China's Eye Health Market Surges to CN¥ 26.5B in H1 2025
By Quan Wenjun
4 min read
Executive Summary#
China's online eye health market reached CN¥ 26.54 billion in MAT2025, surging +32.7% YoY as a myopia population projected at 190 million under age 20, escalating screen time, and sustained government policy intervention converge to fuel demand across the entire value chain. Lamps and lighting dominated with CN¥ 17.4 billion in sales (+52% YoY), while personal care products -- eye patches, steam eye masks, and eye wash -- posted the fastest growth at +44.1% YoY. Social media discussions approached 20 million posts, with Xiaohongshu (小红书) emerging as the only major platform showing positive volume growth. Female consumers accounted for 71.7% of eye health discussions, and myopia combined with prolonged electronic device use triggered nearly 60% of all eye care demand.
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A Myopia Crisis at Scale Drives Structural Demand#
Nearly 190 million Chinese under age 20 are projected to have myopia by 2025, establishing one of the world's largest addressable populations for preventive and corrective eye care. The senior high school myopia rate stands at a staggering 81.2%, with the steepest prevalence jump occurring between primary school (36.7%) and junior high (71.4%) -- a transition window that coincides with intensified academic workloads and increased screen time.
The Chinese government has responded with an increasingly comprehensive policy framework. Since 2018, national-level regulations have established standardized protocols for myopia prevention and control, culminating in the 2024 edition of the Guidelines for Prevention and Control of Myopia. This policy momentum has elevated eye health from an individual concern to a national strategic priority, creating a favorable demand environment for market participants.
Myopia prevalence among China's under-20 population projected to reach 190 million by 2025
Seven Categories, One Growth Wave#
The market's +32.7% YoY acceleration significantly outpaces the overall health and wellness e-commerce growth rate. Category-level analysis reveals both the breadth and depth of the expansion.
Lamps and lighting dominates eye health market with CN¥ 17.4 billion sales, growing +52% YoY
Xiaohongshu Gains as Platform Dynamics Shift#
Social media eye health discussions approached 20 million posts across major platforms, though aggregate volume declined -13.9% YoY. This headline decline masks a significant platform divergence.
Douyin leads volume but Xiaohongshu shows growth against overall market decline
Female-Led, Screen-Driven: The Eye Health Consumer#
Social media data reveals an audience dominated by female consumers at 71.7% of discussion volume -- virtually unchanged from 71.5% in MAT2024. The 31-35 age group commands the largest share at 25.2%, with the 26-35 range accounting for 43.1% of all participants. This demographic sits at the intersection of digital screen exposure, career demands, and early parenthood -- where eye health concerns become personally salient for the first time.
Five distinct audience segments drive discussions: parents focused on scientific myopia prevention; night owl workers seeking steam eye masks and lutein supplements; school students exploring blue light protection and OK lenses; office workers relying on celebrity-endorsed eye patches and fish oil combinations; and silver-haired elderly sharing treatment experiences for cataracts and macular degeneration.
Myopia and electronic device use account for nearly 60% of eye care demand triggers
Key Takeaways#
- China's online eye health market reached CN¥ 26.54 billion in MAT2025, growing +32.7% YoY across seven product categories.
- Lamps and lighting led at CN¥ 17.4 billion (+52% YoY); personal care posted the fastest growth at +44.1% YoY; supplements were the only category to contract at -14.2%.
- Xiaohongshu was the only major platform to grow eye health discussion volume (+11.1%), signaling a shift toward community-based health engagement.
- Female consumers (71.7%) and the 26-35 age cohort (43.1%) dominate the eye health audience, driven by screen-intensive lifestyles and parental concerns.
- Myopia and electronic device use together trigger nearly 60% of all eye care demand, establishing digital screen exposure as the market's structural growth driver.
About the Data#
This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence's proprietary e-commerce transaction data covering 30+ platforms (including Tmall, JD.com, Douyin, and Pinduoduo), social media listening from Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu, and consumer review mining. The primary comparison period is MAT2025 (June 2024-May 2025) vs. MAT2024 (June 2023-May 2024). Moojing tracks 400,000+ brands representing 58-65% of China's online retail GMV.
This content adheres to Moojing's editorial standards .
Frequently Asked Questions
CN¥ 26.54 billion in MAT2025, up +32.7% year on year — well ahead of health and wellness e-commerce overall. The driver is structural rather than cyclical: nearly 190 million Chinese under age 20 are projected to have myopia by 2025, one of the world's largest addressable populations for preventive and corrective eye care. The prevalence curve shows where intervention demand concentrates — 36.7% in primary school rising to 71.4% in junior high and 81.2% in senior high, a jump that coincides with heavier academic workloads and more screen time.
Lamps and lighting dominate at CN¥ 17.4 billion, growing +52% year on year — the largest slice of the market by a wide margin, and evidence that buyers treat eye health as an environmental problem first. Personal care products, meaning eye patches, steam eye masks and eye wash, post the fastest growth at +44.1%. Supplements are the one category to contract, at -14.2%, and that is worth sitting with: the ingestible route is giving up ground while environmental and topical routes gain. A brand planning entry should read it as consumers preferring interventions they can see working over ones they take on trust.
Female-led and screen-driven. Women account for 71.7% of eye health discussion, essentially unchanged from 71.5% a year earlier. The 31-35 age group is the largest single cohort at 25.2%, with 26-35 accounting for 43.1% of all participants — the point where screen exposure, career demands and early parenthood intersect and eye health becomes personally salient. Five distinct segments show up in the conversation: parents pursuing scientific myopia prevention; night-owl workers buying steam eye masks and lutein; students exploring blue-light protection and OK lenses; office workers using eye patches and fish oil combinations; and older consumers sharing treatment experiences for cataracts and macular degeneration.
Myopia and prolonged electronic device use, which between them account for nearly 60% of eye care demand triggers. That makes digital screen exposure the market's structural growth driver rather than a contributing factor, and it should shape both product and message. Policy reinforces it: national regulations for myopia prevention and control have been in place since 2018 and were consolidated in the 2024 edition of the guidelines, elevating eye health from an individual concern to a stated national priority. Overall social discussion approached 20 million posts, and although aggregate volume moved -13.9%, one major community-led platform grew +11.1% — engagement is concentrating rather than fading.
