Convenience and health are becoming the key drivers in enhancing product value in the condiment industry.
Vera Zheng, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
The Report covers the most commonly seen sauces, seasonings and spreads in the Chinese market, including traditional Chinese sauces and seasonings and foreign sauces and seasonings.
Market sizes are provided for bottled/packaged sauces in the following categories:
- Soy sauce
- Vinegar
- Ready-made sauces and seasonings (including oyster sauce, tomato sauce, soybean paste)
- Ready-made dressings (including vinaigrette, cold marinades)
- Hotpot soup base
Collapse All
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- Definitions
- What you need to know
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Executive summary
- Report overview
- Opportunities for convenient innovation: make cooking more efficient and enhancing flavours easier
- Graph 1: attitudes towards cooking, 2024
- Graph 2: pain points when cooking, 2024
- Health awareness transforms into consumer behaviour, ushering in new opportunities for health upgrades
- Graph 3: condiment consumption attitudes, 2024
- Graph 4: online** growth rate trends in volume sales of seasonings, by presence of organic claims, 2024-25
- Trend outlook
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The market
- Market factors
- Macroeconomic indicators (January-November 2025)
- Learn from benchmark markets: convenient claims have long-term development potential
- Graph 5: share of new launches with convenience-related claims, 2014-25
- National government advocates for healthy eating and promotes salt intake reduction
- Market size
- Key market indicators
- The condiment market advances steadily, with health demands driving category growth
- Graph 6: best- and worse-case forecasts of value sales of condiments, 2020-30
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The consumer
- Penetration, usage and purchase factors of condiments
- Diverse scenario coverage is associated with higher penetration and high-frequency usage
- Graph 7: condiment penetration and high-frequency usage*, 2025
- Three key elements of condiments: deliciousness as the foundation, nutrition as enhancement, convenience as empowerment
- Three key elements of condiments: deliciousness as the foundation, nutrition as enhancement, and convenience as empowerment
- Graph 8: condiment selection factors, 2025
- Create differentiated products for different age groups
- Graph 9: condiment selection factors, by age group, 2025
- From usage method to flavour experiences, convenience should be integrated into every detail in cooking
- Easy measurement and multi-scenario adaptation are core consumer demands for convenience
- Graph 10: convenient features of condiments, 2025
- Extended portion control: precise measurement from fluids to solids
- Graph 11: online* squeeze bottle condiments trend, 2024-25
- One-step seasoning and time-saving features help products break through
- Saving time and effort is the core appeal of using recipe-style seasonings
- Graph 12: preferences for convenience features among recipe-style seasoning heavy users, 2025
- Graph 13: one-step seasoning online* value sales trend, 2024-25
- Convenience and efficiency-driven flavour trends: microwave-ready sauces and ready-made quick marinating bags
- Umami-enhancing seasonings have the greatest cross-scenario advantages
- Graph 14: usage scenarios by condiment categories, 2025
- From classic flavour enhancement to diverse flavour boosting, easily elevate the taste of dishes
- Based on naturalness, fortify nutrition to enhance product value
- After zero additives, simple ingredient lists are poised to become a health benchmark
- Graph 15: health features of condiments, 2025
- Hotpot bases and Chinese sauces must accelerate their salt‑reduction efforts
- Graph 16: perception of condiment saltiness by sub-category, 2025
- Condiment brands should particularly intensify efforts to reduce salt in Chinese sauces and condiments
- Graph 17: condiment saltiness perception – salty, dedicated brand vs retailer-owned brand, 2025
- Graph 18: health features of condiments, dedicated brand vs retailer-owned brand, 2025
- Consumers in southern China are most sensitive to saltiness
- Graph 19: saltiness perception – salty, by region, 2025
- Upgrade quality and deliciousness through premium oils and fats
- Trendy nutritional ingredients give condiments more nutritional added value
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New product
- Category overview
- Retailer-owned brands continue to innovate, while condiment brands hold a clear lead in consumers’ minds
- Graph 20: share of new launches, by brand type, 2020-25
- Graph 21: agreement with statements about condiments, 2025
- Cross-category innovation adds new vitality to condiment brands
- Graph 22: new products from dedicated brands, by launch type, 2022-25
- Graph 23: new products from retailer-owned brands, by launch type, 2022-25
- Examples of cross-category innovative products
- Product development trends
- Claims of convenience are on the rise; ease of use innovation is the most active
- Claim of convenience is on the rise; ease of use innovation is the most active
- Graph 24: convenient claims in new products, 2020-25
- Examples of new products with convenient features
- Stricter health requirements for condiments
- Graph 25: proportion of new products with health claims, by category, December 2024-November 2025
- Organic and reduced salt attributes continue to drive health upgrades in condiments
- Graph 26: new launches with health claims, 2022-25
- Examples of new products with health attributes
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Appendix – market size and forecast, research methodology and abbreviations
- Market size and forecast − retail sales
- Consumers’ cooking attitudes and preferences for umami-enhancing ingredients
- Graph 27: cooking attitudes, 2025
- Graph 28: preferred flavour-enhancing ingredients, 2025
- Methodology – consumer survey
- Methodology – TURF analysis
- Abbreviations
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