This report looks at the following areas:
This Report looks at the following areas:
- Latest market size and forecast for adult milk powder
- Market factors influencing the future of adult milk powder
- Sales trends in niche milk powder (goat milk and camel milk)
- Sales of and purchase demand for milk powder among older people
- Sales of and purchase demand for children’s/student milk powder
- Demand for adult milk powder in the 30-49 age group (including sleep health, sports nutrition and women’s health)
Amid diversifying consumer demand, adult milk powder will resume its moderate upward trend with the growth of targeted nutritional product development.
Daisy Li, Associate Director, China Insights
Market Definitions
This Report examines Chinese consumers’ usage of adult milk powder and interest in product features to serve as a reference point for marketing and product innovation.
Adult milk powder in this Report refers to milk powder and formula milk powder sold through retail channels, intended for consumption by the general population or specific groups such as middle-aged and older people, children/students and pregnant/postpartum women. It includes both plain and flavoured cow’s milk powder as well as milk powder from other animal sources (eg goat, sheep, camel, yak).
- Infant milk formula is not covered in this Report. For more information on IMF, please see Mintel’s Report Baby Nutrition – China – 2025.
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Executive summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Key market indicators
- Market factors
- Consumption trends and future opportunities
- The market
- 2025 forecast sales growth rate dips slightly, with opportunities for recovery
- Graph 1: adult milk powder volume sales and forecast, 2020-30
- Graph 2: adult milk powder value sales and forecast, 2020-30
- Milk powder is stable, goat milk powder expands, camel milk powder under pressure
- Graph 3: share of sales on ecommerce platforms, by milk type, 2022-25
- Goat milk powder volumes, prices on the rise, opening up further channels for growth
- Graph 4: goat milk powder sales (value vs volume), by year, 2022-25
- Camel milk powder value sales face growth bottleneck amid weak consumer awareness
- Graph 5: camel milk powder sales (value vs volume), 2022-25
- Market factors
- Raw milk surplus drives milk powder prices further down
- Much-needed structural optimisation in dairy industry could aid development of adult milk powder
- Graph 6: share of new white milk (liquid milk and milk powder) launches, by health-related claim, 2022-24
- Ongoing evolution of domestic speciality milks will further boost development of niche milk sources
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Analysis of consumer demand and opportunities for adult milk powder
- Older groups favour nutritional benefits for an active later life
- Milk powder products for older people account for half of market, share of new products continues to rise
- Graph 7: new milk powder products for older people as a proportion of new adult milk powder products, 2019-24
- Graph 8: milk powder for older people as a proportion of volume sales, 2022-24
- As silver economy erupts, health claims tailored to older people show ongoing potential
- Graph 9: intention to trade up (buy more expensive brands or products) in the next 12 months, 2023-25
- Nutritionally, milk powder for older people and regular milk powder are a complementary pair
- Graph 10: consumption of dairy products among consumers aged 50-59, by drinking frequency, 2025
- Milk powder holds advantages in nutritional and health benefits
- Graph 11: perceptions of regular milk and adult milk powder among consumers aged 50-59, 2025
- Older groups agree on goat milk’s nutritional value, ease of absorption
- Graph 12: perceptions of milk from different animals among consumers aged 50-59, 2025
- Competition continues to heat up in goat milk powder market for older people
- Goat milk powder product case study: focus on health and vitality for older consumers
- Boosting immunity remains a key focus for this group
- Graph 13: most valued functional claims among consumers aged 40-59 when purchasing milk powder, 2025
- From boosting immunity to an active later life: demand for new upgrades among older consumers
- Graph 14: attitudes towards ageing, 2024
- Amid population ageing, nutritional interventions target older people’s health needs precisely
- Emphasising organic attributes, optimising portability can help brands win over older consumers
- Graph 15: purchase factors for adult milk powder, 2025
- Students/children: go beyond daily nutrition to focus on school exam functionality
- Students have the highest, most stable drinking frequencies, reflecting strong demand for specialised nutrition
- Graph 16: milk powder consumption frequency, by type of milk powder, 2025
- Volume sales of student milk powder, proportion of new product launches both on a downward trend
- Graph 17: milk power for children/students as a proportion of new adult milk powder products, 2020-24
- Graph 18: milk powder for students/children/adolescents as a proportion of volume sales of adult milk powder, 2022-24
- Milk powder for children/students faces competition from liquid dairy products
- Graph 19: sales growth for student/children’s milk on ecommerce platforms, 2022-24
- Milk powder for children/students needs to break away from dairy category, start creating total nutrition solutions
- Graph 20: preferred product formats for nutritional supplementation, 2025
- Younger families’ perception of adult milk powder advantages is significant
- Graph 21: perceptions of adult milk powder/health supplements/regular milk among consumers with child(ren) under 18, 2025
- Low-income groups value immunity the most, while middle-to-high income groups seek multiple functionality
- Graph 22: most valued functional claims when purchasing milk powder for children, 2025
- Graph 23: most valued functional claims when purchasing milk powder for children, by monthly household income, 2025
- Meet dual challenges of learning, growth: student-focused strategies for milk powder
- Graph 24: most valued functional claims when purchasing milk powder for children, by age of child(ren), 2025
- Transcend basic nutrition to target exam functionality
- Graph 25: children’s nutrition product features that appeal to parents, 2025
- Milk powder for exams: a growing trend
- Graph 26: value sales of adult milk powder targeting study or exam occasions, 2022-24
- Yili bets on student milk powder for exams, perfectly fusing traditional Chinese health concepts with precise nutrition
- 30-49 age group seeks personalised, diverse health solutions
- Sandwich generation, aged 30-49, are mainstay of health protection for whole family
- Graph 27: current concerns for consumers, 2025
- Market value of 30-49 age group should not be overlooked
- Graph 28: milk powder purchase targets, by age, 2025
- Provide personalised, diverse health solutions for 30-49s
- Graph 29: perceptions of adult milk powder and health supplements among consumers aged 30-49, 2025
- Focus point 1: target sleep health, explore milk powder’s ability to aid sleep
- Graph 30: value sales of adult milk powder with ‘sleep well’ claims, 2025
- Graph 31: important functional claims for adult milk powder, by demographic, 2025
- Sleep problems prominent among consumers aged 30-49, with high acceptance of foods that aid sleep
- Sleep-aiding milk powders with food-as-medicine formulas show strong growth potential
- Graph 32: value sales of adult milk powder with jujube seed, 2022-24
- Focus point 2: adult milk powder needs to expand into health and exercise nutrition for 30-49s
- Graph 33: everyday care of bones and joints, 2024
- Graph 34: intake of sports nutrition foods/drinks before, during and after exercise, 2024
- Target 30-49s with all-in-one muscle/bone/joints formulas
- Graph 35: functional health claims consumers care about when purchasing milk powder for themselves, 2025
- Feihe leads functional nutrition wave, capturing consumers with youthful mindset in bone health market
- Focus point 3: diverse health needs for all women
- Graph 36: interest in functional claims for milk powder purchased for oneself, 2025
- Fertility rates continue to decline, driving downward trend in sales of women-specific milk powder
- Graph 37: fertility rate, 2019-23
- Graph 38: sales growth of women-specific milk powder (value vs volume), 2022-24
- Focus on lifecycle health management: opportunities for diversifying, transforming women-specific milk powder market
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Appendix – market size and forecast, research methodology and abbreviations
- Market size and forecast
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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