2025 China Cross-border Imported Health Products Market Analysis Report
Executive Summary
China's imported health food market is experiencing rapid growth, expected to exceed 430 billion RMB in 2025 with sustained annual growth rates above 10%. Despite this expansion, per capita consumption remains significantly lower than in developed markets, indicating substantial untapped potential.
Key Findings
- Market Expansion: Market size expanded 3.5x from 2013 to 2023, demonstrating consistent strong growth in the sector.
- Growth Potential: Significant gap in market penetration compared to US markets across all age demographics.
- E-commerce Dominance: Online channels now account for nearly 50% of health product sales, transforming market dynamics.
- Cross-border Growth: Cross-border import value reached 1.32 trillion RMB in 2025, 10x the 2017 level.
Market Overview & Growth Potential
According to the "2025 China Cross-border Imported Health Products Market Analysis Report" released by Boguan Research Institute, China's health food market has shown remarkable expansion over the past decade.
Market penetration rates across all age groups in China are lower than in the US. For example, among those aged 65 and above, China's penetration rate is only 23%, 50 percentage points lower than the US. The gap is smaller in the under-24 age group, with China at 19% compared to 30% in the US.
Market Penetration & Per Capita Spending Comparison
| Metric | Age Group | China | United States | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penetration Rate | 65+ | 23% | ~73% | 50 percentage points |
| 24 & below | 19% | 30% | 11 percentage points | |
| Per Capita Spending | All | Low | High | Significant |
| Growth Rate | All | >6% | Lower | China's growth rate is higher |
Cross-border E-commerce & Sales Channels
The rise of cross-border e-commerce has transformed China's health products market. In 2022, the total cross-border import value reached 560 billion RMB, nearly 10 times that of 2017, and is expected to reach 1.32 trillion RMB this year.
Nutritional and health products occupy an important position in cross-border imports. The United States, Japan, Australia, and Germany are the main suppliers in the cross-border imported health food market.
E-commerce Market Share (2023)
| Platform Tier | Platform | Market Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Taobao/Tmall | 42% |
| Tier 2 | JD.com | 16% |
| Douyin | 16% |
Cross-border E-commerce Platform Ranking
| Rank | Cross-border Platform |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tmall Global |
| 2 | JD Worldwide |
| 3 | Douyin Global |
| Mainstream | Pinduoduo Global |
71% of consumers prefer domestic cross-border import e-commerce platforms when purchasing imported health products. Key factors in platform selection include authenticity/quality guarantee and price advantage, while return/refund services and logistics speed are areas where consumers hope for improvement.
Key Consumer Segments & Product Categories
From a consumer perspective, they pay high attention to product quality, brand, and ingredients. According to JD Worldwide research, there are three main types of buyers of imported health foods.
Primary Consumer Groups
| Consumer Segment | Characteristics | Annual Spending |
|---|---|---|
| Women aged 36-45 in Tier-1 cities | Experienced, brand-aware | ~3000 RMB |
| Men aged 36-40 in Tier-1 cities | High quality standards, trust in cross-border brands, interested in limited/unique products | ~4000 RMB |
| Female "Family Health Guardians" aged 26-45 | Prefer health foods, focus on ingredients | Varies |
Top Imported Cross-border Health Product Categories
These five categories account for 70% of the cross-border imported health food market:
| Rank | Product Category | Market Share | Representative Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiovascular Nutrition | 21.4% | Deep Sea Fish Oil, Coenzyme Q10 |
| 2 | Oral Beauty | 17.6% | Collagen, Grape Seed Extract |
| 3 | Comprehensive Nutritional Supplements | 12.4% | Multivitamins |
| 4 | Bone & Joint Health | 10.8% | Calcium, Glucosamine |
| 5 | Gastrointestinal Health | 6.8% | Probiotics |
Platform-Specific Category Sales Ranking
Taobao/Tmall System
| Rank | Category | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitamins/Minerals | 13.3% |
| 2 | Sports Nutrition | 12.4% |
| 3 | Children's Nutrition | 10.7% |
JD.com System
| Rank | Category | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Children's Nutrition | 15.8% |
| 2 | Vitamins/Minerals | 12.7% |
| 3 | Bone & Joint Health | 11.4% |
Key Supplier Countries & Notable Performance
The United States, Japan, Australia, and Germany are the main supplier countries for China's cross-border imported health food market. In 2023, China's health food imports from these countries reached $6.74 billion, doubling since 2018.
Notable 2024 Double 11 Performance (Douyin Global)
| Brand | Country of Origin | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Swisse | Australia | 150 million RMB |
| OLLY | United States | Exceeded 100 million RMB |
| OXYENERGY | New Zealand | Exceeded 100 million RMB |
The Dietary Nutrition Category GMV increased by 204% year-on-year during the 2024 Double 11 promotion.
Conclusion & Outlook
As consumers' health awareness continues to improve, the cross-border imported health food market is expected to maintain strong growth momentum. Brands need to closely monitor market dynamics and continuously innovate products to meet consumers' increasingly diverse health needs.
At the same time, as market competition intensifies, cooperation and win-win situations between brands will also become an important trend for future development. In addition, cross-border e-commerce platforms need to continuously optimize the shopping experience and improve service quality to attract more consumers to choose cross-border health foods.
