Frost & Sullivan officially releases the '2025 China Probiotic Market White Paper'

Probiotics are defined as active microorganisms that provide health benefits to the host when consumed in sufficient quantities. Common strains include Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, etc. China has issued the 'General Rules for Probiotics in Foods', and in the future, the standard framework related to probiotics will become more standardized and improved.

With the diversified innovation of probiotic products, the existing dual-compartment dosage forms in the market can be widely applied in multiple functional areas such as beauty and skincare, weight loss and body shaping, eye care and hair nourishment. However, these are mainly in the form of upper solid tablets combined with lower liquid nutrients.

Data source: Literature search and Frost & Sullivan analysis

After experiencing the popularization of powder and liquid beverages, as well as the development of tablet liquid dual-cabin drinks, a new generation of probiotic products centered on the powder-liquid dual-cabin formulation has entered a new development stage through the compartmental design of formulas including probiotics and prebiotics.

In 2002, 'Yogurtland' entered the Chinese mainland market, gradually enlightening the concept of probiotics in China. Major dairy and food beverage companies also began to launch live bacteria-based beverage products one after another.

From 2010 to 2018, during this period, freeze-drying technology and microcapsule embedding technology began to be gradually developed and applied, effectively increasing the survival rate of probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract. At the same time, powder and liquid beverages became the mainstream in the market, significantly improving the adaptability of live bacteria numbers and usage scenarios.

From 2018 to 2020, in addition to early dietary supplements, probiotics began to be added to cross-category foods such as dairy products, soda, coffee, and even daily necessities like toothpaste, facial cleanser, and shampoo. They integrated the new concept of beneficial health into the highly competitive market.

From 2020 to 2025, functional probiotic products targeting specific demographics are rapidly emerging. Children, the elderly, and athletes have become important consumer groups, with demands such as improving immune system function, emotional health, and resistance to radiation damage continuously pushing the boundaries of probiotics' functionality. At the same time, a new generation of probiotic products centered on powder and liquid dual-compartment formulations has begun to appear. This formulation design separates probiotics from prebiotics and other ingredients into separate compartments, marking a new development stage for probiotic products.

Based on research into the global dual-cabin probiotic industry, the dual-cabin fresh probiotic is a probiotic formulation designed for solid-liquid separation. The upper layer of powdered bacteria and the lower layer of liquid prebiotics are stored separately to maintain their activity. When used, mixing is completed with a single press, and the bacteria are activated immediately for consumption. This design ensures that probiotics remain viable during storage while adding highly active strains to achieve freshness.

GUTX Yiqifang launched its first dual-cabin fresh probiotic product in October 2025, pioneering the global concept of 'dual-cabin fresh probiotics' and ushering in the 4.0 era of probiotics.

The dual-cabin design of GUTX Yishifang Dual-Cabin Fresh Probiotics supports modular compound formulas. It breaks through traditional pain points such as probiotics being prone to inactivation, difficult to swallow, and hard to colonize. It adapts to diverse health scenarios, enabling probiotics to live longer, wake up faster, and take root more firmly.

Driven by the improvement of public health awareness and increased corporate R&D investment, the market scale of probiotics and clinical probiotics in China continues to grow; among them, hospitals and retail pharmacies account for a relatively high proportion in the clinical probiotic channel. In the future, market development is expected to evolve towards specialization and refinement. The market scale of clinical probiotics in China increased from about 6.5 billion yuan in 2022 to about 7.5 billion yuan in 2024. It is estimated that by 2028, the market scale is expected to reach about 10 billion yuan, with an annual compound growth rate of 7.5%.

The increase in market size is mainly due to the continuous rise in public awareness of gut health and immune regulation, driving up the demand for doctors' prescriptions and patients' spontaneous use. At the same time, clinical probiotic companies' continuous investment in strain research and development, dosage form innovation, and indication expansion has led to an expanding range of clinical applications, promoting the high-quality and steady development of the industry.

SiliankangGeneric Name: Bifidobacterium Quadruple Live Tablets The brand belongs to YuanDa Life Science Group and is developed and produced by Hangzhou YuanDa Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. It is mainly used for regulating the balance of intestinal flora. The drug was officially launched on the Chinese market in 2000. Sillin Kang Probiotic Prescription has established cooperation with about 1,200 tertiary hospitals across the country due to its clinical efficacy and safety, covering approximately 6,000 graded hospitals. It provides patients with intestinal microecological treatment solutions through professional channels.

In the comprehensive evaluation of clinical drugs, Siliankang has significant effectiveness, good safety, appropriate economy, and certain innovative advantages. It performs better than conventional treatment plans for various indications related to intestinal flora imbalance. With a network of over 250,000 stores nationwide, it effectively enhances consumers' purchasing experience and convenience. At the same time, Siliankang connects with 80,000 private clinics, deeply integrating the professional value of clinical probiotics with personalized health management through providing personalized medical services and medication guidance. This has formed a unique channel competitiveness, developing from 'single diagnosis and treatment medication' to the 'urgent need for intestinal health management'.

Bifidobacterium gold(The generic name: Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus Triple Live Tablets) is a probiotic chewable tablet produced by Wanze Shuangqi Pharmaceutical under the Wanze Group. Wanze Shuangqi Pharmaceutical has long focused on biomedicine, concentrating on the fields of digestion, women's health, and children's health. It provides the public with relevant health products and services, based on the concept of microecology to develop holistic health care. Its ultimate goal is to achieve product implementation through innovative microecological drugs. By combining 'drugs + health supplements + food', it integrates prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation to achieve full coverage in these areas.

Bifidobacterium gold mainly consists of Lactobacillus longum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophilus in a triple viable form. It can quickly replenish probiotics, effectively inhibit harmful bacteria, and repair and reconstruct the intestinal biological barrier.

YijunkangGeneric Name: Compound Lactobacillus Acidophilus Tablets. The brand belongs to the probiotic brand under Jiaxing Nuclear Power Health Medicine Co., Ltd. and is mainly used in the field of intestinal health.

The product uses protein encapsulation technology to ensure the viability of the strain, containing at least 5×10⁶ viable Lactobacillus acidophilus per tablet. It can colonize comprehensively in the stomach and intestines, regulate the balance of flora, strongly inhibit pathogenic bacteria, adjust the intestinal microecological environment, promote intestinal peristalsis, stimulate the body's immunity, increase intestinal permeability, and reduce inflammatory responses.

Yijun Kang, as a pharmaceutical-grade probiotic brand, has attempted to closely integrate trendy activities with health education. Through its 'stand-up' at the creative market of the Yuhang 520 Asian Games Marathon Joyride Carnival event themed 'Endless Journey for Love', it engaged in in-depth interactive exchanges with young consumers, conveying the health concept that 'intestinal health is essential for long-term health'.

From the perspective of channel structure, the sales of clinical probiotic products in China still revolve around hospital and pharmacy retail terminals. Among them, the hospital channel reflects the clinical recognition of the products and the penetration rate of doctors' prescriptions, while the retail pharmacy channel reflects the brand's awareness and coverage capabilities at the consumer level.

Currently, leading market enterprises leverage their strong brand influence and mature channel network to achieve high market penetration nationwide. They strive for market share through continuous R&D investment and differentiated product layouts. Clinical probiotic products often focus on specific strains or sub-specialty indications.

Based on research on the clinical probiotic market in Mainland China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions), Sillin Kang ranks first in terms of clinical probiotic sales in China, calculated by brand sales from April 2024 to March 2025.