UNPACKED

← Frontpage

**When Your Soda Comes With Ginseng**

5h ago · 4 sources · trend

The functional drinks arms race just went global.

In the UK, the functional drinks market has hit £100M in value sales. Juice shots are on fire, posting a 47% compound annual growth rate over the past three years, with 130 million shots purchased in the last year. Moju alone is up 30% year on year, and its 420ml Ginger Dosing Bottle holds the top retail sales value spot in chilled juice with a 44% repeat rate.

Meanwhile, coffee alternatives are climbing 39.5% year on year, with 544.2K average monthly popularity. Matcha beverages are up 154.5% with 1.8B popularity. Herbal teas are up 26.1% and wellness teas up 30.8%. Searches linked to functional tea benefits are exploding, gut health up 642.3% and menstrual relief up over 1,000%.

And coffee? Still a beast at 8.8 billion popularity and 21.1% growth.

In Asia, the functionality playbook gets sharper. Herbal Player has launched ginseng sodas with over 30mg of ginsenosides per 100ml and ginseng candies at CNY29.90 per 18-candy tube. Dong-A Pharmaceutical rolled out Ice Bac Cider Zero in South Korea with 1,000mg of taurine and 10kcal per 355ml can.

Why it matters: function is no longer a niche shelf. It is the shelf. From shots to sodas, brands are dosing everyday formats with specific benefits and betting on repeat. The next wave is not about replacing coffee. It is about stacking benefits into whatever consumers already drink.

Key facts

  • The UK functional drinks market has reached £100M in value sales, driven by rising demand for health-conscious beverage options.
  • The juice shot segment in the UK has seen a 47% compound annual growth rate over the past three years, with 130 million shots purchased in the last year.
  • Moju has increased revenue 30% year-on-year, and its 420ml Ginger Dosing Bottle is the number one retail sales value product in the chilled juice category with a 44% repeat rate.
  • Spate data shows the coffee alternative category is up 39.5% year-on-year, with 544.2K average monthly popularity from January to December 2025.
  • Matcha beverages are up 154.5% year-on-year with 1.8B popularity, while herbal teas are up 26.1% and wellness teas up 30.8%, according to Spate.
  • Searches tied to functional tea benefits are surging, including gut health up 642.3% year-on-year and menstrual relief up over 1,000%.
  • Coffee remains strong with 8.8 billion popularity and 21.1% year-on-year growth, even as consumers explore alternatives and customization.
  • Herbal Player has launched ginseng-based sodas containing over 30mg of ginsenosides per 100ml using patented nanotechnology to make sparkling formats more accessible.
  • Herbal Player also introduced ginseng candies priced at CNY29.90 per 18-candy tube to make the ingredient more affordable for FMCG channels.
  • Dong-A Pharmaceutical launched Ice Bac Cider Zero with 1,000mg of taurine and 10kcal per 355ml can to tap into South Korea’s zero-sugar trend.
  • £100M
  • 47%
  • 130 million
  • 48%
  • 6.8%
  • 30%
  • 44%
  • 39.5%

Coverage