According to data from WPIC, a digital commerce and technology agency that helps global brands enter, scale and manage their e-commerce operations in Asian markets, China has become the world’s second-largest nutraceutical market with annual sales exceeding US$17 billion. Digital channels are notably central to the Chinese market, with 51% of all consumer spending occurring online.
According to Alexandre Blanc, global director of nutraceuticals at ingredients distributor Barentz, the scale and speed of China’s health market is creating new opportunities for ingredient suppliers and brands willing to adapt their approach to local consumer behaviour.
“I’ve seen ingredient producers create China-specific brands to sell through channels that are less common in Europe,” Blanc said. “Some have generated extraordinary sales, such as selling €7 million of product in just four or five hours through influencer-led campaigns.
“This shows the strength of Chinese consumer demand— and ultimately, B2B markets follow where consumers lead.”
European manufacturing creates a trust advantage
Peter McMath, chief growth officer at WPIC, said that the ‘Made in EU’ label is an increasingly important differentiator in China’s nutraceutical market.
“European manufacturing carries a set of positive associations for both consumers and business partners: Clean ingredient sourcing, strong regulatory oversight and manufacturing process integrity,” he said. “Chinese consumers also associate the European lifestyle with healthy living, which gives European supplement makers a branding advantage on top of the quality aspects.”
For European companies, the “opportunity is significant,” according McMath, who noted that nutraceutical sales on China’s two largest e-commerce platforms, Tmall and JD.com, grew by 27.3% last year.
Omega-3s, probiotics, vitamins and minerals, and collagen performed particularly well—categories in which European manufacturers have traditionally excelled.
However, McMath said companies cannot assume that products that perform well in Europe will automatically succeed in China.
“One of the most common mistakes is failing to localize,” he said. “Brands arrive with their home-market playbook, but the hero product at home isn’t necessarily the right lead product for China. That category may be saturated or simply less popular with Chinese consumers.”
Instead, McMath recommends brands invest in market research before entering the country and develop strategies specifically for Chinese consumers, as well as utilizing local marketing approaches.
“Livestreaming, for example, is a core part of both brand-building and conversion in China, and brands that treat it as optional fall behind,” he said.
Chloe Zhu, research consultant at Euromonitor, affirmed that it is becoming an ‘unmistakable trend’ that Chinese consumers are increasingly seeking premium nutraceutical products.
“Chinese consumers are increasingly educated and demanding when it comes to supplement quality,” Zhu said. “They’re moving away from generic products and actively looking for clinically proven ingredients, transparent sourcing and clear efficacy data.
“This upgrade in consumer mindset is a long-term shift, not a short-lived fad.”
According to Zhu, Chinese consumers have traditionally favored supplements from North America and Australasia. This is because brands from these countries typically establish an early presence in the market through investment in marketing, distribution networks and overseas Chinese communities. But now, with the proliferation of social media, European brands are quickly gaining ground.
“With the rise of social media and cross-border e-commerce, European brands now have a new and effective channel to reach Chinese consumers,” Zhu said. “They’re gaining visibility and credibility, especially by leveraging their reputation for stricter regulatory standards and advanced ingredient innovation. The volume is clearly picking up.”
Premium innovation vs traditional remedies
However, the market is not simply shifting in one direction towards imported premium supplements. Instead, it is becoming increasingly polarized, Zhu noted, with premium science-backed products and traditional heritage remedies gaining traction, while less differentiated products fall behind.
“On one end, you have imported, premium-positioned supplements with advanced ingredients and strong science backing—that segment is thriving,” she said. “On the other end, the most traditional categories like E-Jiao [donkey-hide gelatin] and bird’s nest [a traditional Chinese wellness product made from edible swiftlet nests] remain surprisingly resilient, because they’re deeply rooted in cultural heritage and trusted by a loyal consumer base.”
This leaves a gap where poorly differentiated supplement categories are losing relevance. For example, supplements which use well established ingredients but lack innovation and cultural heritage are likely to miss the mark with Chinese consumers, Zhu said.
“Consumers are increasingly moving away from these ambiguous, me-too products,” she said. “So the shift isn’t simply ‘toward imports’—it’s a two-speed market where both premium imports and heritage TCM-style products are winning, while the middle ground is shrinking.”
For European brands, this means that a European origin story must sit alongside a strong scientific and commercial proposition.
Barentz’s Blanc agreed, noting that China has a long history of traditional medicine, meaning European brands need to offer something genuinely differentiated.
“You won’t sell them Ginkgo simply because it comes from Europe,” he said. “But if you can offer something they don’t have locally, you can create interest.”
European companies therefore need to focus on areas where they can bring something new, he said, whether through unique ingredients, scientific research, clinical evidence or brand storytelling.
‘Made in EU’ success is about perception
One of the differentiators for European brands among Chinese consumers is down to perception and positioning, Blanc explained, noting that consumers often change their purchasing preferences as their incomes increase.
“When people have more money, they want to source supplements that are either made elsewhere or produced locally using foreign ingredients,” he said, adding that Chinese consumers often associate overseas production with higher quality.
“Most production in China is very high quality, so it is often more a matter of perception and image,” Blanc added.
Blanc compared the dynamic to luxury goods, where consumers purchase products not only because of technical quality but also because of what the brand represents.
“When you buy fashion brands, for example, quality is important, but it is also about what the brand represents,” he said.
The same principle increasingly applies to supplements: Consumers may value the story behind the product as much as the formulation itself. Brands therefore need to provide a solid back story rather than simply relying on being European.
Regulation remains a challenge despite market potential
Luca Bucchini, managing director at Hylobates Consulting, said European products and ingredients continue to attract strong interest in China because consumers and businesses often associate EU standards with quality and reliability.
European standards often command strong international respect, Bucchini explained, particularly in areas such as environmental requirements, sustainability and manufacturing controls.
However, while cross-border e-commerce has created a pathway for overseas brands to reach Chinese consumers without immediately navigating all domestic registration requirements, the process can be complex.
“Cross-border e-commerce is not as straightforward as it is sometimes presented; customs controls can be unpredictable and are not always applied uniformly,” he said.
For brands, this means cross-border shipments may face unexpected customs delays, additional costs, and compliance challenges that can affect delivery times and customer experience.
Bucchini said some European companies are successfully building their presence in China, but the market requires careful preparation and a tailored approach.
“The Chinese market is booming, but it is also difficult to penetrate from a regulatory perspective,” he said.
China is becoming more than an export destination
European companies are increasingly recognizing that China offers opportunities beyond simply selling finished products, said Matevž Ambrožič, marketing director at Slovenian supplier PharmaLinea.
“For many years, companies primarily looked at China as a destination for products,” he said. “Increasingly, however, it is also becoming a source of ideas.”
Ambrožič said Chinese consumers are often early adopters of emerging health concepts, with trends such as NMN and NAD+ demonstrating how quickly new science-based categories can gain traction.
He also pointed to China’s influence in areas such as delivery technologies, product formats, digital commerce and rapid product commercialization.
“China is a market that can teach European companies a lot,” he said.
But while the opportunity is significant, one of the biggest misconceptions is assuming that regulatory approval alone will lead to commercial success.
“Regulatory compliance is certainly important, and requirements such as General Administration of Customs (GACC) registration require preparation, documentation and ongoing commitment,” he said. “However, I would argue that understanding the market itself is often the bigger challenge.”
China’s consumer landscape differs significantly from European markets, and Ambrožič highlighted that companies which rely too heavily on strategies developed elsewhere risk missing important opportunities.
“Companies that approach China with the assumption that strategies successful in Europe can simply be replicated there often face challenges,” he said. “The companies that tend to perform best are those that invest time in understanding the local environment and adapting their approach to the realities of the market.”
