Ross Perot, founder and CEO of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems, American businessman, politician and philanthropist, is quoted for once having said: “The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.”

Similarly, as today’s consumers increasingly take a proactive approach to health and wellness, Brightseed, a bioactive leader unlocking nature with artificial intelligence (AI) to elevate human health, unveiled a second installment of its bioactivist consumer research, noting that bioactivists view health as a foundation, not a fix, and are motivated by long-term goals like avoiding future illness, living longer and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The 2025 Brightseed Health & Nutrition Survey was conducted online in April among a nationally representative sample of 1,200 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older.

The updated findings revealed that 45% of U.S. adults now identify as bioactivists — proactive, health-conscious consumers who are increasingly seeking products with proven health benefits, the company notes. The rise from 27% in Brightseed’s 2022 survey is a sharp contrast, making bioactivists the fastest growing and largest health-focused consumer segment in the United States, it says.

Moreover, for food, beverage, and health companies, Brightseed notes that this is a prime opportunity to engage a large, motivated, and high-spend audience who are actively seeking products with proven functional benefits.

The following are additional key findings of the updated survey:

• 87% use supplements; 43% use them consistently
• 68% regularly check nutrition labels
• More than 16% are more likely to seek products with added nutrients
• More than 25% more are willing to pay more for food, beverages, and supplements containing bioactives
• More than 14% are more likely to try a new product because it contains bioactive properties.

Meanwhile, more than 60% of consumers want brands to improve product healthfulness, communicate bioactive content, and back claims with science, the company says.

“The Bioactivist is no longer a niche wellness enthusiast — they’re your neighbor, your coworker, and a powerful driver of market trends,” said David Blackwood, senior vice president of commercial at Brightseed, in a statement. “For food, beverage, and health companies, this is a prime opportunity to engage a large, motivated, and high-spend audience that is actively seeking products with proven functional benefits.”

To meet this demand, Brightseed’s proprietary AI platform Forager acts as a discovery and development engine for small molecules and bioactives, it says.

“Bioactives are nature’s health drivers, and Forager allows us to discover and unlock them at an unprecedented scale, providing our partners market disrupting innovation and development tools,” said Sofia Elizondo, co-founder and president of Brightseed, in a statement. “This research confirms that consumers are ready — and eager — for products that harness bio actives to support human health.”