Enter the website of any health supplement company active in Hong Kong and you will most likely be greeted by pictures of their NMN products. A precursor of NAD+ and a form of vitamin B3, NMN has become highly popular in mainland China during the thick of COVID-19. Popularised by the brand Doctor’s Best in China, NMN has come to be associated with longevity.
The wave has since spread to Hong Kong, with more than 30 brands of NMN products available, according to the observations of herbal products maker Nin Jiom, which is also best known for its Pei Pa Koa cough syrup. This is also a reason why the company has since the domestic market is already overcrowded. The reduced foot traffic from mainland Chinese visitors – who used to be a core group of nutraceutical consumers before the pandemic – has been another market challenge for Hong Kong health supplement firms, although numbers from China has rebounded in recent months.
Add the massive number of Hongkongers travelling north to neighbouring Chinese city Shenzhen for weekend shopping, local companies now have another challenge to solve – how can they keep local consumers engaged and buy products locally? Take the first weekend of August this year for example, there were records of 92,753 Hong Kong residents traffic going out of the city through Shenzhen Bay. The figure was 60,019 last year same time, based on Hong Kong Immigration Department data. The trend of travelling up to Shenzhen does not seem like it will slow down anytime soon.
Seeing the demand, convenience chain 7-11 has started to sell a one-way bus ticket to travel between Hong Kong and Shenzhen recently. This series of Vitaminsights will dive deep into the top health supplement categories in Hong Kong and how companies are responding to the market changes led by outflow of locals and reduced Chinese visitors. For Hong Kong health supplement brand Catalo, NMN 18000, which claims to provide cellular repair, anti-ageing, and revitalising benefits, is one of its bestsellers.
In total, the company has developed eight NMN products across different formats, including capsules and powder. A reason for NMN’s popularity in Hong Kong could be due to consumers’ curiosity in new health supplements, said Nicole Leung, senior business director at Catalo. said Leung who is also the vice president of the Hong Kong Health Food Association.
The core consumers are women in their 40s to 50s who are experiencing the effects of ageing, such as fatigue, lower vitality. Another group is women who are suffering from postpartum hair loss. More men are also turning to NMN for improved vitality and energy.
These products, however, do not come cheap. NMN 18000, for instance, is selling at HKD$1,888 or US$242 for a bottle of 60 capsules or two-month supply. The price depends on the amount of NMN and other factors such as the scientific evidence behind that particular NMN ingredient etc.
Based on a search on Mannings, the price of most NMN products sold in Hong Kong are at least HKD$1,000 (US$128). GNC’s NMN Resveratrol + 18000, for example, is selling at HKD$1,625 (US$208) for 60 capsules or two-month supply. It also contains pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ).
Yesnutri Supra NMN 30000+, on the other hand, sells for HKD$2,588 (US$332) for 60 capsules. Each capsule contains 500mg of NMN and the US-origin product also contains resveratrol, astaxanthin, CoQ10, and PQQ. Using a NMN with clinically backed evidence is one of the ways which Leung believes could help Catalo’s products stand out from the competition.
NMN, is however, only one of the NAD+ precursor supplements in the market. Hong Kong business magnate Li Ka-shing should be mentioned when it comes to popularising another NAD+ precursor supplements – in this case, nicotinamide riboside or NR. Li is an investor in one of the leading NR brands known as Chromadex.
Ranked number one in Hong Kong 50 Richest 2024 compiled by Forbes, Li was first associated with when he was said to have purchased up to US$25 million in common stock. He was also the key figure in introducing the US brand across his pharmacy chain Watsons in Hong Kong. Vancouver-based NUNMN, started by Alan Ma who was originally from Hong Kong, said that the NMN wave originally came from Japan in late 2010s.
He then founded the company specialising in NMN supplements in 2020. Four years on, the company has eight SKUs under its belt and about 30 per cent of its revenue comes from Hong Kong. Canada makes up 60 per cent of its market, with the remaining coming from Singapore, Malaysia, US, and China.
Some of the retailers stocking its products in Hong Kong are Sogo, online retailers such as JD.com, and HKTVmall. Like Catalo, most of its consumers taking NMN are middle-aged and elderly and doing so for anti-ageing.
Some are also taking it as part of their COVID-19 recovery process. said Ma. So far, its product NUNMN 30000 containing 500mg of NMN per capsule is its bestseller.
It is currently sold at a discounted price of SGD$182 or US$138. said Ma. Watch the following video as Leung and Ma tells us more about the ongoing trend and their NMN product range.
Aside from NMN which falls under anti-ageing, immunity, maternal and children’s health are the other top two bestselling supplement categories in Hong Kong, according to Leung’s observation. Probiotics is one of the key categories for immune support, while folic acid, DHA, and calcium are the most popular products under maternal and children’s health. Pressures from the fast-paced city life, consumers’ willingness to spend a premium on health means that health supplements are now deemed as part of the daily essentials.
said Leung. Watch the following video as Leung tells us more, including the new growth opportunities that Catalo is tapping on. The impact from Hongkongers moving north to Shenzhen is smaller for the nutraceutical sector as compared to other sectors like fashion and dining, said Leung.
This is because health supplement is not a category that is easily replaced by other brands and there remains strong brand loyalty among Hong Kong consumers. she explained. However, she acknowledges that there has been lower footfall during the weekends.
In this case, the company stays engaged with consumers by offering in-store services such as free health consultations, where consumers can find out their body composition. This is followed up by suggestions on how to improve their health with supplements. Another service offered is personalised nutrition, where consumers can book a consultation with Catalo’s health advisers.
Through a health questionnaire, advisers can know about their daily habits and health concerns and recommend nutrition from Catalo’s existing range of over 300 SKUs – including eye health, post-surgery nutrition, women’s health, and for students. The supplements needed will then be packed into daily individual packets at the firm’s manufacturing facility and home-delivered when it is completed. The service was soft launched in the beginning of this year during the opening of CATALO Lab in Langham Place at Mongkok, in response to the reduced footfall to Shenzhen.
said Leung. Pre-COVID, health supplement is one of the checklists for Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong. Post-COVID, however, there has been a decrease in Chinese tourists and companies are looking at how they could better cater to the local Hong Kong market.
Australia-based Homart Group, which sells health supplements under its same name brand, is also a contract manufacturer for health supplement firms – including those from Hong Kong. Homart also sells its own products in Hong Kong. Co-founder Jeffrey Yeh said that pre-COVID, most of the Hong Kong companies that go to Homart for contract manufacturing tended to develop products for the Chinese tourist’s market.
As such, propolis, royal jelly, sheep placenta – items for immunity, beauty, and longevity are some of the most sought-after products. Since the pandemic hit, companies are gearing more towards the needs of local Hongkongers due to lower number of Chinese tourists. said Yeh.
Like Catalo and NUNMN, he also agreed that NMN has become one of the hottest product categories in Hong Kong. This is not only for the domestic demand, but also for Chinese visitors who hope to get their hands on NMN which is currently not approved for sale within mainland China and even via cross-border e-commerce in recent months. said Yeh, adding that products for eye health, such as bilberries were also popular among Chinese visitors.
Another unique consumption trend among Hong Kong consumers is their tendency for bulk purchase. According to Ma’s observations, Hong Kong consumers are more likely to purchase multiple bottles of his products at one go. This is unlike Canadian consumers who usually buy one or two bottles but subscribe to a monthly package.
he said. He also notices that Canadian consumers have more queries before buying the products. Hong Kong consumers, on the other hand, tend to purchase based on word-of-mouth recommendations and hence are asking less questions.
Leung added that Hong Kong consumers would pay more attention to supplement facts, nutrition labels. They are also generally influenced by global health trends and innovations. she said.
In contrast, mainland Chinese consumers tend to focus more on product origins and manufacturing locations. she said. Hong Kong ranked number five in China’s list of top health foods import destination in Q1 this year.
The list was led by the US, followed by Australia, Germany, and Indonesia..
