Pet Health Supplements Surge +20% as China's Fastest-Growing Segment

Executive Summary

Pet health supplements represent the clearest blue ocean opportunity in China's pet food landscape. MAT 2025 supplement sales reached CN¥ 3.69 billion---a +20.3% year-on-year (YoY) increase that more than doubles the growth rates of staple food (+7.6%) and snacks (+8.1%). Volume grew even faster at +22.1% to 61.6 million units, confirming that genuine demand---not price inflation---drives this expansion. Within the category, cardiovascular health supplements more than doubled at +107.9% YoY, signaling a decisive shift from basic nutrition toward targeted, preventive health management.

This article examines the forces behind the supplement surge, the functional subcategories delivering the fastest growth, and the brand dynamics reshaping competitive positioning.

A Market in Acceleration Mode

The supplement market did not merely grow; it accelerated. Nine of twelve months between December 2024 and November 2025 achieved double-digit YoY growth, with May 2025 reaching +38.2%---the highest monthly growth rate in the segment. The growth rate remained above +19% in every month from May through November 2025, indicating sustained momentum rather than a one-off promotional spike.

Peak sales months---May at CN¥ 402.8 million and November at CN¥ 397.9 million---coincide with the 618 and Double 11 shopping festivals. However, unlike staple food and snacks, supplements show less pronounced seasonal variation relative to baseline, suggesting that purchases stem from ongoing health routines rather than event-driven impulse buying. This behavioral pattern supports subscription-based and repeat-purchase business models that give brands more predictable revenue streams. (Monthly sales data covers December 2024 through November 2025. The 618 festival (June) and Double 11 (November) are China's two largest annual e-commerce shopping events.)

The simultaneous expansion of both sales value and unit volume points to a market entering a self-reinforcing adoption phase: as more pet owners experience the benefits of supplementation, word-of-mouth and social media sharing drive further uptake.

From Coat Care to Cardiac Health: The Functional Frontier

The supplement category operates on two speeds. Established functions---coat health (CN¥ 877 million, +5.8%) and digestive system (CN¥ 839 million, +7.3%)---provide stable revenue anchors. Advanced health functions deliver explosive growth from smaller bases.

Cardiovascular health more than doubled to CN¥ 249 million (+107.9% YoY). Weight and body condition management expanded to CN¥ 249.5 million (+79.4%). Eye care reached CN¥ 102 million (+54.7%), and liver and kidney support grew to CN¥ 127 million (+52.6%). The bones and joints segment---already at meaningful scale of CN¥ 638 million---continued expanding at +31.3%, while immune system supplements reached CN¥ 539 million with +35.2% growth.

This pattern mirrors the trajectory of human health consciousness. Early supplement adoption focused on visible, easily understood benefits: a shinier coat, better digestion. As pet owners became more educated and willing to invest in preventive care, demand expanded into organ-specific health management. The cardiovascular growth story is particularly telling---driven by products like DLOVE's Enhanced Water-Soluble Coenzyme Q10 for Senior Dogs (CN¥ 7.49 million, CN¥ 371 per bottle) and SIAEKEY's Taurine & NAD+ formulation, which adapt human-derived pharmaceutical approaches for pet consumption.

Gut Health and Probiotics: The Proven Foundation

Digestive health remains the category's second-largest functional pillar at CN¥ 839 million, and probiotics serve as its anchor ingredient. While gut health growth has moderated to +7.3% YoY---reflecting category maturity---the segment continues to expand as brands innovate on formulation, palatability, and multi-benefit positioning.

Professional nutrient enhancers, the ingredient category that includes probiotics, dominate the market at CN¥ 25.6 billion (in 100 million units) with +19.2% growth. Premium animal protein follows at CN¥ 12.93 billion (+10.6%), while natural fruits and vegetables contribute CN¥ 4.04 billion (+11.3%). The ingredient landscape confirms that consumers evaluate supplements through a dual lens: the scientific credibility of what is inside the product and the health outcomes it promises to deliver. Product Benefits (CN¥ 2.84 billion, +14.9%) and Ingredients (CN¥ 2.82 billion, +10.9%) together account for over 70% of the market's selling-point landscape. (Selling-point dimensions are not mutually exclusive; a single product may be tagged across multiple dimensions. Totals therefore exceed overall market size.)

The winning formula for hit products combines an established ingredient platform---fish oil, probiotics, or krill oil---with an emerging functional claim such as cardiovascular support or organ-specific care, delivered in a format that balances scientific credibility with consumer accessibility.

Domestic Brands Close the Gap

The brand landscape remains fragmented, leaving significant room for new entrants. Imported brands maintain a scale advantage: MAG (UK, CN¥ 307.2 million, +44.1%), IN-PLUS (USA, CN¥ 230.0 million, -12.6%), and Vetwish (USA, CN¥ 173.9 million, +56.0%) rank among the top five. Domestic leader Nourse holds the number-one position at CN¥ 366.3 million with +11.6% growth, and RedDog follows at CN¥ 282.8 million (+12.1%).

However, the growth differential favors domestic challengers decisively. Shouhushen surged +423.6%, Paisile expanded +210.0%, Paidinuo grew +78.3%, and Myfoodie advanced +63.0%. These growth rates suggest that within two to three years, domestic brands could achieve parity with imported brands in both scale and market share. The convergence is driven by improving domestic R&D capabilities, faster go-to-market cycles, and pricing structures better aligned with mainstream consumer expectations.

Life-Stage Targeting and Species Specialization

Pet Characteristics---species and life-stage positioning---ranks third among selling-point dimensions at CN¥ 1.29 billion, but its near-zero growth (+0.4%) signals that general age and species positioning has reached maturity. The growth frontier lies in combining life-stage targeting with advanced functional claims.

For cats, best-sellers center on the essential cycle of hairball management and coat health. New products refine this foundation by integrating digestive support with hairball elimination. For dogs, the focus shifts to comprehensive health management driven by exercise-related wear and age-related degeneration, with a notable move from broad-spectrum supplementation toward targeted, single-function efficacy.

Breed-specific formulas represent another growth vector at CN¥ 134.1 million (+36.7%), reflecting the market's increasing granularity as brands pursue differentiation through precision positioning.

Key Takeaways

• Market scale and momentum: Pet supplements reached CN¥ 3.69 billion (+20.3% YoY), making them the fastest-growing segment in China's pet food market by a wide margin.
• Cardiovascular health is the breakout subcategory: +107.9% YoY growth to CN¥ 249 million signals that advanced, preventive health functions represent the next wave of category expansion.
• Domestic brands are accelerating: Growth rates of +78% to +424% among domestic challengers point toward a structural rebalancing of the competitive landscape within two to three years.
• Dual decision framework: Consumers evaluate supplements through both functional outcomes and ingredient credibility, requiring brands to invest in both clinical claims and formulation transparency.
• Life-stage maturity, function-led growth: General age and species positioning has plateaued; the growth premium belongs to brands that layer advanced health functions onto life-stage foundations.

About the Data

This analysis draws on data from section 4 ("Health Products Market Insights") of the /2025 Pet Food Market Trend Insights/ report by Moojing Market Intelligence (魔镜洞察). Sales data covers the MAT period ending November 2025 and is sourced from major Chinese e-commerce platforms. All currency figures are in CN¥. Growth rates are calculated on a YoY basis unless otherwise noted.

(Monthly sales data covers December 2024 through November 2025. The 618 festival (June) and Double 11 (November) are China's two largest annual e-commerce shopping events.) Monthly sales data covers December 2024 through November 2025. The 618 festival (June) and Double 11 (November) are China's two largest annual e-commerce shopping events. (Selling-point dimensions are not mutually exclusive; a single product may be tagged across multiple dimensions. Totals therefore exceed overall market size.) Selling-point dimensions are not mutually exclusive; a single product may be tagged across multiple dimensions. Totals therefore exceed overall market size.

Download the Full Report

Download the full China Pet Food Market 2025 report

For more insights: [email protected] | moojing-global.com | linkedin.com/company/68588397/