Healthy cooking oils need to deliver both safety and functional benefits. The mandatory labelling of saturated fat will further drive development in the sector. As low-temperature cooking gains popularity in line with healthy eating trends, cooking oil brands should actively highlight and promote relevant cooking applications.
Vera Zheng, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This Report covers products in the following categories:
- Mintel defines cooking oil as any oil derived from plants and used in food preparation.
- The category includes packaged olive oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil and other oils mainly used for home cooking.
Excluded:
- Unpackaged retail products, items sold in hotels, restaurants and cafés, as well as any supplies to foodservice/other industries;
- ready-to-use salad dressings;
- solids and/or animal fat.
Definitions of terms in this Report:
- Mainstream oils: cooking oils with higher penetration rates, including but not limited to soybean oil, blended oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, peanut oil and sunflower oil.
- Niche oils: cooking oils with lower awareness levels, including but not limited to wheat germ oil, coconut oil, hazelnut oil, rice bran oil and avocado oil.
- High-temperature cooking: cooking methods where the oil temperature exceeds 150°C, including but not limited to stir-frying, sauteing and deep-frying.
- Low-temperature cooking: cooking methods where the oil temperature does not exceed 100°C, including but not limited to steaming, boiling and braising.
Collapse All
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- Definition
- What you need to know
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Executive summary
- Report overview
- Market opportunity: health is a key factor for category dominance
- Graph 1: attitude towards changing oil types, 2025
- Market opportunity: low-temperature cooking is gaining favour among consumers
- Graph 2: [no title]
- Graph 3: changes in cooking methods – used more, 2024 vs 2025
- Trend outlook
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The market
- Market size and forecast
- Key market indicators
- The cooking oil market faces downward pressure, health upgrades will drive category growth
- Graph 4: best- and worst-case forecast of the retail value of cooking oils, 2020-30
- Graph 5: best- and worst-case forecast of retail volume of cooking oils, 2020-30
- Market factors
- Macroeconomic indicators (Jan-Aug 2025)
- Industry factors
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The consumer
- Summary
- Penetration, awareness and purchase factors of cooking oils
- Penetration of mainstream oils: steady growth in rapeseed oil, continued decline in blended oil
- Graph 6: penetration of mainstream oils, 2025
- Awareness of niche oils: rice bran oil, hazelnut oil and perilla seed oil continue to rise
- Graph 7: niche oils – awareness*, 2021 vs 2023 vs 2025
- Graph 8: niche oils – purchase interest**, 2025
- Address functional needs through clear and effective communication of the value of oil
- Graph 9: factors influencing purchase choices, 2022 vs 2025
- Product upgrades: establish a deep connection between clean label oils and nutrition
- Give consumers a sense of safety and reassurance when using cooking oil
- Graph 10: health attributes, 2025
- Improved communication of no trans fatty acids can serve as a new lever for product breakthrough
- Graph 11: proportion of new products claiming low/no/reduced trans fat, 2020-25
- Drive awareness of low saturated fats to own the balanced fatty acids space
- Improved digestion increasingly associated with cooking oil, with antioxidant having top appeal
- Graph 12: functional benefits – repurchase rate*, 2021 vs 2025
- Graph 13: functional benefits – trial rate**, 2021 vs 2025
- High oleic acid claims appeal to consumers interested in eye health and anti-inflammation
- Graph 14: interest in health benefits, by interest in functional claims, 2025
- Strong potential audience for healthy oils: high-income group aged 18-39 living in Tier 1 cities
- Graph 15: consumption attitudes, by age, monthly personal income and city tier, 2025
- Graph 16: consumption attitudes, by age of children in household, 2025
- Use case expansion: cooking methods meet healthy eating
- Peanut oil and sunflower oil offer versatility across multiple scenarios
- Graph 17: usage occasions, by oil types, 2025
- Steaming enthusiasts are more particular about oils, showcasing the potential of sunflower oil and flaxseed oil
- Graph 18: health features, by steaming users vs consumers overall, 2025
- Graph 19: usage occasions – steaming, 2023 vs 2025
- Cold dish applications continue to grow, presenting opportunities for cooking oils with a strong health image to enhance penetration
- Graph 20: online* – cold dish scenarios, by seasonings and cooking oils, 2023-25
- Graph 21: online* – yogurt scenario, by dairy and cooking oil, 2023-25
- Leverage flaxseed oil’s edge in cold dishes to lock in consumption occasions
- Graph 22: online* performance, by oil types used in cold dishes, 2024-25
- Graph 23: usage occasions – cold dishes, 2023 vs 2025
- Collaborate with popular food brands to promote new healthy ways to use cooking oils
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New product trends
- Category overview
- Peanut oil leads in innovation with the highest share of new products
- Graph 24: share of new oil products, 2022-25
- Private labels on the rise with strong momentum in organic claims
- Graph 25: share of new product claims – private label, 2020-25
- Graph 26: share of new product claims – non-private label, 2020-25
- Product development trends
- Ample growth opportunities for functional oils in mainland China, with digestive health a key direction
- Graph 27: proportion of new products with functional claims, by region, 2020-25
- Steaming and boiling are gaining traction in the cooking space
- Graph 28: proportion of new product launches with steaming/boiling claims, by category, 2020-25
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Appendix – market size and forecast, research methodology and abbreviations
- Market size and forecast − retail sales
- Market size and forecast − retail volume
- Market segments – retail sales
- Methodology – consumer survey
- Methodology – TURF analysis
- Abbreviations
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