The problem with all-in-one powder formats

Despite the fact that powders are nothing new, the category continues to grow. Over a third of UK 25-34 year olds regularly drink protein shakes, and the UK collagen market alone is projected to grow from $623 million to $855 million by 2030, according to YouGov and Mordor Intelligence. 

It’s not hard to see why powder formats are so popular: one scoop and done. This is especially the case when it comes to all-in-one powders that take away the admin associated with multiple bottles and trying to remember which capsule goes with breakfast and which one needs an empty stomach.  

But while, in theory at least, that one scoop of an all-in-one powder should mean hitting your daily dose of everything on the label, in reality this often isn’t the case. Plenty of powders carry long, impressive-looking ingredients lists but often, a lot of the ingredients are included in such small doses that the consumer may be getting well below what is needed to deliver the intended benefit. 

Why can all-in-one powders end up under-dosing their ingredients? 

In most instances, it comes down to what’s actually possible to achieve in any given formulation. Bigger doses are harder to mix cleanly, harder to dissolve without clumping, and harder to make taste right. 

Once you start adding several actives that all need a meaningful dose, the total serving size can stop being realistic too and one scoop can quickly become two or more. 

Why can combining actives cause other problems?

Under-dosing ingredients isn’t the only risk when combining multiple actives into one formula. Some ingredients simply don’t get along with each other and can end up impacting the taste, texture and stability of a product. 

For example, an RTD protein shake that also wants to support digestion might think to add an enzyme, such as protease, to help break down the protein for easier absorption. But protease begins to break down the protein as soon as it mixes with water, changing the texture of the shake and creating off notes before the consumer has even taken a sip. 

How can brands get powder dosing right?  

Unfortunately, it isn’t quite as simple as adding full doses of every ingredient for reasons we’ve already covered, but the good news is that all-on-one powders can be done well. 

A good starting point is intent. Despite being called all-in-ones, no product can contain every single active, vitamin or mineral. Working out what “everything” actually means to the person buying it is a much better approach than trying to cram in as many ingredients as possible. 

Know your audience

Getting specific is key here. A broad wellness consumer wants something different to someone who is looking for a particular outcome or support. 

Creating something for a carefully defined category such as women's health, men's health, particular age brackets, energy, recovery or cognitive support will make it far easier to decide which two or three ingredients deserve the full dose and which ones can be dropped rather than included at a level that’s too low to matter. 

Be specific with your formulation

Once you’ve defined your audience, think about what their desired outcomes are and what claims you want to make. Then you can work backwards to understand the doses that are required to create a meaningful product, and that are achievable within a sensible serving size. 

This is exactly where a specialist NPD team can make a difference as they'll flag early on what's realistic and what isn't, saving multiple rounds of reformulation later.

Brands doing all-in-one powders right

There are, of course, plenty of brands that are getting this right. 

Freesoul's CreaGlow Creatine + Collagen powder for women is a good example. The ingredient list is short: creatine monohydrate and Naticol marine collagen are the two headline actives, supported by citrates, magnesium, inulin and a handful of others. It does more than the two headline ingredients, but nowhere near everything, and that restraint looks deliberate rather than a compromise.

SISTERLY’s The Elevator sachet takes a similar restraint. Rather than chasing attention-grabbing actives, the women-specific formula to support all day energy, immunity and hormone regulation prioritises meaningful doses of core vitamins and minerals. It hits well above baseline nutrient reference values for its B vitamins, vitamin C and vitamin D3, alongside a functional dose of CoQ10 as its stand-out active. Importantly, the formulation doesn't try to pretend that every ingredient needs to be present at a huge dose; where a nutrient is included at a lower level, the amount is clearly disclosed.

The lesson across both: fewer, well-dosed ingredients built around a clear outcome can still be considered an all-in-one powder and can be far more effective than a long list that looks impressive on the label but does very little in practice.

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