Longevity Supplement Trends: What Is the World Googling?

Aging is an inescapable part of life — one that brings with it physiological and psychological changes that aren’t always welcome. But while aging inevitably happens to all human beings as years go by, research continues to explore whether there are ways to help slow the aging process, reduce the risk of age-associated diseases, and improve longevity.

As a result, longevity supplements and vitamins which often promise to help extend lifespan and improve health have seemingly never been more popular. In 2023, the global anti-aging supplements market size was estimated at $4.19 billion, and it’s projected to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.7% from 2024 to 2030, reaching a projected revenue of $6.9 billion.

While the industry is undoubtedly thriving, it isn’t always easy to navigate it as a consumer. A wide variety of options — some of which have little research to back up their supposed benefits — can make it difficult to discern what is truly worth the money and what might even be harmful to health.

So, which longevity supplements are people searching for the most around the world? And are the most popular supplements really worth investing in?

Findings

If you would like more context, please start by reviewing the report’s Methodology section, which provides detailed information on how we conducted our analysis.

Google Trends analysis of 20 supplement search topics revealed that the five most searched anti-aging supplements were: collagen, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and resveratrol.

The top five supplements are illustrated below.

While the top search terms varied widely by country, these five were consistently the most popular — with vitamin C and collagen seeing the highest search interest increases over the past year.

Collagen was the most searched supplement in the majority of nations.

Below, we provide a visual representation of the results, demonstrating the percentages of search results for each of the five supplements in all 70 regions.

Top 5 most searched longevity supplements

Collagen

Out of the top five supplements, collagen was the most searched term in most regions, coming in at number one in 39 out of 70 locations. Comparative search volume for collagen is higher than 50% in the top 7 areas, including Poland, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Italy, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Thailand. Poland is the top 1 with 62% search volume. Collagen is the least googled in India, Nepal, and Nigeria, representing 15%, 16%, and 18% of the search volume, respectively.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and is responsible for providing structural support to the skin, muscles, bones, and connective tissues. The protein is responsible for the firm, tight, strong appearance of the skin that most individuals enjoy in their younger years. Research has shown that the collagen content of young and healthy skin typically exceeds 75%.

However, over time, aging, combined with external factors such as UV irradiation, eating a non-balanced diet, and stress, can lead to a loss of collagen in the skin — contributing to the loss of firmness and sagging that often occurs as we get older. Yet collagen supplementation may be able to help, according to preliminary research.

Oral collagen supplements, particularly those containing hydrolyzed collagen peptides, have been reported to be generally well tolerated, possibly beneficial, and cost-effective, however, more research is needed to confirm their safety and efficacy over time.

Vitamin C

Out of the top five supplements, vitamin C was the most searched anti-aging vitamin in 26 countries. Nigeria attained the first spot for the highest vitamin C search volume, at 59%. On the contrary, collagen was one of the least googled terms in Nigeria out of the analyzed supplements. With 57% of the search volume, Nepal is second on the list for vitamin C searching online. Norway and Indonesia share third place in the list for vitamin C, representing 56% of the search volume for vitamin C each. Brazil’s and Columbia's regions have the least interest in searching for vitamin C on Google, with less than 10% of the search volume (5% and 9%, respectively).

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that is naturally found in many fruits and vegetables and can also be taken as a supplement. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it is required for a number of physiological processes including the biosynthesis of collagen, L-carnitine, and certain neurotransmitters, as well as protein metabolism.

While it’s widely known that vitamin C is an essential nutrient for all humans — deficiency causes scurvy — it has recently gained the attention of longevity enthusiasts. That’s because oxidative stress is believed to be one of the major contributors to aging, and taking additional vitamin C is hypothesized to protect against oxidative stress.

The jury’s still out on whether the vitamin has the capacity to reduce the effects of aging, but NIH says current research is examining whether increasing the intake of this vitamin might help prevent or delay the development of certain cancers, cardiovascular and other diseases, by potentially limiting the damaging effects of excessive free radicals. Research has also shown that maintaining healthy vitamin C levels can play a role in reducing the risk of age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

However, it remains unclear whether vitamin C supplements — taken in addition to dietary sources — can actually have a measurable effect on the development of age-related diseases.

Selenium

Selenium was the most searched anti-aging supplement in just two countries: China and Japan, both from East Asia. The search volume for China was 56%, and for Japan, it was 47%. More than half of the countries analyzed (36 out of 70) have a search volume of less than 10 % for selenium, including the United States, one of the most significant contributors to the world's vitamins and dietary supplements market. Selenium was the least googled in Nigeria, with only 2% of search volume compared to other top 5 anti-aging supplements.

Selenium is a trace element that contributes to antioxidant effects in the body. The essential mineral can be found in a number of foods including some dairy products, whole grains, and animal proteins. Brazil nuts also contain a particularly high amount of selenium, which is why consuming the nut recently became a popular trend on social media.

In addition to dietary sources, selenium can be taken in supplement form and has recently become a popular tool for anti-aging. Emerging studies have reported that the micronutrient may play a role in helping reduce the pace of aging as it is involved in improving antioxidant defense, immune functions, and metabolic homeostasis. Selenium may also play a role in slowing aging and reducing the risk of aging-related diseases by helping to reduce reactive oxygen species-mediated inflammation and DNA damage, according to some preliminary research.

But while it is believed that a relatively low recommended daily value of selenium from food sources is beneficial to the human body and may help with aging and its related diseases, current research suggests that supplementation isn’t necessary or beneficial unless an individual is selenium-deficient.

Resveratrol

While resveratrol was unpopular among many of the countries included in this report, it was the top search term in four Latin American countries: Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. Search volumes were 49% for Colombia and Mexico, 45% for Peru, and 34% for Brazil. Notably, only ten countries had a search volume of 10% or higher for resveratrol. There also was no comparable search interest for resveratrol in twelve countries as they have 0% of the search volume. These countries include Nigeria, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.

Resveratrol belongs to a group of compounds called polyphenols and is found in grapes, berries, tomatoes, nuts, and red wines. It is hypothesized to have neuroprotective, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects, and is believed to protect cardiovascular health, according to initial research.

Due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, it is hypothesized that resveratrol has the potential to activate sirtuins — which are often referred to as longevity genes among the anti-aging circle. These proteins are involved in many biological processes including aging, and their activation is suggested to be accompanied by improvements in various biomarkers such as blood sugar levels, lipid profiles, inflammation, and more.

Some recent studies have also reported that resveratrol may exhibit anti-aging and regenerative effects on the skin, which has made it a popular choice for longevity enthusiasts. It is reported to do so by protecting the skin against the harmful effects of UVA radiation — one of the main factors that contribute to premature skin aging. It is also hypothesized to enhance collagen synthesis and accelerate skin regeneration in damaged tissue.

While more research is needed, many believe resveratrol is a promising ingredient in the future of anti-aging and longevity.

Vitamin E

Though not the most commonly searched term in any country, vitamin E was quite popular in India, Nigeria, Nepal, and Bangladesh, with a significant portion (19–21%) of the search volume. Vitamin E was the least googled in Argentina, with only 1% of the search volume. The other nine bottom countries also had a comparably low search volume of 2% for vitamin E.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can be found naturally in foods such as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, and more. It can also be taken as a supplement and has recently become popular among those who hope to benefit from its potential anti-aging effects.

One of the most popular supplements in the U.S., it is thought to play a protective role against the aging process due to its antioxidant effects, protecting cells from the damaging effects of excessive free radicals.

However, at this point, it remains unclear whether vitamin E supplements can actually work as an effective anti-aging tool. According to NIH, researchers are currently investigating whether vitamin E might help prevent or delay the chronic diseases associated with excessive free radicals by limiting free-radical production and potentially through other mechanisms as well. However, study results are still pending.

Market insights

Below, we provide market value insights on the top 5 most searched anti-aging supplements. The graph highlights the market size differences for 2022–2023 and compares the predicted growth rates from 2023–2024 to 2031–2033 for all top 5 longevity supplements.

While not the most searched supplement in most of the included regions, selenium currently has the largest market share and the highest market growth prognosis of all five supplements. The global selenium supplement industry is expected to grow from $12.27 billion in 2023 to $25.9 billion by 2032, according to Market Research Future, with a growth rate of around 8.7%. However, it’s important to note that selenium is used in various industries, including food processing, supplements, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.

Meanwhile, with a growth rate prognosis of 5.3%, the global vitamin E supplement market is expected to grow from $2.2 billion in 2023 to $3.7 billion in 2033, according to Fact.MR.

Similarly, the global collagen supplements market size was valued at $2.2 billion in 2023, according to Market Research Future, and the industry is projected to grow from $2.3 billion in 2024 to $3.1 billion by 2032 — exhibiting a growth rate of 5.2%.

Interestingly, vitamin E and collagen have identical market share sizes ($2.2 billion in 2023) and similar growth rate predictions (5.3% vs. 5.2%). However, Healthnew's Google trends analysis revealed significantly different search interests between these supplements. While collagen was the most searched term in most regions of the top 5 supplements analyzed, vitamin E was not the most googled term in any country.

The global vitamin C market size is just slightly smaller than collagen and vitamin E but has a higher growth rate, valued at $2 billion in 2022, according to Precedence Research. It’s expected to reach roughly $3.56 billion by 2032 — growing at a rate of 6% from 2023 to 2032.

At the bottom of the list, the global resveratrol supplement market size was valued at $118.60 million in 2022 and is poised to grow from $128.09 million in 2023 to $237.08 million SD by 2031, according to Skyquest, for a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period. Such a growth rate prediction is among the highest of all top-searched supplements analyzed. It may be indicative of the supplement's future market growth potential, as the search volume for resveratrol was highest in only four regions in our analysis.

Methodology

To compile this report, Healthnews compared and analyzed Google Trends data on 20 popular longevity supplements. The supplements were chosen based on the online discourse surrounding them, with all of them having been featured in recent online lists of the best and most popular anti-aging supplements.

After researching the top longevity supplements being discussed and recommended by health publications and associations, Healthnews selected the following 20:

1. Curcumin
2. EGCG
3. Collagen
4. CoQ10
5. NMN
6. NR
7. Crocin
8. Vitamin C
9. Vitamin E
10. Theanine
11. Rhodiola
12. Astragalus
13. Fisetin
14. Resveratrol
15. Sulforaphane
16. Selenium
17. Spermidine
18. Pterostilbene
19. Rosmarinus (Rosmarinic acid)
20. Lignans

On November 13, 2024, Healthnews analyzed Google Trends results for each of these search terms over the past twelve months. We searched for data in every country, but Google Trends yielded data for just 70 regions. This analysis revealed that five supplements were particularly popular search terms. Healthnews then compared the five terms with one another to determine their share of search volume in each country.

It is worth noting that some of the supplements included on this list may be used and searched for purposes other than longevity, which may impact their popularity on Google search results.