Li Donghui, a senior expert of Health & Wellness Industry Research & Operations at Alibaba Health Tmall, revealed new trends data and emerging opportunities in China’s health foods sector during his presentation at the Bo’ao Food for Health Science Conference and Expo 2026 (FHE 2026) held in Hainan, China on March 11 to 15.
Vitamin and mineral supplements accounted for nearly 25% of all dietary supplement sales on Tmall last year, followed by cardiovascular health and kids’ nutrition, with over 15% and nearly 10% of sales from these two categories, respectively.
Factors driving growth
According to Li, vitamin and mineral supplements, despite being a mature category, are still growing fast in China.
This is because vitamin and mineral supplements are often the first products used by new users.
“There has been a rapid development in social media, including social commerce, in the last few years, and this is how people are being exposed to dietary supplement products and new users would typically start with multivitamins and calcium supplements,” said Li.
The second largest segment is the heart, brain, and blood vessel health category, where products like fish oil and co-enzyme Q10 are the most purchased products.
Notably, consumers also tend to prefer “high strength” and “high purity” fish oil, which they believe could help lower blood lipid levels. This is also a reason why fish oil is popular among middle-aged to older consumers who tend to suffer from the “three highs” – namely hypertension, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia.
The third largest segment, he said, was the kids and adolescent nutrition category.
Although the number of newborns has been on a decline, kids’ nutrition is a lucrative category as parents these days are more willing to splurge on their children.
“The new generation parents, who are mostly born in the 1990s, have spending power, have received higher education and are more willing to spend on their kids’ education and development,” said Li.
Specifically, height growth and brain health are the two best-performing sub-categories in the kids’ nutrition space.
“Parents tend to compare their kids’ academic results, IQ and height, which is why kids’ nutrition is a growing business in China,” he said.
While milk powder is a common dosage format for kids’ supplements, he has recommended brands to consider formats such as daily nutrition gummy packs consisting of vitamins and calcium or functional beverages for kids.
“Mums tend to think that functional beverages are more easily absorbed and can be nutritious and tasty options, and so there have been examples of brands formulating calcium, lutein, DHA and minerals into drinks,” said Li.
Sialic acid, phosphatidylserine, arachidonic acid (ARA) and magnesium L-threonate are also examples of functional ingredients that he said could be formulated into brain health supplements.
Three categories with growth potential
Li also highlighted three categories with strong growth potential, namely Food with Special Medical Purposes (FSMP), bone and joint supplements and sleep support supplements.
In fact, FSMP has registered the fastest growth for Tmall, with more than 40% growth and older adults are the main consumer group.
At the same time, there is still penetration of FSMP in China, at only 3% penetration rate as compared to 65% in the US.
As China’s elderly population continues to increase, with one in four (28%) expected to be over 60 by 2040, the need for specialized nutrition for common elderly ailments such as ingestion and muscle decline is also expected to increase, said Li.
In a similar vein, the bone and joint health category is also expected to flourish due to the aging population. This is also a reason why he believes that ingredients such as N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (NAG) would become more popular.
“Based on consumer data, including the number of transactions on our platform, we feel that these three ingredients – sialic acid, NAG and HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate) – are the three key ingredients to look out for in the next three years,” said Li.
While sialic acid, found naturally in edible bird’s nest, is typically consumed for beauty-from-within and improving cognitive health, NAG and HMB are mostly used in healthy aging products.
“As the population ages, the demand for bone and joint health products would increase…I am already seeing a lot of brands adding NAG into protein powder here in China. Such products can supplement protein needs and at the same time support muscle and joint health,” he said.
