Relaxation drinks make opening moves in Europe

With stress levels running high in the wake of the economic crisis, the market research firm says there is considerable interest in products that help people unwind.

Market potential ​

Relaxation or anti-energy drinks are positioned to capitalise on this interest and although they are very much niche products, even in the US where the market is more developed, Datamonitor claims there is significant potential.

Cesar Pereira, research manager at Datamonitor, told BeverageDaily.com: “The arrival of two new products in the UK suggests that other companies may look to get on board in Europe – certainly if the energy shot introductions in 2009 are anything to go by.”​

The two new products referred to by Pereira are ‘Quick Relax’ and ‘Quick to Sleep’, both of which are produced by US-based Viva Beverages – one of the first entrants on the energy shot market in the UK last year.

The new Viva drinks share a similar ingredients list that includes chamomile, rosehip, lemon balm and passion flower.

Natural bent ​

This is fairly typical of relaxation drinks which tend to be based on herbal and traditional remedies ingredients like L-Theanine, rosehip and valerian root. Pereira said the choice of ingredients reflects the importance of natural formulations as way of luring in consumers who may be wary of entering a new sector if it is “heavily chemically-based”. ​

As a general rule, the analyst added that “relaxation drinks from different brands share a lot of common ingredients, more so than energy drinks.”​

But there are of course some exceptions to these trends. One striking example is a new sparkling water from Russian manufacturer Sunrise Innovation OOO that contains laughing gas.

Marketed as a safer way to overcome flight anxiety than drinking alcohol, the new product contains a patented mix of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide or laughing gas.