In this briefing
The essentials in one minute
Market at a glance
Food supplements in Italy are concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances sold in measured doses to supplement the ordinary diet. Pharmacies account for most tracked sales by value, while the online channel is growing faster. The market includes mineral and vitamin products, probiotics, and formulas designed for sports or specific age groups.
€2.61 billion
Dietary supplement sales across five tracked channels in Italy • January–June 20261
76.6%
Pharmacy share of tracked dietary supplement sales value in Italy • January–June 20261
+13.6%
Year-on-year growth in tracked online dietary supplement sales value in Italy • January–June 20261
€292.5 million
Tracked probiotic supplement sales in Italy • January–June 20261
What counts as a dietary supplement in Italy?
Italy’s Legislative Decree No. 169 of 21 May 2004 defines food supplements as concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances intended to supplement the ordinary diet. Food supplements in Italy come in measured doses such as capsules, powder sachets and liquid vials. The legal definition covers ingredients including vitamins, minerals, amino acids and plant extracts.2
How large is Italy’s dietary supplements market?
Dietary supplement sales in Italy reached €2.61 billion across five retail channels in January–June 2026, up 2.8% in value from the same period in 2025, according to New Line data published by Pharmanutra S.p.A. The panel covers pharmacies, parapharmacies, online retail and supermarkets or hypermarkets, which it splits according to whether they have a dedicated health counter.1
Which dietary supplements lead retail sales in Italy?
Probiotic supplements generated €292.5 million in tracked retail sales in Italy in the first half of 2026, according to New Line data in Pharmanutra’s interim report. That makes probiotics the highest-value category in this dataset, despite a slight decline from the same period a year earlier.1
Italian pharmacies sold 200 million packs of food supplements at the 2023 endpoint reported by Integratori & Salute, up from 125 million at the 2013 endpoint. That comparison tracks packs sold in one channel in Italy. It measures a different aspect of demand from the later five-channel sales figures in euros.51
Where are dietary supplements sold in Italy?
Pharmacies captured 76.6% of measured dietary supplement sales value in Italy in January–June 2026, according to New Line data reported by Pharmanutra. Online retail took 8.8% of that same tracked total. Parapharmacies and supermarkets accounted for the rest across the channels covered.1
For dietary supplements in Italy, pack prices can reflect different pack sizes and formulations. Italy’s labelling rules give buyers a way to compare products on a consistent basis by requiring both a recommended daily dose and quantities of the relevant substances per daily dose.23
Pharmacies 1999.7 € million • Online retail 230.9 € million • Parapharmacies 186.6 € million • Supermarkets without a dedicated health counter 130.2 € million • Supermarkets with a dedicated health counter 62.6 € million
Pharmanutra S.p.A.1
Who makes and markets dietary supplements in Italy?
Pharmanutra S.p.A. is a dietary supplement manufacturer in Italy that announced four launches across its Apportal and Cetilar Nutrition ranges in September 2026. The launches show how an individual supplier can use different lines for younger consumers, older consumers and people buying sports nutrition products.17
Enervit S.p.A. is another example of a dietary supplement producer in Italy. It develops sports nutrition and supplements in-house, with manufacturing sites in Zelbio and Erba. Enervit identifies Erba as a plant for functional bars, an adjacent product line within its broader nutrition business.6
How does Italy regulate dietary supplements?
Italy’s Legislative Decree No. 169 of 2004 requires a business marketing a dietary supplement for the first time to send a copy of the label to the Ministry of Health. Italy’s Ministry publishes and periodically updates a register of food supplements that have successfully completed the notification procedure.4
Dietary supplement labels in Italy must state the recommended daily dose and warn against exceeding it. The same legislation bars labelling, presentation and advertising from attributing therapeutic or disease-preventing properties to dietary supplements.3
Which dietary supplement sales channels are growing in Italy?
Tracked online sales of dietary supplements in Italy rose 13.6% by value in January–June 2026 from a year earlier, the fastest growth among the five channels covered by New Line in Pharmanutra’s report. Pharmacies grew more slowly and still sold substantially more by value.1
For dietary supplements in Italy, a Kantar survey of users in 2021 summarised by Unione Italiana Food found that consumers valued staff expertise in pharmacies and parapharmacies, while convenience helped explain the appeal of online shopping and large retailers. That survey measured shopping preferences during the pandemic and the sales panel measures a later period, so the two sources answer different questions.81
Questions about the dietary supplements market in Italy
How much were dietary supplement sales worth in Italy in the first half of 2026?
Dietary supplement sales in Italy totalled €2.61 billion from January to June 2026 across the five channels in the New Line panel published by Pharmanutra.1
What share of dietary supplement sales goes through Italian pharmacies?
Pharmacies accounted for 76.6% of dietary supplement sales value in Italy across the channels tracked by New Line in January–June 2026.1
Can a dietary supplement sold in Italy claim to treat a disease?
Italy’s rules prohibit the label, presentation and advertising of dietary supplements from claiming therapeutic properties or the ability to prevent or cure human diseases.3
Which dietary supplement category generated the most sales in Italy?
Probiotic supplements led sales by value in Italy in the first half of 2026 within the New Line panel, at €292.5 million.1
Sources and approach
This briefing uses only public publications. Statistics and announcements are dated; company offers are identified as such. Sources accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 01Pharmanutra S.p.A.Interim financial report at 30 June 2026Italy food supplement retail sales across five channels, New Line data. Printed pages 14–15 (PDF pages 20–21).
- 02Italian Republic • NormattivaLegislative Decree No. 169 of 21 May 2004, Article 2Definition of a food supplement and examples of pre-dosed formats.
- 03Italian Republic • NormattivaLegislative Decree No. 169 of 21 May 2004, Article 6Labelling requirements, quantities per recommended daily dose and limits on claims.
- 04Italian Republic • NormattivaLegislative Decree No. 169 of 21 May 2004, Article 10Label notification on first marketing, Ministry review and public register.
- 05Integratori & SaluteFood supplement sales in Italian pharmacies, 2013–2023September 2023 release based on New Line pharmacy-channel data, page 1. The figures describe the endpoints as reported at the time.
- 06Enervit S.p.A.The Positive Nutrition CompanyCorporate description of sports nutrition products, in-house development and production sites in Lombardy.
- 07Pharmanutra S.p.A.Pharmanutra launches four new supplements in ItalySeptember 2026 manufacturer announcement describing product launches by age group and sports use.
- 08Unione Italiana FoodSupplements & HealthTrade association overview. The Consumer section summarises a 2021 Kantar survey of supplement users. The Legislation section describes manufacturing-site authorisation.
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