Recent data from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products (CCCMHPIE) showed that the import of dietary supplements in China had climbed by 7.3% to US$1.65 billion in the 1st quarter of 2024.
China imported most of its health foods from the US (17.4%), Australia (14.9%), Germany (13%), Indonesia, and Hong Kong which have a combined share of 57.9% of the country’s total health food import in value terms.
Vitamins, beauty-from-within, pre- and probiotics products are the top selling nutraceutical categories on China’s e-commerce platforms. Categories such as liver, cardiovascular, bone and joint, weight management are also areas of interest.
According to a spokesperson from CCCMHPIE, vitamins are still the number one in terms of products that are selling well on e-commerce channels followed by ‘Beauty-from-within’ products which sees the use of main ingredients like collagen, grape seed, anthocyanidin, and astaxanthin.
JD Health meanwhile reported that the top 5 health segments for Chinese consumers when looking at the sales volume are:
(1) bone and joint health
(2) products for regulating the “3-highs” – high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood glucose
(3) beauty-from-within/antioxidants
(4) vitamins and minerals
(5) infant and children nutrition
In terms of top brands, JD Health also mentioned Swisse, BYHEALTH, Tong Ren Tang, Inne and Move Free as the most popular brands in the country.
With rising consumer awareness on health and better understanding of their health issues, they are now looking at specific supplement category to address their specific health concerns.
The rise in demand for dietary supplements is also attributed to Chinese consumers’ growing interest in fish oil and omega 3 for health. According to CCCMHPIE, China’s import of fish oil and seal oil had also increased in value during the review period.
In addition, the recent approval by regulatory bodies to increase the list of novel food ingredients, including traditional Chinese herbs, approved for use in nutraceuticals could fuel more product innovations within this segment. In 2023 alone, China authorities had approved 12 novel food ingredients. These include pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) disodium salt, where it could be used in the dose of 40mg/kg in beverages. Other ingredients approved include yerba mate, catechins, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, and blueberry anthocyanins.
Apart from relying on imports for its dietary supplements, China is also reputed to be a major raw ingredient supplier as well as strong in contract manufacturing. However, more needs to be done to nurture its homegrown health supplement consumer brands to be on par with international brands.
