Citruslabs Says UK Health and Wellness Brands Must Prioritise Science-based Products That Evidence Efficacy

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 11, 2025--

Contract research organisation (CRO) Citruslabs says UK health and wellness brands must prioritise science-based products that can evidence their efficacy in the face of shifting customer and regulatory trends.

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Citruslabs, one of the leading CROs for consumer brands in the US, is expanding its services to the UK, which has a health and wellness sector valued in the region of £200 billion.

Susanne Mitschke, CEO of Citruslabs, said: "Scientific validation is no longer a luxury for brands who want to stand out because it’s becoming essential for consumers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, and their purchasing decisions against the backdrop of creeping regulation. By making high-quality research more accessible in the UK, we’re aiming to help brands build credibility, navigate complex regulatory landscapes more efficiently, earn consumer trust, and drive long-term success by giving them a competitive edge.”

The UK’s wellness market ranks fifth globally, including key segments like physical activity, personalised medicine, supplements, and personal care. CEO Mitschke says clinical validation is increasingly required to meet consumer expectations and regulatory standards.

Susanne Mitschke added: “When you think about a supplement, there is too much focus on the ingredients, but savvy consumers now expect to be much better informed on the efficacy. So, the wellness brands really need to sit up and take notice, and invest in research which will give their products a stronger foundation for growth.”

McKinsey & Company’s Future of Wellness survey in 2024 stated that “consumers are taking greater control over their health - and expect companies to provide effective, science-backed solutions,” with McKinsey noting that many wellness products are emerging with “limited clinical research or credibility.” The consulting firm believes seven wellness subsets - including women’s health, weight management, and in-person fitness - are optimal for innovation and investment activity over the next few years.

Susanne Mitschke continued: “As the UK wellness market evolves, brands need research solutions that are both rigorous and accessible. We are able to tailor research to brands, ensuring research aligns with each brand’s goals, budget, and regulatory needs.”

In its own study of over 1,000 US and international health and wellness consumers last year, Citruslabs found that 93 percent of Gen Zs and Millennials trust more in products labelled as “clinically proven,” 92 percent prioritise clinically tested products, and 91 percent of respondents are more likely to try a new wellness product if it makes specific claims about its benefits.

Citruslabs’s decentralised approach streamlines localised participant recruitment and data collection, while offering flexible study designs - including randomised controlled trials, single group clinical studies, and consumer perception studies.

Citruslabs’s customer base includes Heights, Superlativa, Your Super, Love Wellness, Mario Badescu, Supergut, Arrae, Air Up, Manuka Health, Beekeepers, and Equine 74.

For more information: www.citruslabs.com/uk-clinical-trials

Susanne Mitschke, CEO of Citruslabs (Photo: Business Wire)

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland is headed toward rejecting a referendum that would have restarted negotiations to join the European Union more than a decade after previous talks died, the national broadcaster reported Sunday.

The vote will put the long-debated issue to rest for the second time. A euroskeptic government ended EU talks in 2015.

With all but one constituency fully reporting results, the vote against the EU led 52.5% to 47.5%, RÚV reported. The national broadcaster said it was almost impossible that the remaining votes to be counted in the southwest, where the measure was losing, could reverse the result.

The vote Saturday was held in the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to control nearby Greenland that drove some voters to favor the idea of European solidarity. Although Iceland is a NATO member, supporters said they would have greater protection from their neighbors if Trump ever made similar threats toward the volcanic island.

Iceland’s left-leaning coalition government, elected in 2024, moved up the EU referendum it had planned for next year after Trump mistakenly named the country four times while speaking about his designs on Greenland.

It was a simple yes-or-no question for roughly 265,000 eligible voters: Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?

Opponents rallied around fishing and the fact that Iceland already reaps benefits from being in the EU’s frictionless single market and the Schengen free-travel zone without the sovereignty compromises that inevitably come with full membership. They argued that Iceland’s voice would be muted in the large European Parliament and that it would be better off cutting its own trade deals, such as one with China.

Backers said EU membership would lower inflation and interest rates, and the euro would bring more stability than Iceland’s volatile króna. They said it was also in the nation’s interest to get closer to its European neighbors to tackle issues that don’t respect borders, such as climate change.

Supporters of the Yes campaign celebrate after Reykjavik results put their side into a narrow nationwide lead during an election-night gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

A supporter waves a European Union flag during an election-night gathering for the yes in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

Former Icelandic Prime Minister and Centre Party leader Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, left, Independence Party leader Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, center, and Progressive Party leader Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir talk during a No campaign election-night gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

Leaders of the No campaign react as early results from rural Iceland put the No side ahead during an election-night gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)