China's Oral Care Market Hits CN¥ 34.35 Billion in 2024
By Jessie Wang
6 min read
Executive Summary#
China's online oral care market reached CN¥ 34.35 billion in 2024, surging +17.2% YoY from CN¥ 29.31 billion, with all three major e-commerce platforms recording positive growth. Toothpaste dominated as both the largest and fastest-growing segment at CN¥ 15.33 billion (+28.6% YoY), while sweep-vibration electric toothbrushes and hydroxyapatite ingredients emerged as the most disruptive innovation forces. The competitive landscape shows domestic brands capturing share from international incumbents through differentiated channel-product strategies, with Laifen achieving +993.6% YoY growth and NYSCPS growing +287.2%.
A CN¥ 34 Billion Market With Broad-Based Growth#
China's online oral care market demonstrated robust expansion in 2024, reaching CN¥ 34.35 billion across Tmall/Taobao, JD.com, and Douyin. The growth was not concentrated on a single platform --- all three major channels contributed gains, confirming broad-based demand rather than platform-specific dynamics.
JD.com delivered the most significant absolute increase, jumping from CN¥ 6.59 billion to CN¥ 9.08 billion (+37.8%), while Douyin grew from CN¥ 8.28 billion to CN¥ 10.40 billion (+25.6%). Tmall/Taobao maintained its position as the largest single contributor at CN¥ 14.86 billion with modest +2.9% growth, reflecting market maturity rather than weakness as newer channels scale.
Oral care market sales reach CN¥ 34.35 billion with all platforms contributing growth#
| Year | Tmall/Taobao (CN¥B) | JD.com (CN¥B) | Douyin (CN¥B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 14.44 | 6.59 | 8.28 |
| 2024 | 14.86 | 9.08 | 10.40 |
The platform growth differential signals a structural rebalancing of China's oral care e-commerce landscape. JD.com's outsized gains likely reflect its strength in higher-ASP categories such as electric toothbrushes and premium oral care devices, where its logistics infrastructure and authentic-goods reputation provide a competitive advantage. Douyin's continued expansion demonstrates the platform's effectiveness in driving impulse purchases through livestream commerce and short-video product demonstrations, particularly for toothpaste sets and emerging brands.
For brands navigating this multi-platform landscape, the data supports a differentiated channel strategy: premium devices on JD.com, discovery-driven sets on Douyin, and core SKU maintenance on Tmall/Taobao.
Toothpaste Leads the Growth Charge#
Toothpaste established itself as the primary engine of market expansion, commanding CN¥ 15.33 billion in sales with the fastest growth rate at +28.6% YoY. Manual toothbrushes (+19.9%) and children's oral care (+15.0%) rounded out the high-growth tier. Electric toothbrushes delivered moderate +6.4% growth on a large CN¥ 6.28 billion base, while mouthwash grew +4.7% to CN¥ 1.61 billion.
Several categories experienced notable declines. Water flossers contracted -9.2% and dental floss/toothpicks fell -16.1%, suggesting a potential shift in consumer preferences for interdental cleaning. Among smaller categories, denture cleaning surged +78.9% and dental scalers grew +66.1%, indicating emerging demand in specialized oral care tools.
Toothpaste leads segment growth at +28.6% while emerging categories show potential#
| Category | 2023 Sales (CN¥B) | 2024 Sales (CN¥B) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toothpaste | 11.92 | 15.33 | +28.6 |
| Electric Toothbrush | 5.91 | 6.28 | +6.4 |
| Manual Toothbrush | 3.07 | 3.68 | +19.9 |
| Children's Oral Care | 2.29 | 2.64 | +15.0 |
| Mouthwash | 1.53 | 1.61 | +4.7 |
| Electric Toothbrush Heads | 1.32 | 1.29 | -2.5 |
| Water Flosser/Oral Irrigator | 1.09 | 0.99 | -9.2 |
| Dental Floss/Toothpick | 1.06 | 0.89 | -16.1 |
| Breath Freshener | 0.44 | 0.41 | -5.8 |
| Tooth Powder | 0.25 | 0.25 | +0.6 |
| Denture Cleaning | 0.04 | 0.08 | +78.9 |
| Tooth Whitening Strips | 0.03 | 0.04 | +16.2 |
| Interdental Brush | 0.14 | 0.16 | +12.8 |
| Enamel Protector | 0.004 | 0.004 | -5.8 |
| Dental Scaler | 0.001 | 0.001 | +66.1 |
| Toothbrush Sterilizer | 0.001 | 0.001 | -46.9 |
The growth divergence reflects a market in transition: core categories like toothpaste benefit from ingredient innovation and promotional bundling strategies, while mature accessory categories face saturation. The strong manual toothbrush growth alongside moderate electric toothbrush expansion suggests that price-sensitive consumers still represent a substantial segment not yet converted to powered alternatives.
Domestic Brands Capture Share From Global Incumbents#
The brand landscape reveals a structural shift toward domestic brands with strong digital commerce capabilities. Usmile leads the overall market with CN¥ 2.17 billion in sales and 6.8% market share, followed by Yunnan Baiyao at CN¥ 1.64 billion with impressive +35.7% YoY growth. The most remarkable performers are Laifen, which achieved +993.6% growth through its sweep-vibration electric toothbrush technology, and NYSCPS, which grew +287.2% by leveraging Douyin with toothpaste bundled sets.
Meanwhile, international incumbents experienced headwinds. Philips declined -15.4%, Oral-B fell -11.6%, and Crest contracted -6.2%. These declines suggest that premium pricing alone is insufficient without compelling innovation narratives or platform-native marketing strategies. Domestic brands Saky (+25.8%) and Colgate (+8.5%) demonstrated that blending functional product claims with platform-specific go-to-market approaches drives sustainable growth.
The competitive dynamics illustrate a dual reality: established brands maintain scale through broad product portfolios and multi-platform presence, while insurgent brands capture outsized growth by dominating specific platform-category combinations.
Category Opportunities Ahead#
The oral care market shows multiple growth frontiers. In toothpaste, ingredient innovation led by hydroxyapatite (+155.6% YoY) and fragrance premiumization from traditional mint to perfume-inspired scents are reshaping consumer expectations. The electric toothbrush segment is shifting from volume growth to value growth, with sweep-vibration technology (exceeding 10x growth) and AI-enabled features (approximately 3x growth) commanding price premiums that offset declining unit volumes.
Manual toothbrushes revealed a breakout story in three-sided brush heads, which achieved 31x YoY growth to reach CN¥ 390 million. In mouthwash, the anti-sugar concept surged to CN¥ 92.4 million with near-doubling growth, demonstrating how cross-category ingredient migration from skincare can unlock new oral care segments.
For brands seeking opportunities in China's oral care market, the data points to three strategic priorities: invest in differentiated ingredients and technologies, develop platform-specific go-to-market strategies, and target emerging sub-categories where first-mover advantages remain available.
Key Takeaways#
- China's online oral care market reached CN¥ 34.35 billion in 2024, up +17.2% YoY, with all three major platforms contributing growth
- Toothpaste leads at CN¥ 15.33 billion (+28.6% YoY), driven by ingredient innovation and promotional bundling
- Domestic brands Laifen (+993.6%) and NYSCPS (+287.2%) demonstrate the power of differentiated channel-product strategies
- International incumbents Philips (-15.4%) and Oral-B (-11.6%) face pressure from innovation-driven domestic competitors
- Emerging categories including three-sided toothbrushes (31x growth) and anti-sugar mouthwash (~2x growth) signal new market frontiers
Related Insights#
- Sweep-Vibration and Hydroxyapatite Lead China's Oral Care Innovation
- Three-Sided Toothbrush and Anti-Sugar Mouthwash Emerge as Breakout Categories
About the Data#
This analysis is based on Moojing Market Intelligence data covering China's major e-commerce platforms including Tmall, Taobao, JD.com, and Douyin. Data spans January 2023 through December 2024, analysed at SKU level across an extensive brand set. Social media data is sourced from major Chinese social platforms for consumer sentiment analysis. For the full methodology, category deep-dives, and brand-level data, download the complete whitepaper.
This content adheres to Moojing's editorial standards .
Frequently Asked Questions
CN¥ 34.35 billion in 2024, up +17.2% from CN¥ 29.31 billion — and the growth was broad rather than concentrated, with all three major channels contributing gains. That matters because it confirms genuine category demand rather than a channel-specific shift. The differential between channels is still worth planning around: the logistics-and-authenticity channel gained most in absolute terms, consistent with strength in higher-priced devices, while the content-led channel kept expanding on livestream and short-video demonstration, which suits toothpaste sets and emerging brands. A differentiated channel strategy follows — premium devices in one place, discovery-driven sets in another, core SKU maintenance in a third.
Toothpaste is both the largest and the fastest at CN¥ 15.33 billion (+28.6%), driven by ingredient innovation and promotional bundling. Manual toothbrushes grew +19.9% to CN¥ 3.68 billion and children's oral care +15.0% to CN¥ 2.64 billion. Electric toothbrushes managed only +6.4% on a large CN¥ 6.28 billion base, and mouthwash +4.7% to CN¥ 1.61 billion. Contracting: water flossers -9.2% to CN¥ 0.99 billion and dental floss and toothpicks -16.1% to CN¥ 0.89 billion, suggesting a change in how consumers approach interdental cleaning. Among small categories, denture cleaning surged +78.9% and dental scalers +66.1%. Strong manual toothbrush growth alongside modest electric growth says a substantial price-sensitive segment still has not converted to powered alternatives.
Toward domestic brands with strong digital commerce capability. The most striking performances came from a sweep-vibration electric toothbrush specialist growing +993.6% and a toothpaste-set brand growing +287.2% by leaning on a content-led channel. Established international names moved the other way, at -15.4%, -11.6% and -6.2%, which suggests premium pricing alone is insufficient without either a compelling innovation narrative or platform-native marketing. The dual reality is that established brands hold scale through broad portfolios and multi-platform presence, while insurgents capture outsized growth by owning one specific platform-and-category combination completely.
In differentiated ingredients and formats rather than in the core. Hydroxyapatite grew +155.6% in toothpaste, and fragrance premiumisation is moving the category from traditional mint toward perfume-inspired scents. The electric toothbrush segment is shifting from volume growth to value growth, with sweep-vibration technology exceeding 10x growth and AI-enabled features around 3x, both commanding premiums that offset softer unit volumes. Manual toothbrushes produced the sharpest breakout of all in three-sided brush heads, at 31x growth to CN¥ 390 million. And in mouthwash the anti-sugar concept reached CN¥ 92.4 million on near-doubling growth — cross-category ingredient migration from skincare unlocking a new oral care segment.
