A useful mental model for this comes from Mayssa Chehata, founder of BEHAVE Candy, who talks about the power of a "Low-Cost Indulgence." The framework is about transforming a functional product into a small, repeatable, and genuinely enjoyable treat. This is what turns a supplement from something people should take into something they want to take, which is the key to consistent daily use.
The first step is embracing the form factor itself. On Ecommerce On Tap, Aaron Alpeter and Nathan Resnick discussed how the gummy's candy-like feel is its greatest strength. Adults, as Aaron put it, are just children with credit cards who also hate taking pills. The gummy format replaces a clinical, chore-like experience with a tiny dopamine hit. This shift from negative reinforcement (avoiding a pill) to positive reinforcement (getting a treat) is fundamental. It improves what the industry calls "behavioral compliance," making people more likely to stick with it. This was the whole insight that made early vitamin gummies for kids so successful and is now driving the adult market.
Next, you have to nail the indulgence part, which means the taste and texture are non-negotiable. It can't just be a vitamin disguised in a gummy; it has to be a good gummy. Michael Fisher, the founder of Rotten, talked on the DTC Podcast about the effort they put into reformulating their candy to perfect the taste and sourness based on customer feedback. Your product is competing with a lifetime of candy experiences, so it has to deliver a satisfying flavor profile. If it tastes medicinal or has a strange texture, the indulgence framework falls apart.
Third, you must align the branding with an adult audience. This is where many brands miss the mark. Mayssa Chehata made a great point on Future Commerce that while adults are a huge part of the candy market, they don't necessarily relate to the cartoon-forward branding of their childhood. She specifically designed BEHAVE with more sophisticated, less kid-centric packaging. Similarly, when Jess Holland worked with a CBD gummy client, she had to test different imagery to figure out who they were actually selling to. The branding needs to signal that this is a treat for a grown-up, something that fits into their daily wellness routine alongside coffee or a workout, not something they stole from their kid's snack drawer.
The place this framework breaks down is when the 'candy' perception completely eclipses the 'functional' one. As Nathan Resnick pointed out, early on there was a real question of whether gummies were just candy dressed up as healthcare. If your product is perceived as only a treat, you lose the justification for daily use and the premium price point. The health benefit, like the creatine in the gummies from Bear Balanced, has to be real and consistently communicated. Without the functional benefit, you're no longer a wellness brand; you're just another candy company.