“China is one of our best and fastest-growing markets. The great thing about China is that it is consistently growing. It’s not high growth one year and down the next year,” Fish told us at the recent Healthplex Expo 2026 held in Shanghai from June 15 to 17.
In fact, the biggest advantage of the Chinese and wider Asia-Pacific probiotics market is its consistent growth, which is not necessarily the case seen in other major nutraceutical markets like North America, according to Fish’s observations.
This consistent growth boils down to consumers’ desire for wellness, strong consumer engagement and knowledge, as well as product innovation.
Fish said that the company has been closely following the Chinese probiotic market for new product development ideas, which can then be applied to other markets.
“The thing we like about China, though, is that it’s not just growth; it is innovation. This is where we look at what’s coming next, what the consumer trends are and how we learn and grow with the Chinese market and extend that across the globe,” she said.
New showcase
At the show, the company showcased three new microbiome solutions that address metabolic health, women’s health and digestive health needs. Some of these solutions are using probiotic strains that are compliant with Chinese regulations but are not yet used in any commercial products in China.
Its metabolic health solution, for instance, uses a new Lactobacillus brevis strain, which Dr Susan Jin, vice president of IFF Health Sciences APAC, said was backed by new clinical data for its metabolic health and blood sugar management functions.
Its women’s health solution also uses Lactobacillus crispatus - another strain new to the Chinese market, while its digestive health solution has tapped into the use of digestive enzymes.
Standing out from the competition
China’s probiotic sector started about 40 years ago, but as market competition intensifies, brands have been trying to stand out by adding more probiotic strains to their products, increasing the CFU count or using a greater variety of strains.
According to data from digital commerce and technology agency WPIC, the vast majority (90%) of gut health probiotics sold on Tmall are high-dose formulations, clocking in at over 10 billion CFUs. Over seven in 10 probiotic products are also formulated with more than nine strains.
In response to this ongoing trend, Dr Jin believes that the industry should return to the fundamentals of ensuring safety, stability and scientific evidence to grow sustainably.
“Science is still key and brands should stick to the three key fundamentals of probiotics, namely safety and using strains that comply with regulatory requirements, as well as ensuring the strains’ stability and efficacy,” said Dr Jin. “For science, we need to persist in conducting RCT experiments and conducting quality research that looks at specific populations, not just the general population.”
In this instance, the company has conducted probiotic clinical trials involving specific populations like infants, children, women, and the elderly.
“From there on, we develop formulations and formats that are suitable for these specific populations,” said Dr Jin.
She also cautioned that brands should communicate scientifically-backed health functions, instead of making exaggerated claims, as this could undermine consumer trust.
One way of communicating science to consumers is making sure that they understand, remember and can easily tell others about it, which Dr Jin described as being “tiktokable.”
“At IFF Health Sciences, we have more than 100 years of experience and more than 1,000 publications in scientific journals. We have the science, but we also want to turn it into a formula. Consumers need to believe in this formula, which means we have to explain the formula to them,” she said. “If consumers do not understand the formula, they will not remember it, and they will not be able to tell others and spread information about it.”
The future of China’s probiotic market
Asked about the future of China’s probiotic market, Dr Jin said that keeping the three aforementioned fundamentals will become more important, and more innovations in dosage formats, health functions, and formulations that combine probiotics with other actives such as vitamins and plant extracts can be expected.
“In my opinion, the development of the probiotic sector will definitely stick to safety, stability, and science, because these are the three main pillars of the probiotics category,” she said. “We may also see more products for different health functions, where it’s no longer just about digestion and immunity, since the microbiome is a major part of the body and there is growing research on this area.”
