China's supplement growth is happening online

ÉDELSKIN Journal · Market Intelligence · 13 November 2026

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Haleon's third quarter results show where wellness demand in China is growing, and how one of the world's largest consumer health groups is adjusting its plans around it.

About 90%. That is the share of Centrum's health food business in China that now sells through e-commerce, according to Haleon's chief executive, Brian McNamara.

He gave the figure on 29 October, on the call that followed Haleon's trading statement for the quarter to 30 September 2026. Haleon owns some of the most familiar names in consumer health, including Centrum, Sensodyne, Panadol and Voltaren. What it said about China is one of the clearest recent signals of how wellness shoppers there buy.

The numbers for the quarter

Across the group, Haleon reported revenue of £2,868 million for the third quarter, with organic revenue growth of 2.6%. The company said this was below its own expectations, held back by a weak cold and flu season in North America and by an issue in China that we come to below.

Asia Pacific was one of the group's growing regions. Its revenue reached £593 million in the quarter, with organic growth of 3.9% and reported growth of 5.3%. In the trading statement, Haleon listed "continued e-comm momentum in China" among the drivers of its emerging markets, which grew 5.1% organically.

On the call, chief financial officer Dawn Allen described "a strong underlying growth, high single digit" in China during the quarter.

Where the growth sits

The most useful detail came in answer to an analyst's question. McNamara explained that Centrum is roughly 30% of Haleon's vitamins, minerals and supplements business in China. Some Centrum products are registered as OTC medicines and are distributed through pharmacies. Others are registered as health food.

Of the health food business, he said it "is roughly 90% on e-com, growing pretty healthy double digits." He also said Haleon has been moving its Centrum portfolio in China toward health food over time, and that the business "looked very different 5 years ago, where it was a vast majority in OTC."

In other words, the part of the brand that is growing fastest in China is the part that lives almost entirely online.

A setback in the quarter

The same quarter brought a disruption. Haleon reported a raw material classification change affecting Centrum's OTC-registered products in China, which meant it "had to cease importation until further notice." The company stated that Centrum's food-registered products are not affected, and that the change "was not related to product quality or safety."

Haleon said it generated around £75 million in revenue from these OTC-registered Centrum products in FY 2025. On the call, management put the impact on group growth in the quarter at around 50 basis points and said it does not currently expect a short-term solution, assuming the effect continues through 2027.

We report this as Haleon described it. It concerns one company's products, and the details of regulatory discussions were not shared.

The response: another launch online

What Haleon chose to do next is telling. McNamara said the company is "launching Benefiber in China in Q4", bringing forward the arrival of its fibre supplement brand. "We've accelerated that launch because that is another e-commerce opportunity for us," he said.

So the group's answer to a disruption in one channel is to put more weight on the channel that is already growing.

What this means for wellness brands in Asia

Three readings stand out for brands in supplements, consumer health and personal care.

First, the shelf is a screen. When nine in ten sales of a large supplement business happen online, discovery, comparison and repeat purchase all happen on platforms. Product pages, short videos, live sessions and reviews do the work a pharmacy shelf used to do.

Second, reorder is the business. Supplements are a daily habit. Growth "in healthy double digits" online comes from shoppers who come back, which depends on steady communication, good service and fast answers to questions.

Third, it takes daily attention. Online channels move every day. Content, campaigns and performance data need constant care, and so does the store itself.

This is the kind of work ÉDELSKIN does with brands. A dedicated team handles marketing, social media, data-driven optimisation and daily operations. Brands see their first sales within 30 days, and the brand owns everything we build together.

These are our interpretations of Haleon's published figures and comments, not claims made by Haleon.

The question to ask

Haleon's quarter is a reminder that in China, wellness growth increasingly happens where shoppers scroll, compare and reorder. For any brand in this space, the question is simple: where does your next shopper in China first meet your product, and what do they see when they do?

Planning your next step in China and Asia? Let's talk at edelskin.com.

Sources: Haleon plc, Q3 2026 Trading Statement, 29 October 2026; Haleon Q3 2026 results call transcript via Investing.com, 29 October 2026. Figures are for the quarter ended 30 September 2026 unless stated.