products today is as far away from the thoughts of the first wave of nutrition products as the modern hipster drinking a match latte is from Kaldi, the goat herder who first noticed the energetic qualities of the coffee bean.

The next wave is always out there on the horizon. We’ll be on the shoreline with binoculars if you need us.