In a thriving yet homogenised women’s health market, brands need to explore specific unmet demands in key segments and develop differentiated products that align with natural rhythms and physiological changes.
Qianqian Ji, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
The focus of this Report is on women aged 18-59. It aims to explore their attitudes and behaviours in relation to nutrition and health management. It does not cover the nutrition and health needs of pregnant and postpartum women.
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Executive summary
- Key issues in this Report
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Women’s health market is thriving, but products and innovation are too homogenised
- As well as stacking benefits, specialised products also offer great opportunities
- What we think
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The market
- Market factors
- National Health Commission launches campaign for health management of women’s life stages
- Guidelines for the management of menopausal health could help drive development of this market
- New product trends
- Significant premiumisation potential for women’s nutrition products but more innovation still needed
- Graph 1: proportion of new food, drink and healthcare products for women, 2022-25
- Functional specialisation and limited-edition products could be the blue ocean market
- Product innovation is mainly focused on boosting energy and skin/hair health
- Graph 2: distribution of functional claims in new food, drink and healthcare products for women, 2022-25
- Liver nourishment, blood replenishment and menopause health are largest markets; menstrual health is fastest growing
- Graph 3: sales of women’s supplements on Tmall/Taobao with the following claims, August 2024-July 2025
- Probiotics need to find their second growth curve; consumers favour ingredients with both beauty and anti-fatigue benefits
- Gut health and intimate health are main product functions driving sales of probiotics
- Regulations restrict claims of balancing hormones; probiotics need to prove their effectiveness and safety
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The consumer
- Overview of women’s health issues and solutions
- Women have a higher awareness of health issues and actively manage them
- Graph 4: distribution of women’s health issues, 2025
- Notable differences in health issues across different age groups, with 40 being a turning point
- Graph 5: women’s health issues, by age (TGI), 2025
- Packaged food, drinks and health supplements for women’s health need to raise their game
- Graph 6: women’s health management approaches, 2025
- Natural ingredients, effectiveness and user experience the key selling points for ingestible products
- Graph 7: purchasing factors for food, drinks and supplements for women’s health, 2025
- Brands can make use of natural ingredients to overcome regulatory limits
- Ingestible products should spotlight proven mechanisms of action to penetrate potential markets
- Graph 8: purchasing factors for women’s health food, drinks and supplements, by attitudes towards health management methods, 2025
- Combine liver nourishing and blood replenishing effects with overall beauty outcomes to explain benefits of alleviating fatigue
- Relieving fatigue and improving endocrine health are the primary consumer demands
- Graph 9: interest in supplement functions, 2025
- Graph 10: interest in supplement functions, by attitudes towards health supplements, 2025
- Liver protection, blood/qi replenishment and improved emotional wellbeing can relieve fatigue and improve endocrine health
- Graph 11: interest in functional benefits of supplements – cross analysis, 2025
- Focus on TCM ingredients that directly replenish blood, strengthen the spleen, nourish the liver and regulate qi
- Graph 12: awareness of Chinese ingredients for blood/qi replenishment, by interest in health supplement benefits, 2025
- Women with skin issues are a key group
- Graph 13: interest in supplement functions, by women’s health issues, 2025
- Marketing needs to focus on making differentiated beauty benefits clearer
- Graph 14: purpose of taking edible beauty products, by interest in supplement functions, 2025
- Combine seasonal health maintenance with menstrual cycle management
- Products based on Chinese yangsheng blood replenishment concept dominate the menstrual health market
- Focus on seasonal health needs to create differentiated menstrual health products
- Graph 15: proportion of new medicine and food homology products with a ‘seasonal’ claim, 2020-25
- Graph 16: purchase factors for women’s health food, drinks and supplements, by health status, 2025
- Key product benefits are premenstrual syndrome relief, blood/qi replenishment, weight management and improved emotional wellbeing
- Graph 17: interest in supplement functions, by women’s health issues, 2025
- Graph 18: purchase factors for women’s health food, drinks and supplements, by interest in health supplement functions, 2025
- Translate weight management and improving emotional wellbeing into TCM health functions…
- Graph 19: mentions on social media of functions of health food, drinks and supplements for menstrual health, by month, September 2024-August 2025
- Graph 20: interest in Chinese nourishing and yangsheng functions, by health improvement needs, 2025
- …focusing on ample qi and blood to highlight the value of these TCM functions
- Graph 21: interest in Chinese nourishing and yangsheng functions – cross-analysis, 2025
- Link to lifestyles in marketing communications and bring TCM functions into a more modern context
- Graph 22: purchase factors for women’s health food, drinks and supplements, by health issues, 2025
- Position products as health and wellness companions to address poor diet and lack of exercise…
- Graph 23: health management approaches – important but haven’t done them enough, by health status, 2025
- …for example, linking the benefits of dried mandarin orange peel and liquorice to irregular diets and lack of exercise
- Graph 24: awareness of Chinese ingredients for blood/qi replenishment, by interest in health supplement benefits, 2025
- Develop products for menstrual cycle management to stand out amongst the crowd in the menstrual health market
- Examples of products for menstrual cycle management
- Market opportunity: the benefits of probiotics for menstrual health
- Market opportunity: develop limited edition products combining menstrual cycle management with seasonal health
- Focus on women over 40 and create a peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause product matrix
- Half of women aged 40-59 have menopausal symptoms; don’t neglect postmenopausal women
- Graph 25: distribution of women who are experiencing menopause/perimenopause, by age, 2025
- Graph 26: distribution of women aged 40-59 who are experiencing menopause/perimenopause, 2025
- Irregular menstruation, menstrual discomfort and intimate discomfort are signs indicating onset of menopause
- Graph 27: women’s health status, by distribution of women experiencing menopause/perimenopause*, 2025
- Menopause health brands should focus on physical, emotional and cognitive health
- Graph 28: menopausal symptoms, 2025
- Graph 29: menopausal symptoms – cross-analysis, 2025
- 40-59s are prone to gastrointestinal, breast and ovarian health issues
- Graph 30: women’s health status – cross analysis, by those aged 40-59, 2025
- Women aged 40-59 with gastrointestinal issues experience more menopausal symptoms
- Graph 31: menopausal symptoms, by women’s health status, 2025
- Opportunity: explore the role of probiotics in alleviating perimenopause/menopause symptoms
- Products targeting perimenopause and menopause have greater market potential
- Products targeting perimenopause and menopause have greater untapped market potential
- Graph 32: purchase factors for women’s health food, drinks and supplements, by distribution of menopausal/perimenopausal population, 2025
- Brands need to differentiate products to cater to the specific needs of different stages
- Postmenopausal women with menopausal symptoms are a key group requiring extra attention…
- Graph 33: menopausal symptoms, by distribution of menopausal/perimenopausal population*, 2025
- …and they have a greater need for health supplements
- Graph 34: interest in supplement functions, by those experiencing menopause/perimenopause (TGI), 2025
- Relief of headaches and urinary discomfort can help ingestible products expand into the post-menopausal market
- Graph 35: menopausal symptoms, by those who consider the following health management behaviours important but haven’t done them enough, 2025
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Appendix – methodology and abbreviations
- Methodology
- Methodology: TURF analysis
- Abbreviations
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