Which wellness segments are growing fastest?

Liver protection above all. It reached CN¥ 2.999 billion in MAT2024 at +34.1%, following +78.9% the year before, an expansion of 140% from CN¥ 1.249 billion in MAT2022. Milk thistle leads it at 61.3% and CN¥ 1,837.96 million, growing 45.3%, helped by its familiarity from Western supplement markets. The demand drivers are public-health scale: China accounts for 50% of new liver cancer cases globally each year, and rising alcohol consumption among urban professionals keeps awareness climbing. The "three highs" prevention segment grew 26.6% to CN¥ 181.965 million, which is small against a CN¥ 36.61 billion category and means that penetration is low and the room for growth substantial.

How much does a regulatory listing move an ingredient?

Decisively, and fast. When reishi mushroom was added to the food-medicine homology directory in November 2023, it grew 653.4% year on year in the liver-protection segment, and that figure captures only the beginning of its commercial growth. The same pattern appears in the "three highs" segment after official dietary-therapy guidelines were published in 2023: notoginseng grew 584.7%, American ginseng 248.0%, gastrodia 155.8% and reishi 125.9%. Regulatory endorsement here works as a demand event, because it converts a traditional claim into one a brand can actually make in market.

What does the format data show?

That format preference can restructure a traditional category within three years. The general wellness market contracted 14.6% and then 9.1% in successive years. The fall came almost entirely from wellness pills, whose sales fell from CN¥ 1,977.6 million to CN¥ 373.1 million, a contraction of 81.1%, as that sub-category migrated toward snack formats outside traditional tonic channels. Wellness pastes went the other way, growing 27.3% to CN¥ 834.9 million from CN¥ 471.1 million, because the format needs no preparation, positions naturally as a daily ritual and shares well as a lifestyle signal. Inside pastes, donkey-hide gelatin grew 73.0%, sour jujube seed 54.3% and bazhen 49.1%.

Why do gift sets behave differently from the rest of the market?

Because the demand is cultural rather than economic. Gift set revenue grew 6.0% and volume 27.7% while the overall market's revenue contracted 6.5%. The sub-segment is insulated because premium tonic gifting for Chinese New Year, family visits and postpartum occasions is embedded in the social calendar rather than the spending one. January 2024 alone generated CN¥ 788.6 million in gift set revenue, the strongest single month in three years. It follows that gifting should be planned against the calendar and the price ladder rather than the category's underlying growth rate, and that presentation is doing work the formulation cannot.

China Tonic and Wellness Categories, Year to April 2024

Newer data: China Food-Medicine Homology Online Sales: CN¥56.78B in 2024

Executive Summary#

China's functional wellness categories within food-medicine homology are growing despite the price pressure on the overall market, with the liver-protection segment reaching CN¥ 2.999 billion (+34.1% YoY) in MAT2024 and the "three highs" prevention market growing 26.6% YoY to CN¥ 181.97 million. The sleep-aid market reached CN¥ 464 million (+10.1% YoY), while wellness pastes, the most successful new format, grew 27.3% YoY to CN¥ 834.9 million. This analysis examines the fastest-growing functional segments, the trends in tonic ingredients and the product formats that will shape the outlook for China's food-medicine supplements category after H1 2024.

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Wellness Teas and Pastes: Format Innovation Drives Divergence#

The general wellness food-medicine homology market, which covers wellness teas (养生茶), wellness pastes (养生膏) and wellness pills (养生丸), shows how far a change in format preference can reshape a traditional category in three years. Across the marketplaces covered, the combined market shrank in both MAT2023 (-14.6% YoY) and MAT2024 (-9.1% YoY). The main cause was a fall in sales of wellness pills from CN¥ 1,977.6 million in MAT2022 to CN¥ 373.1 million in MAT2024, a contraction of 81.1% as this sub-category moved towards snack formats that take its sales out of traditional tonic channels.

Wellness pastes are the category's main source of growth, rising 27.3% YoY in MAT2024 to reach CN¥ 834.9 million, up from CN¥ 471.1 million in MAT2022. We believe this reflects how well the format fits the ready-to-eat trend, since pastes need no preparation, fit naturally into a daily wellness routine and suit the social media content that younger consumers share about their lifestyles. The pastes growing fastest are:

Donkey-hide gelatin paste (阿胶膏): +73.0% YoY, driven by premium blends
Sour jujube seed paste: +54.3% YoY, helped by its strong position in the sleep-aid segment
Bazhen paste: +49.1% YoY, drawing on its credentials as a classical TCM compound formulation
Yu Ling paste: +14.7% YoY, expanding through content marketing on wellness lifestyles

Wellness teas remain the largest sub-category at CN¥ 2,954.1 million in MAT2024, slightly below their MAT2023 peak. Within this broadly flat market, corn silk tea grew 32.0% YoY, a strong result driven by its association with kidney health and blood sugar regulation, which matches the early-stage health concerns behind the "three highs" segment. Chrysanthemum and cassia seed remains the largest tea format at 16% of revenue, with almost flat growth of +1.0% YoY, which suggests a mature product that needs a new format or benefit to grow again.

Blood-Replenishing Market: Growth in Specific Ingredients#

The blood-replenishing and qi-nourishing market is one of the largest functional segments in food-medicine homology, and across the marketplaces covered it has shrunk for three consecutive years, to CN¥ 17.521 billion in MAT2024 from CN¥ 19.172 billion in MAT2022 (-6.9% YoY in MAT2024). This reflects both the price pressure seen across the overall category and pressure on the segment's largest ingredients, in particular ginseng (人参), whose sales fell 59.8% YoY, and honey, whose sales fell 19.3%.

Within the segment, however, several ingredients grew. Donkey-hide gelatin (阿胶) grew 20.2% YoY, the strongest gain in the segment, driven by brand building across several marketplaces that teaches consumers about the blood-nourishing and skin health benefits claimed for it. Wolfberry/goji (枸杞) grew 6.8%, astragalus (黄芪) 6.0% and Korean ginseng (高丽参) 3.6%. These ingredients have in common that they are supported by active content marketing and positioned with specific modern wellness benefits, and do not rely on traditional tonic heritage alone.

We believe the implication is that positioning an ingredient as a commodity is becoming harder to sustain, as revenue moves towards ingredients with distinct brand stories, which favours brands that invest in educating consumers over brands that rely on heritage recognition alone.

Liver-Protection: The Fastest-Growing Segment#

The liver-protection market is the strongest growth story in China's food-medicine homology category, reaching CN¥ 2.999 billion in revenue in MAT2024, an expansion of 140% from CN¥ 1.249 billion in MAT2022, and growing 34.1% YoY after a still higher gain of 78.9% YoY in MAT2023. Several public health factors drive this growth: China accounts for 50% of global new liver cancer cases each year^[1], rising alcohol consumption among urban professionals is raising awareness of liver disease. Consumers are also turning to food-medicine homology ingredients marketed for liver health.

Milk thistle (水飞蓟/乳蓟) accounts for 61.3% of the liver-protection market, with CN¥ 1,837.96 million in revenue in MAT2024 and growth of 45.3% YoY. Its large share reflects its familiarity from Western supplement markets, where silymarin is widely marketed for liver health, together with a natural fit with the food-medicine homology regulatory framework.

The most significant development came in November 2023, when the National Health Commission added reishi mushroom (灵芝) to the food-medicine homology directory. The MAT2024 data already shows reishi mushroom growing 653.4% YoY in the liver-protection segment, and we believe this figure captures only the start of its commercial growth. Schisandra (五味子) also grew 105.9% YoY and ginger 95.1%, which reflects growing consumer awareness supported by content marketing on social media.

Three Highs Prevention: Official Guidelines Lift Demand#

The "three highs" food-medicine homology market, which serves consumers managing or seeking to prevent high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high blood lipids, is one of the largest structural growth opportunities in the wider category. MAT2024 revenue reached CN¥ 181.965 million, up 26.6% YoY, a strong recovery from a brief dip of 4.2% in MAT2023. We read it as a real acceleration in demand and not only a recovery from a low base.

The National Health Commission's 2023 "Adult 'Three Highs' Dietary Therapy Guidelines" played an important part, because they gave official recognition to specific food-medicine homology ingredients for managing high blood pressure. The commercial effect is direct: notoginseng (三七) grew 584.7% YoY, American ginseng (西洋参) 248.0%, gastrodia (天麻) 155.8% and reishi mushroom (灵芝) 125.9%, all driven by the combination of official endorsement and rising consumer demand for preventive nutrition^[2]. The segment's revenue of CN¥ 181.97 million, against CN¥ 36.61 billion for the overall category, shows that penetration remains low and that there is substantial room for growth.

Sleep-Aid Market and Gift Sets: Sustained Demand#

The sleep-aid market reached CN¥ 464 million (+10.1% YoY) in MAT2024, slower than the exceptional growth of 83.1% YoY in MAT2023. We read this slowdown as a normal return from an exceptional base, and the underlying source of demand is unchanged: more than 300 million people in China have sleep disorders, an incidence rate of 38.2% against a global average of 27%. Post-90s consumers are particularly affected, with 36.3% classed as poor sleepers.

Sour jujube seed (酸枣仁) is the largest sleep-aid ingredient by revenue at CN¥ 359.1 million (+2.7% YoY, as the core ingredient matures), while longan flesh (桂圆/龙眼肉) grew approximately 795% YoY as an ingredient in compound formulations for sleep support. The growth of pearl powder, at 140.6%, shows the value of positioning that combines two benefits, better sleep and healthier skin.

Gift sets are the sub-segment least exposed to the wider market's pressures. Gift set revenue grew 6.0% YoY and volume rose 27.7% YoY, while revenue in the overall market fell 6.5%. Premium tonic gifts are part of the custom around Chinese New Year, family visits and postpartum occasions, which keeps demand stable when prices move across the category. January 2024 generated CN¥ 788.6 million in gift set revenue, the highest single month in three years. Premium gift boxes such as Yanzhiwo's (燕之屋) at CN¥ 1,199 and Dong-E E-Jiao's (东阿阿胶) at CN¥ 546 set the price level of the premium tier.

Key Takeaways#

Liver-protection reached CN¥ 2.999 billion (+34.1% YoY), driven by milk thistle (61.3% of the segment) and the growth of reishi mushroom (+653.4% YoY) after its regulatory listing
The "three highs" prevention segment grew 26.6% YoY to CN¥ 181.97 million, with notoginseng (+584.7%) and American ginseng (+248.0%) growing very strongly after the NHC guidelines endorsed them
Wellness pastes grew 27.3% YoY to CN¥ 834.9 million, the most successful format within general wellness, driven by their ready-to-eat convenience
The sleep-aid market reached CN¥ 464 million (+10.1% YoY), and longan flesh grew 795% YoY as new compound formulations created revenue within a mature base
Gift sets grew faster than the overall market (+6.0% revenue YoY, +27.7% volume YoY), and January 2024 reached CN¥ 788.6 million, the strongest month in three years

About the Data#

This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence (魔镜洞察) data covering MAT2024 (May 2023–April 2024). Moojing analyses brand and category performance across major Chinese e-commerce platforms. Social media listening data covers Douyin (抖音), Xiaohongshu (小红书), Weibo (微博), and related content platforms. Ingredient data counts all ingredients contained in a product; multi-ingredient products contribute to each constituent ingredient's metrics. For full methodology, see the complete H1 2024 Food-Medicine Supplements whitepaper.

For inquiries: info@moojing-global.com | moojing-global.com

^[1] National Cancer Center of China, "2022 China Liver Cancer Report"; cited in China Health Industry Development Report 2024.

^[2] National Health Commission of China, "Adult 'Three Highs' Dietary Therapy Guidelines," 2023.