Health and Wellness
Health and Wellness in Europe: What Cross-Border Brands Need to Know
Europe is a sophisticated wellness market. Customers value quality, ingredient transparency and credible sourcing, and they’re willing to pay for it. US, Canadian and UK brands with those characteristics often outperform their domestic competitors. The hard part isn’t building the market position. It’s navigating the regulatory framework that protects it.
Expandly takes health and wellness brands into Europe with the compliance, listings and logistics built around how supplement, nutrition and wellness products actually move through European markets.
In this section
01
03
Ashwagandha is under regulatory pressure
05
02
Ingredient compliance is a continuous workstream
04
EFSA upper limits are tightening
The landscape right now
Recurring themes across our coverage: ingredient watch, novel food, EFSA dosage limits, CBD, sports nutrition supply, supplement regulations.
Novel food catalogue update
Latest EU novel food catalogue update authorises 34 probiotic strains for EU market entry, opening previously restricted product categories for supplement and wellness brands.
34 strains
EU Novel Food Catalogue
Ashwagandha under regulatory review
Ashwagandha dossiers are being reassessed at EU and member-state level following India’s ban on the leaf. Brands with ashwagandha SKUs should track positions closely.
Under review
EU and member-state food authorities
EFSA upper limits tightening
EFSA is lowering upper limits across multiple common supplement ingredients, with formulation implications for brands at the upper end of US-typical doses.
Multiple ingredients
EFSA scientific opinions
UK CBD approvals frozen
The UK Food Standards Agency has frozen new CBD approvals until late 2026 pending further safety review. The door is closed for new market entrants and reformulations.
Frozen
EU sports nutrition supply expanding
FrieslandCampina has committed €90 million to expand EU whey protein capacity, anchoring local supply for sports and wellness brands serving the European market.
€90M
FrieslandCampina investment announcement
Global Expansion Pathway
How Expandly works with health and wellness brands
The brands we typically work with in this segment look like this: established US or Canadian supplement or wellness companies in the $5M–$50M revenue range, with strong DTC and Amazon presence at home, and Europe as the next obvious growth market. The regulatory and ingredient complexity is the main thing keeping them from moving.
For supplement brands specifically, we also handle category-specific compliance: novel food positions, claims review against EFSA register, country-specific food supplement notifications, and Responsible Person setup where required.
This sits across step two (Compliance) and step four (Omni-Channel) of the Global Expansion Pathway, with ingredient and claims work front-loaded so launch timing is predictable.
What's changing in the next 12 months
Ingredient regulation in health and wellness moves continuously and staying compliant requires continuous attention. Here are some of the significant items on the horizon.
Novel food catalogue updates
New ingredient authorisations and reassessments continue to flow through the EU novel food catalogue, opening (and occasionally closing) doors for specific ingredients on a rolling basis.
Ongoing
EU Novel Food Catalogue
Ashwagandha safety decisions
EU and member-state safety reassessments of ashwagandha are progressing through 2026. Final positions are expected to clarify which product formats and dose levels remain sellable.
2026
EU and member-state food authorities
EFSA upper limit reviews
Further EFSA upper limit reviews are scheduled for additional supplement ingredients through 2026, with formulation implications expected to compound across the year.
Through 2026
EFSA workplan
CBD position reviews
UK CBD approvals remain on hold; further EU CBD safety reviews are pending. Position likely to clarify through late 2026 with implications for new SKU launches.
Late 2026
UK FSA; EU safety reviews
EU AI Act full enforcement
From August 2026, the EU AI Act applies to AI-powered claims, chatbots and recommendation systems used in supplement and wellness ecommerce. Transparency and conformity obligations attach.
1 Aug 2026
EU AI Act
Health And Wellness Blog
Latest insights on health and wellness
EFSA Confirmed Beta-NMN Is Safe. Brands Still Can’t Sell It in the EU Without Approval
EFSA confirmed beta-NMN is safe at 300mg/day in May 2026, but EU Novel Food authorization is still needed before NMN supplements can be marketed in
EU Decision on Monacolin K Restrictions Due Later in 2026. Red Yeast Rice Brands Take Note
EU final decision on monacolin K expected in 2026. Brands selling red yeast rice supplements in Europe face elevated regulatory risk.
EFSA Clears β-NMN – What the Positive Safety Opinion Means for Supplement Brands
EFSA issued a positive safety opinion on EffePharm’s β-NMN in Q2 2026, opening the EU novel food authorisation pathway for this popular NAD+ precursor supplement.
Netherlands Confirms Intent to Ban Ashwagandha -What Supplement Brands Must Do Now
The Dutch Ministry of Health confirmed its intent to ban ashwagandha on 10 April 2026, with no effective date yet set. Denmark already bans leaf-derived
EU Health Supplement Market Entry for US Brands : The 2026 Compliance Guide
The European health supplement market exceeds EUR 10 billion in 2026, but EU rules differ sharply from the US. Before placing a product on the
EU Customs Duty Hits Sports Supplement DTC Brands From July 1
From 1 July 2026, a €3 flat EU customs duty applies per HS6 code on every parcel, replacing the €150 de minimis threshold. Sports supplement
EU Is Setting Uniform Supplement Dose Limits for the First Time
The EU is finalising its first harmonised maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals. A public consultation opens Q3 2026. The proposed limits, anchored to
EU Sports Nutrition Market Entry: What US Brands Need to Comply With Before Shipping the First Unit
The EU sports nutrition market is worth $6.61 billion in 2026. Before a single unit ships, US brands must answer five compliance questions in order:
Europe
Europe rewards health and wellness brands that take ingredient quality seriously. The regulatory framework is one of the ways the market filters for them.
European customers in this category increasingly buy with the label, the ingredient list and the source country in mind. The US and Canadian brands that win here are the ones whose product quality genuinely meets that scrutiny — and whose compliance work matches the standard of their product.
Three things separate the brands who scale cleanly from those who don’t:
- They sort the ingredient compliance position before they sort the channel mix.
- They build claims that hold up to EFSA scrutiny, not just marketing instinct.
- They track novel food updates as a continuous workstream, not a one-time launch task.
The European wellness opportunity isn’t going anywhere. It’s getting bigger and more sophisticated each year. The brands that show up properly are the ones that scale.
Country guides
How this varies by country
United Kingdom
- Mature supplement market with active FSA enforcement; post-Brexit the UK has its own food supplement notification regime separate from the EU, with the Department of Health handling novel food authorisations that increasingly diverge from EU positions
- Holland & Barrett dominates specialty (700+ stores); Boots leads in pharmacy; Amazon UK is the leading ecommerce channel; DTC is well-developed for premium and clean-label positions
- UK CBD market is frozen on new approvals until late 2026; UK Nutrition and Health Claims Register parallels the EU register but enforcement is active and visible
Germany
- Largest EU supplement market by GMV; quality-conscious buyer who also benchmarks price; strong herbal, mineral and Bio (organic) segments
- BfR (Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung) and state-level food authorities police labelling and claims rigorously; dosage limits actively enforced; high-quality compliance translates directly into consumer trust
- DM and Rossmann dominate mass retail; Amazon DE is the dominant ecommerce channel; Apotheken (pharmacies) hold authority for premium and condition-specific positioning
France
- Premium positioning available; "compléments alimentaires" is a culturally established category with strong pharmacy distribution; AGEC sustainability rules add packaging and end-of-life obligations
- - DGCCRF actively enforces health claims; French language labelling mandatory; notification procedure under Décret 2006-352 required for every food supplement placed on the French market
- Pharmacy and parapharmacy are powerful trust channels; Doctipharma and Newpharma lead online pharmacy; DTC growing fast for clean-label, sustainability-led and dermo-cosmetic-adjacent positions
Nertherlands
- Per-capita supplement spend among the highest in Europe; English labels often accepted alongside Dutch in practice; sophisticated sports nutrition ecosystem and well-developed DTC channels
- - NVWA enforces the Warenwet (Commodities Act) supplement rules rigorously; novel food queries handled efficiently; cooperative regulatory culture compared to several other EU markets
- Bol is the dominant marketplace; sports nutrition specialists (Body & Fit, XXL Nutrition) anchor that vertical; our Netherlands warehouse positions brands for one-day delivery across Benelux
Spain
- Growing supplement market with sports nutrition and "belleza desde dentro" (beauty-from-within) categories expanding fastest; younger demographic skewing toward DTC and Instagram-led discovery
- AESAN (formerly AECOSAN) active on health claims enforcement; Spanish language labelling mandatory; notification procedure required before placing food supplements on the market
- El Corte Inglés leads in mass; HSN Store and MASmusculo strong in sports nutrition specialty; Amazon ES growing but smaller share than Germany or UK; pharmacy channel holds trust for therapeutic positioning
Italy
- Strong herbal and traditional supplement market; "integratori alimentari" is a well-established consumer category; pharmacy trust drives premium positioning and pricing power
- Notification via Ministero della Salute required; Italian language labelling mandatory; specific dossier requirements differ from other EU markets and warrant local advice ahead of launch
- Pharmacy and parapharmacy (Lloyds Farmacia, Apotheca) hold category authority; Amazon IT growing in mass; specialty retail and brand-direct strong for premium, clean-label and condition-specific positions
upcoming events
Related events
Coming Sooon
Netherlands Confirms Intent to Ban Ashwagandha -What Supplement Brands Must Do Now
The Dutch Ministry of Health confirmed its intent to ban ashwagandha on 10 April 2026, with no effective date yet set. Denmark already bans leaf-derived ashwagandha and France has an ANSES advisory. Supplement brands with Netherlands-based EU fulfillment should assess affected products and a realistic effective date now.
EU Health Supplement Market Entry for US Brands : The 2026 Compliance Guide
The European health supplement market exceeds EUR 10 billion in 2026, but EU rules differ sharply from the US. Before placing a product on the EU market, US brands must clear Novel Food status, map health claims to the EU permitted list, check member state ingredient restrictions, and meet FIC labeling and PPWR packaging requirements.
EU Sports Nutrition Market Entry: What US Brands Need to Comply With Before Shipping the First Unit
The EU sports nutrition market is worth $6.61 billion in 2026. Before a single unit ships, US brands must answer five compliance questions in order: Novel Food status, EU permitted health claims, member state ingredient restrictions, FIC-compliant labeling and PPWR packaging. The sequence matters, and each question has a definite answer rather than guesswork.
frequently asked questions
Common questions
What's the difference between a food supplement and a novel food in the EU?
A food supplement is a regulated category of concentrated nutrients sold in dosed form. A novel food is any food (or supplement ingredient) not consumed to a significant degree in the EU before May 1997. Novel foods need explicit authorization before sale; many supplement ingredients fall in this category.
How tight are claims rules on supplements in Europe?
Tighter than in the US. The EU Register of Nutrition and Health Claims sets out which claims can be made for which substances. Off-register claims attract enforcement quickly. Claims work has to be done before listings go live.
Will my US supplement formulations work in Europe as-is?
Some yes, some no. Dose levels, ingredient combinations and even ingredient sources can affect whether a US formulation is sellable in the EU. We audit before recommending launch versus reformulation.
What's the current position on CBD products?
CBD remains restricted in many EU countries and in flux in the UK. Most EU CBD safety reviews are not yet complete, and approved CBD product types are limited. Brands selling CBD products in the US should expect a slower European route to market.
Do I need an EU Responsible Person for supplements?
Cosmetics require an RP. Food supplements have different but parallel requirements depending on country — typically a Food Business Operator established in the EU. We set this up as part of the launch sequence.
If this sounds like your world,
let's talk.
Expandly helps US ecommerce brands expand into Europe
Service tiers
Self-Serve
- £1,150/month
- Platform-led with email support
- Best for: $1M–$5M brands
Guided
- £3,000/month
- Dedicated Account Manager
- Best for: $5M–$20M brands
VIP
- £5,000/month
- Dedicated VIP Consultant
- Best for: $20M–$50M+ brands
Ready to talk?
If you’re a US, Canadian or UK health, wellness or supplement brand planning European expansion, book a call.
