Shoppers are voting with their dollars.
Underdogs. Bain’s 2026 Insurgent Brands report confirms wellness is outpacing legacy CPG: 113 young brands drove 36% of growth in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector last year — with 44% touting better-for-you claims and 40% pushing protein.
Box score. Insurgent brands generate >$35M and grow 10x faster than the category average while operating independently or having been acquired recently. Projected to drive up to 50% of FMCG growth over the next five years, they’ve accounted for ~20% of sector gains since 2017.
Next man up. M&A gold, Big CPG has scooped up a quarter of insurgents, including Siete, Dr. Squatch, Simple Mills, and poppi in 2025, while Once Upon a Farm IPO’d.
The next wave, clean meat purveyors Force of Nature, Organic Rancher, and Archer broke through in 2026, alongside BFY sweets sellers Solely, Fruit Riot!, and JOYRIDE. In clean personal care, menstrual product maker Cora and men’s deodorant brand Mando made the list.
Punchline: Small, product-focused upstarts are disproportionately successful with wellness consumers, who are skeptical of profit-obsessed conglomerates. As purchasing funnels and preferences evolve, insurgents have a nimble edge, but Big CPG is lurking to copy or buy.
