The growth of the UK Winter Remedies (cough, cold, and flu) sector is primarily driven by the rise of proactive self-care, a shift in government health policies to ease NHS pressures, and strong consumer loyalty to trusted heritage brands.
Cough, cold, and flu products are emerging as the largest single segment within the total UK over-the-counter (OTC) medicines market.
Long waiting times for GP appointments and packed emergency rooms are driving consumers away from traditional clinical pathways for mild illnesses.
The UK Government’s health strategies have officially positioned self-care as a central pillar of national health policy. Programmes like the Pharmacy First initiative explicitly encourage citizens to visit local high-street pharmacies or retail stores for common winter ailments rather than booking a doctor’s appointment.
An overwhelming 84% of UK adults now choose self-care as their very first option when dealing with minor health issues.
When people feel sick with a winter bug, they rarely want to experiment. They make “distress purchases” and look for names they know will get the job done.
77% of UK adults actively prefer branded OTC products because shoppers view the industry leading brands as the ultimate experts.
The UK’s ageing population is expanding rapidly, creating a demand for winter remedies tailored to seniors. Manufacturers are seeing growth by launching swallow-free formats, easy-to-open unit-dose sachets, and large-print labels.
For younger demographics and parents, there is a major shift away from traditional liquid medicine toward gummies, chewables, and confectionery-style variants, which are seeing some of the fastest growth in the sector.
While brand loyalty remains incredibly resilient for core winter medicines, the ongoing economic squeeze has driven a parallel explosion in supermarket and pharmacy own-brand lines (like Boots, Superdrug, or Sainsbury’s own ranges).
Shoppers are increasingly aware that private-label products utilise the exact same active ingredients as big brands, driving double-digit value growth in budget-conscious, own-brand cold treatments.
The UK OTC category remains a sizeable and strategically important part of consumer healthcare, now worth £4.97bn (NielsenIQ), with further growth expected as pressure on healthcare services encourages more people to take greater ownership of everyday health. According to PAGB research, more than nine in ten UK adults feel confident using OTC medicines to manage symptoms, while 77% sometimes or always choose branded OTC products for minor conditions and 93% of branded-product shoppers use brand names to help them find the right product at shelf.
Georgina Crawford, Marketing Manager, Northern Europe at Kenvue, says retailers should focus on key winter and everyday health categories including cold and flu remedies, pain relief, children’s medicines, digestive health and smoking or vaping cessation. “As consumers take a more proactive approach to managing their health, many are looking to better understand and manage symptoms linked to digestive discomfort and IBS,” she says. “This creates opportunities for products and solutions that help consumers better understand and manage their individual needs.”
Kenvue’s core winter portfolio continues to perform strongly, with BENYLIN®, CALPOL® and SUDAFED® leading across cough, paediatric analgesics and decongestants. Best-selling SKUs include BENYLIN® Chesty Coughs Non-Drowsy Original 150ml, BENYLIN® Mucus Cough Max Honey & Lemon 150ml, CALPOL® Infant Suspension Sugar Free Strawberry 100ml, CALPOL® SixPlus Suspension Sugar Free Strawberry 80ml and SUDAFED® Blocked Nose Spray 15ml.
NPD is centred on BENYLIN® All-In-One, developed to meet demand for simpler, multi-benefit solutions as the multi-symptom segment has increased its value share by 5% over the past five years. “The new BENYLIN® All-In-One range has been developed to meet these changing needs,” Crawford says, adding that the syrup offers “6-in-1 benefits to treat any cough and sore throat.”
Marketing support this year spans CALPOL® SixPlus activity aimed at parents of older children, a more social-first BENYLIN® approach targeting younger adults, and increased ATL investment behind SUDAFED® Plus following its switch from Pharmacy to GSL status. “Across our portfolio, our focus is on ensuring consumers can access relevant information and trusted products, while keeping our brands connected to evolving consumer needs and behaviours,” Crawford says.
Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondelez International, comments: “As the UK moves into the colder months, grocery traders have an opportunity to strengthen their winter-remedies offer with familiar, convenient products that meet a range of shopper needs. Halls can help cater for customers seeking menthol clearing, gentle soothing or sugar-free options.”
Halls is a non-medicated relief candy brand, and continues to lead the category as the no. 1 relief candy (Nielsen).
“Whether it be for menthol clearing or gentle soothing, shoppers look for brands they know and trust in-store,” adds Nash. “Singles are the most important format across the category as shoppers look for a readily available and tasty relief brand to help continue with their day and embrace the moments that matter.”
The Halls brand offers the Halls Mentholyptus range, which includes the most popular variant, Extra Strong, alongside sugar-free options in Original, Cherry and Citrus that provide menthol clearing. Halls also offers Soothers, which include the best-selling Blackcurrant flavour, as well as Cherry, Strawberry, Peach and Raspberry, and Honey and Lemon variants to help provide gentle soothing options.
Halls boasts a vibrant and cohesive design across the portfolio, allowing consumers to find their chosen solution with confidence and ease.
As the UK heads into the colder months, Love Mushrooms says demand for functional, preventative wellness products is set to strengthen as shoppers look beyond traditional winter remedies. According to Smith Feeney, Co-founder of Love Mushrooms, Lion’s Mane remains the brand’s standout performer, ranking as its best-selling product across both capsule and liquid drop formats. Capsules offer everyday convenience, while alcohol-free, cruelty-free and vegan-friendly liquid drops appeal to consumers seeking flexible, clean-label supplements.
“Together, these two formats account for the majority of Love Mushrooms’ sales and continue to underpin strong customer loyalty and repeat purchase rates,” says Feeney. The brand has also expanded its Liquid Drops range with Focus Liquid Plus Drops, combining Lion’s Mane with Magnesium or Ashwagandha in 60ml formats. Available on Amazon and due to launch with Holland & Barrett in autumn, the products use ultrasonic extraction, which Love Mushrooms says makes it the only UK mushroom supplement company currently using the method.
Feeney says the brand is gaining momentum through education, repeat purchase and wider distribution. “Beyond supplying high-quality mushroom products, we are committed to building an informed and engaged community,” he says.
For retailers, Feeney says the opportunity lies in positioning mushroom supplements alongside winter wellness staples and supporting them with clear in-store messaging. “Consumers are increasingly prioritising preventative health, making winter a key season to spotlight these products,” he says. With marketing activity spanning earned media, creator partnerships, digital advertising, sampling and events including Farm Fest and OM Yoga, Love Mushrooms aims to help retailers communicate functional benefits such as immune support, focus and energy while driving trial and long-term category growth.
Love Mushrooms has unveiled its latest Focus Lion’s Mane Liquid Plus Drops Range, created to support everyday wellbeing.
This builds on their existing line of Liquid Drops, featuring Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, and Reishi, available in 30ml and 50ml.
The new range includes Focus Lion’s Mane + Magnesium Liquid Plus Drops and Focus Lion’s Mane + Ashwagandha Liquid Plus Drops, developed to aid consumers looking to improve their cognitive function and immune system, as well as overall health and vitality. Ashwagandha is known to support overall wellbeing, while Magnesium reduces fatigue and aids nervous and psychological function. All products are vegan-friendly and alcohol-free.
Expertly formulated to ensure strong effectiveness and easy absorption, these drops are created using the groundbreaking benefits of ultrasonic extraction, a method that Love Mushrooms is currently the only UK mushroom supplement company to harness.
Founded by mushroom expert Smith Feeney in the Scottish Highlands, Love Mushrooms specialises in high-potency supplements that blend traditional mycology with modern biotechnology.
Smith Feeney says: “As people are beginning to take their day-to-day wellbeing much more seriously, we’ve created these convenient drops that can naturally support overall health and wellbeing and boost energy. We understand that most people are incredibly time poor, so the drops provide a quick solution that can be added to the customer’s food or drink, easily incorporating wellness into busy lives.”
Jakemans, the UK’s No.1 cough and throat lozenge brand (Worldpanel by Numerator), is bringing back one of its most-loved flavours, Blood Orange & Warm Spice, after its previous limited edition launch proved such a hit with consumers.
Understanding the importance of flavour variety and responding to evolving consumer preferences, Jakemans continues to invest in its portfolio to drive excitement within the cough and throat category. With nine popular flavours already in its range, Blood Orange & Warm Spice now joins the permanent line-up, giving retailers an even broader offering from the trusted masters of menthol.
Originally launched as a seasonal limited edition, Blood Orange & Warm Spice quickly became a consumer favourite thanks to its distinctive flavour profile, combining vibrant blood orange with comforting warm spice. Following its successful trial and continued demand from shoppers, Jakemans has made the decision to bring the flavour back as a permanent fixture within its portfolio.
Commenting on the launch, Elizabeth Hughes-Gapper, Senior Brand Manager at Jakemans, said: “At Jakemans, we pride ourselves on using only the finest ingredients. Every Jakemans lozenge is bursting with menthol, which releases natural vapours to help soothe the symptoms of a sore or tickly throat while delivering the distinctive flavour consumers know and love.
“The response to Blood Orange & Warm Spice during its limited edition launch in 2024 demonstrated a real appetite for flavour innovation within the category. By making it a permanent addition to our range, we’re giving retailers the opportunity to continue meeting that consumer demand with a proven, popular product that further strengthens the Jakemans range.”
Despite a challenging market where cold and flu remedies are experiencing declining value and volume sales due to a 7% drop in illnesses (FAN Data), Fisherman’s Friend continues to deliver strong growth. Over the past year, while the overall category fell by -1.0% in value and -5.5% in volume, Fisherman’s Friend achieved a +5.9% increase in annual value sales (Circana). Recent 12-week metrics show a +5.9% rise in value sales and a +1.2% gain in unit sales, outperforming category volumes which dropped by -4.6% (Circana).
Jon R. White, Regional Business Manager at Fisherman’s Friend, notes: “Fisherman’s Friend has been trusted by shoppers around the world since 1865, but we’re far more than just a heritage brand. Strong menthol, familiar flavours, convenient formats and great value have kept shoppers coming back for generations – and the brand is still growing strongly.”
This resilience is driven by consumers pre-buying affordable, high-menthol essentials before falling ill. The brand performs particularly well in convenience stores—accounting for 36% of its volume sales—and pharmacies, where its 34% volume share is nearly double the category average of 18% (Circana). E-commerce growth has surged, with online value sales rising +63% year-on-year, supported by bulk 24-pack options (Ceuta Healthcare).
Product-wise, Original Extra Strong remains the lead variant, generating 55% of sales, followed by Sugar Free Blackcurrant at 19% (Ceuta Healthcare). Sugar Free Cherry has grown to represent 6% of sales, aligning with broader consumer demand for cherry-flavoured products (Ceuta Healthcare).
Furthermore, the brand is expanding beyond traditional winter healthcare into everyday wellness. As White explains: “Fisherman’s Friend remains a cold and flu essential, but it’s also becoming part of shoppers’ everyday routines. For retailers, this means the opportunity stretches beyond the traditional winter remedies fixture.”
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