Hong Kong nutra trends: NMN booming and strategies to meet local and Chinese visitors’ needs

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 debuted its first NMN product in Singapore,​ 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.   

NMN: Who’s taking it and what’s driving the trend? ​

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.

“NMN is relatively new to the public, which generates a lot of curiosity and interest among consumers, as consumers are seeking the latest health innovations and NMN captures their attention. ​

“Advertising and marketing also play a significant role in increasing NMN’s visibility through various channels, such as the social media and health influencers who have helped educate consumers about the benefits of NMN,”​ 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 Chromadex in 2017 ​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.  

“​During COVID-19, many people feel tired after they had COVID-19, our product helped a lot of customers and patients to regain that energy back,”​ 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.

“O​ur company started to see a spike in NMN back in 2019 and we did a lot of planning and preparation to launch our product in Hong Kong around 2022. ​

“We also saw a spike in China but actually, this product was very popular in Japan first, and then it went to Hong Kong,” ​said Ma.

Watch the following video as Leung and Ma tells us more about the ongoing trend and their NMN product range. 

Other popular categories ​

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.

“T​he fast-paced lifestyle in HK is one of the factors. It leads to a very high stress living style and unhealthy eating habits, which promotes consumers to seek solutions for better health. ​

“Also, there is a growing awareness of health and wellness driven by the social media and influencers, which actually educate consumers about the benefits of products like anti-ageing supplements and probiotics etc,” ​said Leung.

Watch the following video as Leung tells us more, including the new growth opportunities that Catalo is tapping on. 

High brand loyalty limits impact from Shenzhen’s lure​

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.

“I​n terms of brand loyalty, Hong Kong consumers generally have a higher stickiness. They tend to purchase products that they have tried and enjoyed, leading them to repeatedly purchase the same items again.​

“In contrast, mainland Chinese consumers are more easily influenced by the social media and influencers, such as those on Xiaohongshu or RED. ​

“And so, I would say that we are not heavily affected because we are not in the list that will easily be replaced by Hong Kong consumers or is a category where they will change their purchase behaviour from Catalo to another supplement brand in China,” ​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.

“We are trying to do more consultations to make sure that our connection with consumers will never be downplayed.” ​

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.

“I will say it's in our brand DNA to maintain a very close relationship with our consumers, so that even if they will travel to somewhere else, they will still come back to purchase our products at the end of the day because we have been building our own connections with them,” ​said Leung.

Treading between meeting local and tourists’ needs   ​

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.

“There are less Chinese tourists now in Hong Kong, and I think the distributors are focusing more on their domestic consumer needs.​

“So, there's more focus on fish oil, vitamin and minerals that's consumed by the domestic market, based on what our distributor in Hong Kong is saying. ​

“However, they are starting to see a resurgence of Chinese tourists back to Hong Kong, although it is a gradual increase, and I think gradually, the product demand will change as well” ​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.

“Another one that's popular now is the NMN products that's really popular in Hong Kong, especially because China does not allow the product to be sold there. ​

“And so, a lot of Chinese consumers will look for NMN products when they travel to Hong Kong,” ​said Yeh, adding that products for eye health, such as bilberries were also popular among Chinese visitors.

How are Hong Kong consumers different? ​

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.

“Our ​NUNMN 30,000 has been selling really well in Hong Kong, due to the fact that Hong Kong and China consumers have more disposable income, so they purchase at least three, six, or 12 bottles to give it to friends and family.​

“It’s different in Canada, where our customers are mostly western people. They usually buy one or two bottles, but they will purchase a monthly subscription, instead of buying in bulk at a discounted price,” ​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.

“Hong Kong consumers would​ review supplement facts, nutrition labels etc​. A​s a result, they prioritise high quality ingredients and product transparency​.​

“T​hey are ​also ​generally influenced by global health trends and innovations, looking for personal health packs, nutrition consultations, and different forms of supplements, like gummies, liquids, or powder etc​,” ​she said.

In contrast, mainland Chinese consumers tend to focus more on product origins and manufacturing locations. 

“Th​ey generally prefer imported brands, which are manufactured in Hong Kong, US or Europe​,”​ 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.