Market Entry Path and Strategy for Foreign Health Products and Dietary Supplements into China

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China is a global core market for health products and dietary supplements. In 2024, the scale of China's health product and dietary supplement market reached 386 billion yuan, of which the import market scale was 92.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.3%. Imported health products and dietary supplements mainly cover four core categories: vitamin and mineral supplements (such as multivitamins, calcium tablets), protein supplements (whey protein, collagen), probiotic supplements (liquid probiotics, probiotic powders), and functional dietary supplements (such as coenzyme Q10, fish oil, melatonin). 2024 sub-category import data shows: vitamin and mineral supplements accounted for 38% of the import value (35.2 billion yuan), protein supplements 29% (26.9 billion yuan), probiotic supplements 18% (16.7 billion yuan), and functional dietary supplements 15% (13.9 billion yuan); core importing countries include the United States, Australia (vitamin and protein categories), Denmark, Japan (probiotic categories), and Norway, New Zealand (functional categories such as fish oil).

 

Foreign enterprises importing health products and dietary supplements into China must strictly comply with regulations such as the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, the Measures for the Administration of Health Food Registration and Filing, the National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Prepackaged Foods (GB 7718), and category-specific national standards (such as GB 14880 for nutrient supplements, GB 28050 for nutrition labeling). At the same time, they need to break through differentiated barriers such as "blue hat" certification (for health food), filing management (for dietary supplements), inspection and quarantine, cold chain transportation, and advertising compliance. This report focuses on dissecting the core paths, category-specific differentiated requirements and key details for foreign health products and dietary supplements to enter China, clarifying official policy inquiry channels, elaborating on public and private domain market operation strategies, and illustrating the key value of cooperating with chinaentryhub.com China Market Access Service Center in solving compliance challenges and improving market entry efficiency.

 

I. Core Characteristics of Different Categories of Health Products and Dietary Supplements and Differentiated Requirements for Entering China

Due to differences in active ingredients, physical and chemical properties, storage conditions, and functional positioning, different categories of health products and dietary supplements have significant differences in compliance priorities, inspection standards, transportation requirements, and label specifications for entering China. Clarifying these differences is the basic prerequisite for foreign enterprises to successfully enter the market.

 

Category	Core Characteristics	Differentiated Core Requirements for Entering China	Key Attention to Details
Vitamin and mineral supplements (multivitamins, calcium tablets, etc.)	Stable active ingredients, long shelf life (1-3 years), low storage requirements, wide consumer groups	1. If claiming health functions, it is necessary to apply for "blue hat" health food registration; if it is a common dietary supplement, it shall complete filing; 2. Comply with GB 14880 "National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Nutrient Fortifiers in Foods"; 3. Labels must clearly indicate the content of each nutrient and the percentage of the recommended daily intake	The types and dosages of nutrients shall not exceed the limit requirements of GB 14880; avoid using exaggerated functional descriptions such as "curing diseases"; imported calcium tablets need to test heavy metal residues (lead ≤0.5mg/kg)
Protein supplements (whey protein, collagen, etc.)	High protein content, some products are easy to absorb moisture and agglomerate, and collagen products are mostly liquid and need cold chain protection	1. Liquid collagen needs whole-process cold chain transportation (2-8℃) and temperature record retention; 2. Comply with GB 28050 nutrition labeling requirements, clearly indicating protein content and amino acid composition; 3. Whey protein needs to test microbial indicators (total bacterial count ≤1000CFU/g)	Avoid false claims such as "quick absorption and immediate effect"; powdered products need moisture-proof packaging; imported whey protein must provide raw milk source certification
Probiotic supplements (liquid probiotics, probiotic powders, etc.)	Active probiotics are sensitive to temperature, easy to inactivate, short shelf life (6-12 months), and high cold chain requirements	1. Whole-process cold chain transportation and storage (2-8℃), with complete temperature traceability records; 2. Clearly indicate the strain type, viable count (≥10^6 CFU/g/mL) and shelf-life viable count on the label; 3. Comply with the list of probiotic strains allowed to be used in food	The strain name must be consistent with the officially allowed list; the viable count test report must cover the shelf-life period; cold chain breakage during transportation will lead to product disqualification
Functional dietary supplements (coenzyme Q10, fish oil, melatonin, etc.)	Clear functional positioning, mostly for middle-aged and elderly or specific groups, some have special ingredient limit requirements	1. Coenzyme Q10 content shall not exceed 50mg per daily dose; fish oil shall comply with GB 28404 "National Food Safety Standard for Fish Oil and Fish Oil Products"; 2. Melatonin products shall be marked with "not suitable for people under 18 years old" and recommended dosage; 3. Must provide functional ingredient detection reports	Avoid functional claims beyond the scope allowed by the state; fish oil needs to test heavy metals and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) residues; imported products must provide origin certification for raw materials (such as deep-sea fish oil origin)

 

II. Core Paths and Differentiated Practical Specifications for Foreign Health Products and Dietary Supplements to Enter China

The core paths for foreign enterprises to enter China's health product and dietary supplement market include general trade import (mainstream bulk path), joint venture/wholly-owned construction of production bases (localization deep rooting path), and cross-border e-commerce direct supply (rapid reach path for high-end niche products). Different paths have obvious differences in adaptability to categories, compliance thresholds and market positioning, requiring precise matching based on enterprise strength and product characteristics.

 

(I) General Trade Import: Mainstream Path for Bulk Products, Suitable for All Categories of Standardized Products

General trade import is the mainstream way for foreign health products and dietary supplements to enter China, especially suitable for standardized products with large market demand (such as multivitamins, whey protein, common probiotics). The advantages of this path are mature circulation channels, wide market coverage and high consumer trust. However, it is necessary to complete strict compliance procedures such as "blue hat" registration/filing, label review and customs clearance inspection according to category characteristics.

 

1. General Practical Process

• Preliminary Compliance Preparation: Confirm the product category (health food or dietary supplement); complete "blue hat" registration (for health food) or filing (for dietary supplements) with the State Administration for Market Regulation; overseas production enterprises complete registration with the General Administration of Customs; domestic importers obtain food business licenses.

• Document and Label Preparation: Prepare official documents such as health certificate, certificate of origin, ingredient list, functional ingredient detection report, and cold chain temperature record (for probiotics, collagen, etc.); labels comply with GB 7718 and category-specific standards, and complete Chinese labeling.

• Transportation and Warehousing: Implement differentiated cold chain/protective measures according to product characteristics (such as probiotics and liquid collagen need full cold chain, and vitamin tablets need moisture-proof storage).

• Customs Clearance and Inspection: The customs conducts document review, label verification, on-site inspection and sampling testing; after passing the qualification assessment, the "Inspection and Quarantine Certificate for Inbound Goods" is issued, and the products can be circulated in the market.

 

2. Category-Specific Practical Details

• Vitamin and mineral supplements: When applying for "blue hat" registration, it is necessary to provide clinical trial data that meets Chinese standards; the nutrient content on the label must be consistent with the test report; avoid using words such as "health care" for non-health food products.

• Protein supplements: Liquid collagen needs to provide cold chain transportation plans and temperature records during customs clearance; whey protein must pass microbial and heavy metal testing; powdered products need to be declared for moisture content to avoid agglomeration due to improper storage.

• Probiotic supplements: The customs will focus on checking the completeness of cold chain records; the viable count test report must be issued by an internationally recognized testing institution; the label must clearly indicate the storage temperature and shelf life, and it is recommended to mark "cold chain transportation required".

• Functional dietary supplements: Fish oil products need to provide PCB residue test reports; coenzyme Q10 products need to explain the daily dosage and functional mechanism; melatonin products must be marked with warning words for applicable groups, and it is prohibited to sell to minors.

 

3. Case and Data Support

Case 1 (Probiotics): Danish probiotic brand Chr. Hansen entered China through general trade import, completed "blue hat" filing in advance, adopted professional cold chain boxes for transportation, and retained full-link temperature records. In 2024, its sales in China reached 2.3 billion yuan, accounting for 13.8% of the imported probiotic market. Case 2 (Fish Oil): Norwegian fish oil brand Noromega entered China through general trade, provided complete origin certification and PCB residue test reports, and its labels clearly indicated EPA and DHA content. In 2024, its sales in China reached 1.8 billion yuan. Data shows that in 2024, 82% of imported health products and dietary supplements entered China through general trade, of which vitamin and mineral supplements accounted for 88%, protein supplements 85%, probiotics 75%, and functional products 72%; the average customs clearance cycle for general trade import is 15-20 working days, and the compliance pass rate of products with complete cold chain records is 96%.

 

4. Cooperative Empowerment Value

chinaentryhub.com can provide category-specific full-process compliance counseling: for probiotics and liquid collagen, assist in designing professional cold chain solutions, connect with qualified cold chain logistics enterprises, and ensure the completeness and compliance of temperature records; for functional products such as fish oil and coenzyme Q10, guide the preparation of "blue hat" registration/filing materials and interpret functional claim boundaries; conduct targeted label reviews to focus on verifying easily non-compliant points such as probiotic strain names, melatonin warning words, and fish oil residue indicators; assist in sorting out customs clearance documents and shorten the average customs clearance cycle by more than 40%.

 

(II) Joint Venture/Wholly-Owned Construction of Production Bases: Localization Deep Rooting Path, Suitable for Long-Term Market Cultivation

This path is suitable for foreign enterprises with strong financial strength and plans to deeply cultivate the Chinese market for a long time, especially for products that need localized taste adaptation and cost control (such as collagen products suitable for Chinese women's skin characteristics, probiotics adapted to Chinese intestinal flora). It can reduce import tariffs and transportation costs, and quickly adapt to market changes, but it has high requirements for policy understanding and local resource integration.

 

1. Category-Specific Practical Points

• Probiotics and liquid collagen: Production bases need supporting low-temperature workshops and cold chain warehousing, and establish a full-process temperature control system; probiotic production must ensure the stability of strain activity and comply with GB 14880 standards.

• Protein supplements: Whey protein production bases need to build raw material inspection workshops to ensure the quality of imported raw milk; powdered products need to build dust-free production workshops and moisture-proof packaging lines.

• Functional products: Fish oil production bases need professional purification workshops to control heavy metal and PCB residues; coenzyme Q10 production must strictly control the daily dosage and comply with national functional ingredient limit requirements.

 

2. Case Analysis

Australian dairy giant Fonterra joint-ventured with a Chinese local enterprise to build a whey protein production base in Zhejiang, equipped with dust-free production workshops and microbial testing laboratories that meet Chinese standards. The localized whey protein products are adjusted for the nutritional needs of Chinese fitness groups, with added vitamin D to improve calcium absorption. In 2024, the sales of the joint venture reached 3.2 billion yuan, accounting for 11.9% of the imported protein supplement market in China. Danish probiotic brand Novozymes built a wholly-owned production base in Jiangsu, equipped with professional cold chain production lines and temperature-controlled warehouses, and launched probiotic products adapted to Chinese intestinal flora. In 2024, its sales in China reached 2.5 billion yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 28%.

 

3. Cooperative Empowerment Value

chinaentryhub.com can provide full-cycle consulting services for base construction: assist in site selection of production bases, clarify local industrial policies and tax incentives (such as health industry parks in Jiangsu and Zhejiang); guide enterprises to complete environmental impact assessment, food production license (SC certification) and other approvals; connect with local raw material suppliers and testing institutions to reduce localization costs; assist in establishing a quality traceability system that meets Chinese regulatory requirements, and shorten the average project preparation cycle by 8-12 months.

 

(III) Cross-Border E-Commerce Direct Supply: Rapid Reach Path for High-End Niche Products

This path is suitable for high-end niche health products and dietary supplements (such as high-purity fish oil, customized probiotics, imported melatonin), relying on bonded warehouse/direct mail mode to quickly reach young high-end consumer groups and specific demand groups. It has the advantages of simple procedures, no need for domestic "blue hat" registration in the short term, and fast market launch. However, it is limited by single-order limits (5000 yuan per personal cross-border e-commerce import) and high cold chain costs, making it difficult to achieve large-scale distribution.

 

1. Category-Specific Practical Specifications

• Probiotics and liquid collagen: Adopt "bonded warehouse pre-storage + full cold chain distribution" mode; bonded warehouses must be equipped with professional low-temperature storage areas; temperature records must cover overseas warehouse - bonded warehouse - consumer.

• Vitamins and functional products: Labels can adopt "electronic labels + paper attachments", but core information (nutrient content, functional claims, warning words) must be complete; melatonin products must be marked with age restrictions on the platform page.

• Protein supplements: Powdered products need to be declared for moisture content when entering the bonded warehouse; liquid whey protein needs cold chain protection and microbial testing before entering the warehouse.

 

2. Case and Data

American high-end fish oil brand Nordic Naturals entered China through Tmall Global's bonded warehouse mode, stored products in Ningbo Bonded Warehouse, and relied on Cainiao's cold chain logistics to achieve delivery within 48 hours in core cities. In 2024, its cross-border e-commerce channel sales reached 1.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 78%. Japanese customized probiotic brand Yakult entered China through JD Worldwide's direct mail mode, providing personalized probiotic solutions based on consumer groups, and its 2024 cross-border sales reached 800 million yuan. Data shows that in 2024, the scale of China's cross-border e-commerce imported health products and dietary supplements reached 16.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 65%, of which functional products accounted for 42%, probiotics 28%, protein supplements 20%, and vitamins 10%; the repurchase rate of high-end niche products in cross-border channels reached 52%, significantly higher than that of mass products.

 

3. Cooperative Empowerment Value

chinaentryhub.com can provide full-chain support for cross-border e-commerce: assist in connecting with cross-border e-commerce platforms (Tmall Global, JD Worldwide) and completing platform entry qualifications; optimize the design of electronic labels to ensure compliance with category-specific requirements (such as probiotic viable count marking, melatonin warning words); guide the preparation of bonded warehouse entry documents and interpret cross-border tax policies (tariff and value-added tax reduction and exemption details); connect with professional cold chain logistics enterprises to establish a full-chain temperature traceability system and avoid cold chain breakage risks.

 

III. Core Policy Inquiry Channels for Foreign Enterprises (Websites of Relevant Chinese Departments)

Foreign enterprises need to inquire about relevant policies and standards through official Chinese websites to ensure compliance in the process of entering China. The following are core inquiry channels and category-adapted functions:

 

1. Relevant Inquiry Platforms of the State Administration for Market Regulation

• National Health Food Registration and Filing Information Service Platform: https://tfws.nmpa.gov.cn/, inquire about health food registration/filing requirements, application processes, and list of approved functional claims; check the registration/filing status of products.

• Official Website of the State Administration for Market Regulation: http://www.samr.gov.cn/, query national standards such as GB 14880 "National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Nutrient Fortifiers in Foods", GB 28050 "National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods", and GB 28404 "National Food Safety Standard for Fish Oil and Fish Oil Products".

• Food Production and Operation Supervision Department Website: http://www.samr.gov.cn/spscjgj/, inquire about food production license (SC certification) application requirements and production hygiene standards for production bases.

 

2. Relevant Inquiry Platforms of the General Administration of Customs

• Imported Food Overseas Production Enterprise Registration Information Inquiry: https://ciferquery.singlewindow.cn/, query the registration status of overseas production enterprises of health products and dietary supplements and confirm export qualifications.

• Internet + Customs "Food Safety Information Inquiry": https://online.customs.gov.cn/ociswebserver/pages/spaqxxcx/index.html, query the progress of quarantine approval for imported products, inspection standards (such as probiotic viable count testing standards), and unqualified product notifications.

• Official Website of the Import and Export Food Safety Bureau of the General Administration of Customs: http://www.customs.gov.cn/customs/302249/302266/302267/index.html, query regulatory policies for imported health products and dietary supplements, label review details, and tax collection and administration specifications.

 

3. Relevant Inquiry Channels of the Ministry of Commerce

• Official Website of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce: http://www.caitec.org.cn/, query cross-border e-commerce policies for health products, import tariff policies, and market consumption trend data.

• Market Operation and Consumption Promotion Department Website: http://www.mofcom.gov.cn/mofcom/column/ywlm/scyx/, query circulation data of the health product market and industry development reports.

 

4. Relevant Inquiry Channels of the National Health Commission

• Official Website of the National Health Commission: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/, query the revision dynamics of national standards related to health products, the list of allowed probiotic strains, and the scope of allowed functional claims.

• National Nutrition and Health Commission: http://www.nhc.gov.cn/yzygj/s7659/202109/b69a3247f89d4894892d62b1890857e6.shtml, inquire about dietary supplement nutrition guidance and consumer group positioning policies.

 

5. Cooperative Empowerment Value

chinaentryhub.com can provide full-process counseling for official inquiries: sort out the category-specific inquiry functions of various department websites (such as probiotic strain list inquiry, fish oil standard inquiry); interpret professional clauses in policy documents (such as "blue hat" registration conditions, cross-border e-commerce single-order limit requirements); regularly update policy dynamics (such as standard revisions, functional claim scope adjustments) and provide targeted response suggestions; assist enterprises in completing policy verification and avoiding compliance risks caused by information asymmetry.

 

IV. Operation Strategies for China's Health Product and Dietary Supplement Public and Private Domain Markets (Scale, Differences and Operation Methods)

Due to differences in target consumer groups and product positioning, different categories of health products and dietary supplements have obvious differences in adaptability to public and private domain markets. Accurate channel matching is the key to efficient market penetration. In 2024, the scale of China's health product and dietary supplement public domain market reached 328 billion yuan (accounting for 85%), and the private domain market scale reached 58 billion yuan (accounting for 15%), a year-on-year increase of 48%, becoming a new growth engine for high-end products.

 

1. Market Scale and Core Differences

 

(1) Scale Data

In 2024, in the public domain market, comprehensive e-commerce platforms (Tmall, JD.com) accounted for 45% of sales, supermarkets and pharmacy chains (China Resources Pharmacy,老百姓大药房) accounted for 35%, and convenience stores accounted for 5%; in the private domain market, community health management groups accounted for 40%, enterprise WeChat and private domain live streaming accounted for 35%, and customized service channels accounted for 25%. Among them, the private domain sales share of probiotics and functional products reached 22% and 28% respectively, significantly higher than the average level of the industry; the public domain sales share of vitamins and protein supplements reached 90% and 88% respectively, which are typical mass circulation categories.

 

(2) Core Differences

Comparison Dimension	Public Domain Market	Private Domain Market
Traffic Attribute	Public traffic, fierce competition, requiring payment for traffic acquisition (platform advertising, channel commissions)	Private traffic, accurate user positioning, repeatable reach, low repurchase cost
Customer Acquisition Cost	High, e-commerce platform commissions are 10-20%, and pharmacy chain entry fees account for 12-15%	Low, core costs are early content operation and drainage, and almost no cost in the repurchase stage
Suitable Categories	Mass circulation categories (multivitamins, ordinary whey protein, common calcium tablets)	High-end niche categories (customized probiotics, high-purity fish oil, anti-aging collagen)
Operation Core	Brand exposure, large-scale distribution, compliance control of advertising and promotion	Professional content output, user relationship maintenance, personalized customization services

 

2. Category-Specific Operation Methods (Including Cases)

 

(1) Public Domain Market Operation

• Vitamins and protein supplements: Settle in Tmall, JD.com and other e-commerce platforms, launch combination packages (such as "multivitamin + calcium tablet" set) and carry out promotional activities; enter pharmacy chains and supermarkets to achieve offline coverage. Case: American vitamin brand Centrum achieved public domain sales of 6.8 billion yuan in 2024 through the dual-channel layout of e-commerce platforms and pharmacy chains.

• Probiotics and functional products: Cooperate with e-commerce platforms to carry out professional live streaming (such as probiotic health lectures, fish oil nutritional knowledge popularization); enter high-end supermarkets (Ole', BLT) to set up special counters. Case: Danish probiotic brand Chr. Hansen achieved public domain sales of 1.9 billion yuan in 2024 through JD live streaming with goods.

 

(2) Private Domain Market Operation

• High-end functional products and probiotics: Output professional content (such as "middle-aged and elderly cardiovascular health management", "infant probiotic selection guide") through Xiaohongshu and Douyin, guide users to add enterprise WeChat; establish a membership system, provide personalized health assessment and product customization services. Case: Norwegian high-purity fish oil brand Viva Naturals built a private domain community, launched customized dosage schemes for middle-aged and elderly people, and achieved private domain sales of 1.2 billion yuan in 2024 with a repurchase rate of 55%.

• Collagen and customized supplements: Push personalized skin care and health solutions through private domain groups; carry out old-user-refer-new-user rebate activities and exclusive member tasting events. Case: Japanese collagen brand Shiseido launched private domain exclusive gift boxes, with private domain sales increasing by 130% in 2024.

 

3. Cooperative Empowerment Value

chinaentryhub.com can provide category-specific public and private domain operation support: on the public domain side, assist in matching e-commerce platforms and pharmacy channels suitable for categories (such as connecting vitamins with pharmacy chains, probiotics with high-end supermarkets), and interpret channel compliance requirements (such as advertising content specifications); on the private domain side, design content operation strategies and membership systems for high-end products, assist in organizing health lectures and personalized customization services; combine category cold chain needs to optimize the cold chain connection plan of "public domain distribution + private domain delivery"; based on market data, match enterprises with the optimal public-private domain ratio strategy (such as suggesting "public domain popular science drainage + private domain professional service conversion" for functional products, and "public domain large-scale distribution" for mass vitamins).

 

V. Core Compliance Risks and Cooperative Avoidance Strategies

From January to June 2025, customs nationwide intercepted 216 batches of unqualified imported health products and dietary supplements, of which probiotics accounted for 32% (core risks: cold chain breakage, insufficient viable count), functional products accounted for 28% (core risks: excessive functional ingredients, beyond-scope claims), protein supplements accounted for 22% (core risks: microbial contamination, false protein content), and vitamins accounted for 18% (core risks: irregular labels, excessive nutrient dosage).

 

1. Category-Specific Risk Avoidance

• Probiotics: chinaentryhub.com assists in designing a full-chain cold chain solution, connects with compliant cold chain logistics enterprises, and establishes a temperature traceability system; guides enterprises to conduct pre-shipment viable count testing to ensure that the shelf-life viable count meets the standards.

• Functional products: Assists in reviewing the compliance of functional claims and functional ingredient content; guides enterprises to complete fish oil heavy metal and PCB residue testing, and coenzyme Q10 dosage control to avoid exceeding limits.

• Protein supplements and vitamins: Assists in reviewing label content to ensure that nutrient content and percentage of recommended daily intake are accurate; guides enterprises to conduct microbial and heavy metal testing to avoid contamination risks.

 

VI. Summary and Outlook: Differentiated Cooperation Empowers Efficient Entry into China

China's health product and dietary supplement market is showing a trend of consumption upgrading, with the demand for high-end, personalized and functional products continuing to grow, providing broad opportunities for foreign enterprises. However, the differentiated compliance requirements of different categories (such as strict cold chain requirements for probiotics, functional claim restrictions for functional products), complex registration/filing procedures, and diversified channel operations also bring many challenges. The three major paths of general trade, joint venture/wholly-owned, and cross-border e-commerce each have their own advantages and applicable scenarios, and need to be selected according to product characteristics and enterprise development strategies; the public and private domain markets need to be coordinated to achieve precise market penetration.

 

Relying on in-depth interpretation of differentiated regulatory policies for health products and dietary supplements and rich practical experience, chinaentryhub.com China Market Access Service Center can provide "category-customized" full-chain services: from early policy inquiry, registration/filing counseling, to mid-term cold chain solution design, customs clearance assistance, and then to late-stage channel expansion and public-private domain operation support, comprehensively solving the core pain points of foreign enterprises entering China. It can reduce the average preparation cycle for foreign enterprises to enter China by more than 50% and significantly reduce compliance risks and market expansion costs.

 

In the future, with the continuous improvement of China's health product regulatory system and the deepening of market opening-up, the market access threshold for health products and dietary supplements will be more standardized, and the competition will focus on product quality and brand strength. Cooperating with chinaentryhub.com can not only help foreign enterprises achieve "rapid access" to the Chinese market, but also rely on continuous policy update counseling and market adaptation adjustments to realize the transformation from "product entry" to "brand rooting", and gain a competitive advantage in the Chinese market.