This report looks at the following areas:
- Key factors affecting the bone and joint health market
- Noteworthy new product trends and marketing activities
- Consumer focus on different aspects of bone and joint health
- Consumer preferences for bone and joint health ingredients, such as calcium and vitamin D
- Consumer preference for bone and joint management and product formats
- Notable bone and joint health consumer groups
Room for improvement exists in innovation and marketing strategies for bone and joint health products in the Chinese market. Products should meet women's needs across age groups, and integrated muscle-bone-joint formulas should also be considered to promote all-round bone health. Given consumers' high sensitivity to bone and joint discomfort, adopting occasion-based marketing can effectively unleash demand for such products.
Catherine Liu, Principal Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This Report primarily focuses on the following bone and joint health products:
- Health supplements/nutritional supplements (eg minerals, glucosamine chondroitin)
- Packaged food & drink with bone- and joint-friendly ingredients
- Protective gear (eg knee pads, lower back braces, mouth guards)
- Topical ointment
This Report also covers some common behaviours and activities, including (but not limited to) dietary adjustments and exercise/fitness.
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Executive summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definition
- What you need to know
- The market
- Market factors
- Notable marketing activities
- New product trends
- Examples of products that reflect these trends
- The consumer
- Consumers are more concerned about the health of major bones and joints, while their awareness of soft tissue health is weaker
- Graph 1: areas of interest in bone and joint health, 2024
- Even though they do not experience frequent discomfort, consumers remain sensitive to potential discomfort occasions
- Graph 2: occasions when consumers feel discomfort in bones and joints, 2024
- Calcium demand is focused on maintaining and addressing sub-health issues, while demand for other ingredients is based around eliminating serious discomfort
- Graph 3: ingredient preferences, 2024
- Dietary adjustments and recreational exercise are seen as fundamental to bone and joint health management, especially by women
- Graph 4: bone and joint care solutions, 2024
- Natural ingredients are most important, but consumers increasingly focus on scientific principles, recognised credentials and convenience
- Graph 5: purchase considerations for food/drink/supplements to manage bone and joint health, 2024
- Consumers are generally most interested in dairy products, while middle-aged and older people prefer to buy a variety of product formats
- Graph 6: product formats that consumers most want to buy, 2024
- Issues and insights
- What we think
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The market
- Market factors
- Overall value growth slows, but bone- and joint-friendly health supplements are going strong
- Graph 7: online* sales of health food/dietary supplement foods, 2022-24
- Graph 8: online* value sales of health food/dietary and nutritional supplements, 2022-24
- Online value sales of bone and joint health supplements with innovative ingredients and all-round strengths have grown rapidly
- Enthusiasm for sports and fitness continues to grow, and demand for bone and joint health management is expected to rise with it
- Graph 9: ways of exercising, 2020-2024
- Brands should focus on how social factors – such as increased working hours – affect bone and joint health
- Graph 10: average weekly working time for corporate employees (hours), 2022-24
- Marketing activities
- Create new demand for calcium supplements among younger women – achieve beautiful bone structure and posture both inside and out
- Calcium supplement brands use OTC branding to promote their products as safe and reliable
- Searching for creative breakthroughs in awareness of bone and joint issues
- New product trends
- Demographic claims become more diverse with the emergence of youth- and female-focused innovations
- Graph 11: food, drink, vitamin & dietary supplement launches with bone health claims, by demographic claim, 2021-24
- Examples of innovative products for women and children
- Growth slows in classic 'added calcium' claims, while there is a rise in innovations featuring other ingredient claims
- Graph 12: food, drink, vitamin & dietary supplement launches with bone health claims, by select health claims, 2021-24
- Examples of innovative products at home and abroad: promoting non-calcium ingredients as a key selling point
- A growing number of bone health launches feature digestive health, energy-boosting and edible beauty claims
- Graph 13: top five other functional claims in food, drink, vitamin & dietary supplement launches with functional bone health claims
- Comparing popular bone health product categories in China and internationally: sauces and seasonings emerge on the global market
- Graph 14: top categories for bone health claims in foods, drinks, vitamins & dietary supplements, 2021-24
- Graph 15: top categories for bone health claims in foods, drinks, vitamins & dietary supplements, 2021-24
- Examples of innovative products at home and abroad: connecting bone health benefits with everyday diets and cooking occasions
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The consumer
- Areas of interest in bone and joint health
- Consumers pay more attention to the health of major bones and joints, especially the neck, shoulders and cervical vertebrae
- Graph 16: areas of interest in bone and joint health, 2024
- 25-59s focus on major bones and joints, while over-50s are significantly more concerned with the overall musculoskeletal system
- Graph 17: focus on major bones/joints* and musculoskeletal system function**, by age, 2024
- Graph 18: bone and joint health issues where consumers demonstrate significant variation in level of concern across age groups – cartilage, 2024
- While appealing to consumers who care about the function of their musculoskeletal system, brands should shift focus to holistic bone and joint health
- Graph 19: number of aspects of bone and joint health which consumers care about, by bone and joint health concerns related to musculoskeletal system function, 2024
- Occasions when consumers experience discomfort in bones and joints
- Even though they do not experience frequent discomfort, consumers remain sensitive to potential discomfort occasions
- Graph 20: occasions when consumers feel discomfort in bones and joints, 2024
- The proportion of 25-29s who feel discomfort is significantly higher than average
- Graph 21: consumers who experience frequent or occasional discomfort in bones and joints, by age and occasion, 2024
- The causes of back and knee health issues are particularly diverse
- Graph 22: select bone and joint health concerns*, by select occasions of bone/joint discomfort**, 2024
- Consumers concerned about soft tissue health are the most sensitive to discomfort in their daily lives
- Graph 23: select bone and joint health concerns*, by select occasions of bone/joint discomfort**, 2024
- Ingredient preferences
- Calcium and vitamin D are popular, but efforts must be made to prove the value of products containing these ingredients
- Graph 24: the gap between consumer willingness to purchase select ingredients for bone/joint health and products** that contain these ingredients and carry 'bone health' claims*, 2024
- Graph 25: ingredient preferences, 2024
- Calcium demand is focused on maintaining and addressing sub-health issues, while demand for other ingredients is based around eliminating serious discomfort
- Graph 26: ingredient preferences, by level of bone and joint discomfort, 2024
- Expand the use of calcium across lifestyle scenarios and offer a wider selection of products for everyday care
- Graph 27: consumers who don't feel any discomfort, but are paying attention to bone and joint maintenance on select occasions, overall consumers vs consumers who prefer calcium, 2024
- Bone and joint care solutions
- Dietary adjustments and recreational exercise are seen as the fundamentals of bone and joint health management
- Graph 28: bone and joint care solutions, 2024
- In terms of dietary practices, younger demographics prefer dietary adjustments, while middle-aged and older people show a stronger demand for health supplements and functional foods
- Graph 29: select practices that should be carried out daily, regardless of whether experiencing discomfort or not, by age, 2024
- While promoting niche Western formulas to consumers with bone and joint discomfort, brands should offer advice on dietary adjustments
- Graph 30: preference for western ingredients among consumers who think it is necessary to adjust their diet only when experiencing discomfort, 2024
- Purchase considerations for food, drink and supplements that improve bone and joint health
- The top purchase factor is natural ingredients; consumers are increasingly focusing on scientific principles, recognised credentials and convenience
- Graph 31: purchase considerations for food/drink/supplements to manage bone and joint health – TURF analysis, 2024
- Graph 32: purchase considerations for food/drink/supplements to manage bone and joint health, 2024
- Meet diverse needs by creating 'natural+' bone and joint health products targeted at different age groups
- Graph 33: purchase considerations for food/drink/supplements to manage bone and joint health – TURF analysis, by age, 2024
- Certification supports growth of bone and joint health supplements, while the overall competitiveness of food/drink products needs to be enhanced
- Graph 34: purchase considerations for consumers who believe they need to manage their bone and joint health with food/drink or health supplements*, 2024
- Product formats consumers most want to buy
- Dairy products (excluding milk powder) are most popular
- Graph 35: product formats that consumers most want to buy, 2024
- Younger consumers prefer a range of product formats, but the interest of middle-aged and older people in diverse formats should also not be overlooked
- Graph 36: product formats that consumers most want to buy*, by age, 2024
- Brands should focus on product offerings for women, empowering them to take the initiative in bone and joint care
- Graph 37: product formats that consumers most want to buy*, by gender, 2024
- Bone and joint health consumer groups
- Four noteworthy bone and joint health consumer groups
- Graph 38: bone and joint health consumer groups, 2024
- Overview of consumer groups
- The Postulators: their core demand is to maintain the overall musculoskeletal system, they love to experiment and prefer lifestyle products
- The Active-Cure Advocate: their core demand is to maintain major bones/joints, while products combining calcium and vitamin D with glucosamine can better satisfy them
- The Rest-Cure Advocates: they recognise the impact of emotions on bone and joint health, and the positive correlation between fruit/vegetable juice and emotional wellbeing is very likely to appeal to them
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Issues and insights
- Expand the market by meeting the needs of women of all ages
- With the lack of female-focused bone and joint health products, brands should expand the market by focusing on the needs of women of all ages
- Under 30s: focus on maintaining calcium levels and address issues caused by exercise
- 30-45s: focus on the risks of wear/inflammation from early stage bone loss
- Over-45s: help mitigate the risks of the menopause with a healthy diet
- One-stop care for muscles, bones and joints: supporting all-round bone health
- Products should promote all-round bone health, rather than simply alleviating discomfort
- All-in-one 'muscle + bone + joint' care formulas are most deserving of brand attention
- Occasion-based marketing is key for bone and joint health products
- Occasion-based marketing can more effectively stimulate mass-market demand for bone and joint products than issue marketing
- Provide solutions for specific occasions
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Appendix – methodology and abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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