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Executive summary
- Key issues in this Report
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Policy-driven expansion: joint care benefits move beyond specialist supplements into general food and drink
- Launch targeted, systemic and multi-functional products to create a differentiated advantage
- What we think
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The market
- Market factors
- ‘Supports joint health’ proposed for addition to catalogue of approved health food claims
- Rising participation in exercise and fitness drives higher demand for joint care
- Graph 1: ways of exercising, 2020-25
- Adding bone, joint recovery elements to sports nutrition boosts awareness among active consumers
- New bone, joint care ingredients approved, sparking food and drink innovation
- Graph 2: health foods/drinks launches containing N-acetylglucosamine – top 10 markets, 2020-25
- New product trends
- Bone and joint supplement market continues strong growth despite overall market slowdown
- Graph 3: sales of supplements with bone and joint claims vs overall supplements – Tmall/Taobao*, 2024-25
- Bone health claims are mainstream for new products, while joint health remains niche
- Graph 4: distribution of functional claims in new food, drink and healthcare products, 2020-25
- Graph 5: joint health’s share* of new food, drink and healthcare products with bone health claims, 2020-25
- Globally, China shows biggest gap between bone health and joint health innovation
- Graph 6: share of new food, drink and healthcare products with bone vs joint health claims, 2020-25
- Supplements targeting shoulder, neck, back discomfort could be next growth segment
- Shoulder, neck and back care products are mainly for external use; oral products are an untapped area for innovation
- Graph 7: distribution of new healthcare products targeting neck, shoulder and back health, 2020-25
- Graph 8: distribution of product formats for new healthcare products targeting neck, shoulder and back health, 2020-25
- Long-lasting care ingredients are mainstream, while natural analgesics are growing fast
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The consumer
- Overview of bone and joint care
- Consumers stick with healthy foods and drinks, leisure exercise; health supplements need to improve penetration, satisfaction levels
- Graph 9: bone and joint care methods, 2025
- Graph 10: attitudes to bone and joint care methods*, 2025
- Chinese, Western supplements can both attract more consumers with shoulder, neck and back issues
- Graph 11: consumers with bone and joint issues – have not tried but interested in trying, 2025
- Orally administered products must guard against losing users with joint problems
- Graph 12: consumers with bone and joint issues – have tried but will not continue, 2025
- Highlight safety, efficacy to win more customers, strengthen competitive edge
- Graph 13: purchase drivers for bone and joint health food, drinks and supplements, 2025
- Graph 14: barriers to purchase for bone and joint health food, drinks and supplements, 2025
- To be addressed: traditional Chinese health supplements, foods and drinks lack product diversity
- Graph 15: purchase barriers, by attitudes to supplements containing traditional Chinese ingredients, 2025
- Graph 16: purchase barriers, by attitude to the bone and joint health benefits of foods and drinks, 2025
- Launch East-meets-West combo supplements targeting shoulder, neck and back issues to attract, retain customers
- Shoulder, neck and back discomfort are most common issues
- Graph 17: bone and joint health, 2025
- Professionals in Tier 1 cities are high-risk group for shoulder and neck issues
- Graph 18: consumers with shoulder, neck and back discomfort, by city tier, 2025
- Graph 19: bone and joint health, by type of employment, 2025
- Chinese-Western combo formulas can help attract, retain customers
- Graph 20: bone and joint health, by attitude to supplements containing Western ingredients, 2025
- Graph 21: bone and joint health, by attitude to supplements containing Chinese ingredients, 2025
- Shoulder, neck or back discomfort strongly correlated with foot or leg cramps; consumers are clearly aware of this
- Graph 22: bone and joint health issues – cross analysis, 2025
- Graph 23: bone and joint health concerns, by bone and joint health issue, 2025
- Highlight calcium, magnesium for muscle and fascia health; extend benefits to shoulder, neck and back
- Synergise ingredients, highlight Western actives, support with traditional Chinese ingredients for multi-faceted care…
- …then highlight the formulation’s systemic effects and multi-faceted benefits
- Mainstream social media is a key channel for reaching people with shoulder, neck and back discomfort
- Graph 24: information channels for bone and joint care, by bone and joint health issue, 2025
- For joint issues, launch drink formats that work for both exercise and office scenarios
- Joint issues often coexist with multiple symptoms, so multi-dimensional care is key
- Graph 25: bone and joint health issues – cross analysis, 2025
- Graph 26: number of bone and joint issues per person, 2025
- Tier 2 and lower-tier cities are hotspots for joint problems
- Graph 27: bone and joint health – by city tier, 2025
- Graph 28: employment type, by city tier, 2025
- Target joint care with support for both bones and soft tissue
- Graph 29: bone and joint health concerns, by bone and joint health issue, 2025
- Exercise and prolonged sitting are key triggers of joint and bone discomfort; joint care is part of everyday life
- Graph 30: occasions of frequent bone or joint discomfort, 2025
- Boosting joint stability, lubrication is key to reducing exercise-related joint discomfort
- Graph 31: bone and joint health issues, by occasion of frequent discomfort, 2025
- Specialist, in-person channels are an important way to gain the trust of consumers with joint discomfort
- Graph 32: information channels for bone and joint care, by bone and joint health issue, 2025
- Drinks are the most promising format for bone and joint care after dairy products
- Graph 33: product formats that consumers most want to buy – top three, 2024
- Graph 34: bone health claims across food and drink categories, 2020-25
- Position weight management, recovery as added benefits in bone and joint health drinks, linking them to fitness, empowerment scenarios
- Graph 35: bone and joint care methods, 2025
- Graph 36: interest in health benefits of functional drinks, by bone and joint care method, 2025
- Product examples
- Future focus: joint care products integrated into office workers’ daily lives
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Appendix – methodology and abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
Driven by the emerging trend of precision nutrition, brands need to develop bone and joint care products that deliver targeted, systematic and multi-dimensional benefits. At the same time, the casual wellness trend calls for integrating general food and drink formats into daily life to boost product penetration and maintain consumer engagement.
Qianqian Ji, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This Report primarily focuses on the following bone and joint health products:
- Chinese and Western health supplements/nutritional supplements (such as minerals, glucosamine and chondroitin)
- Packaged foods/beverages with bone and joint-friendly ingredients
- Topical ointments
This Report also covers some common behaviours and activities, including but not limited to dietary adjustments, exercise and fitness.
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