• by Les Luchter , Yesterday

Can doing a downward dog help soothe stomach woes?  The folks at Nestlé Health Science’s IBgard supplement seem to think so. They teamed with fitness coach Katie Austin to develop the Peppermint Power Flow, a yoga routine designed to help gut digestion.

“This flow really mimics that gentle soothingness of the ultra-purified peppermint oil, which is the key ingredient in IBgard,” Austin explains at the start of the routine’s half-hour video which is featured on Austin's YouTube channel and IBgard’s website.

Included yoga poses, which the partners say will soothe both belly and mind, include child’s, cat cow -- and, yes, downward dog..

The Peppermint Power Flow is designed to reach new customers -- “consumers who don’t yet know about the power of our herbal dietary supplement, IBgard, and ultra-purified peppermint oil, to help calm the gut,” the brand’s senior director of brand experience Megan Smargiasso tells Marketing Daily.

“Based on consumer insights and trends, as well as data related to digestive health, IBgard’s target demographic for this partnership are women ages 35 and up who are frustrated by occasional gut discomfort and open to herbal management for support,” Smargiasso says. “In particular, they are seeking holistic options to support their health and wellness goals, which makes them likely to do yoga as a part of their wellness routine. They want their lives to be defined by what they can do rather than being held back by occasional gut discomfort.”

The Peppermint Power Flow is being promoted through paid social, earned media, content on IBGard’s and Austin’s owned channels, and on Austin’s app and newsletter. Austin is also featured on IBgard’s Amazon storefront.  

Katie Austin follows in her mom's fitness footsteps: Her mother is Denise Austin, longtime video/TV fitness host and first spokesperson for the Reebok Freestyle sneaker.

IBgard was launched by IM HealthScience as its first product in 2010.  Nestlé acquired IM -- and IBGgard -- in 2020.

The brand uses a patented technology that’s said to deliver peppermint oil specifically to sites in the body where it's needed. And Nestlé says it’s been “clinically shown to help manage a combination of occasional symptoms including cramping, diarrhea, bloating, bowel urgency, constipation and gas.”

IBgard is part of the booming digestive health supplements category, recently estimated by Future Market Insights (FMI) to be worth $19.3 billion globally this year – and growing at 6% annually to $34.5 billion in 2035. The field includes not only herbal supplements like IBgard but probiotics, fiber powders, enzyme blends, and prebiotics.

Nestlé Health Science is a major player in the digestive health category,  with brands besides IBgard including Nutrisource, Nature’s Bounty, Solgar, Sundown and others.

“Digestive health, once considered a private matter or a side topic in wellness conversations, is now front and center,” FMI said in a blog post. “The drivers behind this shift are no mystery: more processed food, fewer whole grains, rising stress levels, and sedentary lifestyles. But rather than correcting these root causes, many consumers are turning to supplements as a workaround.”