Clinical proof and strain‑viability assurance are now the gold standards for probiotic quality. Brands should signal strain efficacy with strong scientific cues – gut-targeted mechanisms and multi-strain formulations – while protecting viability in finished products via advanced processing and packaging. These capabilities build a stronger competitive moat across the value chain.
Qianqian Ji, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This report examines consumers’ attitudes and behaviours around gut‑health management, as well as their usage of related products. Probiotics, a key category in gut‑health management, are analysed in depth. Probiotic end‑product categories include, but are not limited to: yogurt, probiotic supplements, probiotic milk powder, probiotic snacks and probiotic coffee or cereal.
Mintel GNPD analysis focuses mainly on the food, drink and nutritional supplement categories.
Collapse All
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- Definitions
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market factors
- New product trends
- Consumer insights and opportunities
- What we think
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THE MARKET
- Market factors
- Scientifically assured strain viability plus clinically proven health benefits are a winning formula
- “Combining several probiotic strains is expected to amplify the health benefits of probiotic formulations”
- The shift towards more scientific and standardised approaches in the postbiotic space is expected to unlock new opportunities
- Graph 1: share of new food, drink and nutritional supplement launches containing postbiotic ingredients, 2021–26
- New product trends
- Probiotic supplements dominate as mainstream food and drink formats surge
- Probiotic supplement innovation remains active as food and drink launches diversify
- Graph 2: probiotic product categories with larger scale or faster growth*, 2021–25
- Probiotic supplements: the digestive health market is reaching saturation, but demand is growing fast around mental wellbeing and vitality…
- … as suppliers pivot towards new functional claims with strong growth potential
- Graph 3: functional claims for foods, drinks and nutritional supplements containing probiotic claims, 2021-25
- Probiotic food and drinks see strong demand for probiotic‑fermented formats, but hot-water formats pose risks
- Graph 4: sales of snacks, nuts and regional specialities with probiotic claims on Tmall and Taobao, 2025
- Graph 5: sales of coffee, cereal and instant drinks with probiotic claims on Tmall and Taobao, 2025
- Craft probiotic-fermentation narratives around health and enjoyment
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Overview of gut‑health issues and probiotic awareness
- Bloating, poor skin and bad breath remain the most common gut‑health issues
- Graph 6: gut health issues, 2024 vs 2026
- Skin issues often occur alongside abnormal bowel movements and mood problems, which may point to irritable bowel syndrome
- Graph 7: gut health issues – cross analysis, 2026
- Graph 8: gut health issues, by sub-health issues, Jan 2026
- White‑collar workers are disproportionately affected by mood‑related gut issues
- Graph 9: gut-health issues, by employment type, 2026
- Stomach issues are often linked to social dining and eating out and may point to Hp infection
- Graph 10: gut health issues – cross analysis, 2026
- Graph 11: unhealthy lifestyle, by gut health issue, 2026
- Boosting immunity is the top-ranked health benefit of good gut health
- Immunity is the leading perceived benefit of good gut health…
- Graph 12: perceived benefits of gut health, 2026
- …but awareness of gut health and probiotics diverge
- Graph 13: perceptions of gut health benefits vs probiotics benefits, 2026
- Build trust in strain efficacy by aligning with consumer perceptions; use differentiated innovation and marketing
- Communicate strain mechanisms through viability protection and scientific validation
- Graph 14: indicators of probiotic product efficacy, 2026
- Graph 15: indicators of efficacy in probiotics products – cross analysis, 2026
- Showcase product efficacy via multi‑strain formulations
- Leverage three key mechanisms behind probiotic blends and combos to explain their health benefits
- Leverage gut‑focused messaging and probiotic combos to strengthen confidence in strain efficacy
- Anchor weight management and healthy ageing in gut microbiome optimisation, delivering benefits from the inside out
- Graph 16: unhealthy lifestyle, by perceived benefit of gut health, 2026
- Graph 17: gut health issues, by perceived benefit of gut health, 2026
- Communication examples: probiotics positioned around weight management and healthy ageing
- Use the oral–gut–heart axis to highlight oral-care benefits with a direct link to cardiovascular health
- Graph 18: gut health issues, by gut health benefit, 2026
- Graph 19: value sales and YOY growth of health supplements, foods and drinks with gut health and anti-Hp positioning on Tmall/Taobao, 2025
- Break away from today’s homogeneous oral‑health messaging
- Use irritable bowel syndrome as an entry point; link benefits to improved mood and sleep
- Graph 20: sub-health issues – cross analysis, 2026
- Graph 21: gut health issue, by perceived benefit of gut health, 2026
- Communicate and innovate with probiotic blends and combos
- Graph 22: value sales and YOY growth of health supplements, foods and drinks with gut health and irritable bowel positioning on Tmall/Taobao, 2025
- Boost cardiovascular, emotional and cognitive support with ergothioneine and postbiotics
- Graph 23: potential ingredients in probiotics products, by perceived benefit of gut health, 2026
- Product examples featuring ergothioneine and postbiotics
- Help active consumers build digestive resilience with triple synbiotics
- Graph 24: ingredient preferences on exercise occasions, 2026
- Graph 25: potential ingredients in probiotics products, by perceived probiotics benefit, 2026
- Highlight the multifaceted performance benefits of probiotics; develop products tailored to a range of exercise occasions
- Use live cultures and gut‑comfort benefits to help probiotic products attract and retain users
- Yogurt and probiotic supplements focus on retention, while milk powder and instant drinks still need to recruit
- Graph 26: product usage – penetration rate, 2026
- Graph 27: product usage – user satisfaction and trial interest, 2026
- Unclear health benefits and a lack of noticeable results are common consumer pain points
- Graph 28: consumption barriers – probiotic products, 2026
- Strains targeting specific organs and shelf stability strongly influence user stickiness for yogurt and supplements
- Graph 29: consumption barriers – probiotic products, by yogurt usage, 2026
- Graph 30: consumption barriers – probiotic products, by probiotic health supplement usage, 2026
- Brands can gain an edge by highlighting production and packaging technologies that protect strain viability
- Graph 31: indicators of probiotics product efficacy, by consumption barriers of yogurt, 2026
- Graph 32: indicators of probiotics product efficacy, by consumption barriers of probiotics supplements, 2026
- Product examples highlighting strain‑viability technologies
- Yogurt’s ‘sour’ taste can trigger consumer discomfort and concerns about additives
- Graph 33: gut health issues, by consumption barriers for yogurt, 2026
- Graph 34: consumption barriers for yogurt – cross analysis, 2026
- Leverage yogurt trends toward more mix‑ins and lower acidity to launch gut‑friendly, reduced‑sugar options
- How probiotics are taken shapes live‑strain effectiveness and drives both retention and recruitment for milk powder and instant drinks
- Graph 35: consumption barriers for probiotic milk powder, by probiotic milk powder usage, 2026
- Graph 36: consumption barriers for probiotic instant drinks, by probiotic instant drinks usage, 2026
- Brands can use heat‑resistant strains or lean on fermentation and postbiotics to ease strain‑viability concerns
- Lactose intolerance can weaken perceived efficacy of probiotic milk powder, making prebiotics a promising add‑on
- Graph 37: gut health issues, by consumption barriers for probiotic milk powder, 2026
- Graph 38: indicators of probiotics product efficacy, by consumption barriers for probiotic milk powder, 2026
- Tap into the Fundamentally Nutritious trend with naturally derived prebiotics for lactose intolerance and gut-health needs
- Graph 39: share of new adult liquid milk/milk powder launches containing GOS, 2021-26
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APPENDIX
- Methodology: consumer survey
- Research methodology: TURF
- Abbreviations
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