In recent years, the domestic functional gummy candy market has experienced sustained high-speed growth, breaking away from the traditional leisure attributes of candy and gradually transforming into a portable, scenario-based health and wellness product category. Market data shows that the domestic functional gummy candy market size exceeded 15 billion yuan in 2025, with sugar-free and targeted health-promoting gummies becoming the mainstream consumer products. The rapid expansion of the end-market has directly driven the structural upgrading of the upstream manufacturing raw material industry. The three core categories-base colloids, functional active ingredients, and sweeteners-are continuously iterating, with clean labeling, high activity, high compatibility, and plant-based materials becoming the core development directions of the industry. A pattern of refined raw material production and customized applications is gradually taking shape.
In the core base raw material field of gummies, the industry is accelerating its transformation from traditional animal glue to a multi-colloid system. For a long time, gelatin has held over 60% of the global gummy candy base raw material market share due to its advantages of good formability, soft and chewy texture, and controllable cost, making it the core raw material for traditional gummies. However, with the rise of vegetarian consumption, the demand for halal diets, and the popularization of clean labeling concepts, plant-based colloids are experiencing rapid growth. Data shows that the market size of plant-based colloids such as pectin and carrageenan has achieved a compound annual growth rate of 9.15%, making it the fastest-growing category of matrix raw materials. Compared to gelatin, plant-based colloids have advantages such as being free of animal origin, having a stable shelf life, and being suitable for sugar-free formulas, perfectly aligning with current health-conscious consumption trends. They are currently widely used in niche products such as children's gummies and high-end nutritional gummies. Meanwhile, industry companies are continuously optimizing colloid compounding technology, solving industry problems such as poor molding, hard texture, and easy water separation caused by single plant-based colloids through scientifically proportioning pectin with sodium alginate and xanthan gum, significantly improving the product quality of plant-based gummies.
Functional active ingredients, as the core competitiveness of functional gummies, are seeing continuous diversification in their categories and breakthroughs in application technology. Previously, most gummies on the market focused on single-function vitamins, with vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin D remaining the most widely used basic functional ingredients, primarily emphasizing daily immune regulation and energy supplementation. With increasingly refined consumer demands, segmented health and wellness scenarios are driving the application of new functional ingredients, with collagen peptides, probiotics, postbiotics, and medicinal and edible herbal ingredients becoming best-selling products. Data shows that collagen peptides account for up to 68% of the content in women's anti-aging gummies, and the retail sales of probiotic gummies have increased by over 37% year-on-year.
NAD+ Biotin Collagen Gummies
Details
Customizable:color, label, packaging, quantity
packaging :Bottle,Box
Season:all
Specification：60 gummies/bottel
Place of origin:shaanxi china
Applicable People:aldult
MOQ:1 bottle
Storage Method：cool dry place
Effectiveness：Height gummys
Delivery time：about 5-7 days
Price:8-12usd/bottle
Meanwhile, the industrial application of medicinal and edible ingredients has become a new trend in the industry. Herbal extracts such as licorice, chrysanthemum, Ganoderma lucidum, elderberry, and chamomile are gradually being used in scenario-specific gummies for throat soothing, calming the nerves and aiding sleep, and moisturizing and nourishing. Addressing the pain points of many active ingredients being easily oxidized, having low absorption rates, and being easily deactivated at high temperatures, the industry continues to upgrade production processes, with microencapsulation, nanocarriers, and targeted sustained-release technologies becoming increasingly widespread. Leading OEM manufacturers have significantly improved the bioavailability of curcumin through microencapsulation technology. Utilizing sodium alginate-chitosan microsphere encapsulation technology, they have achieved targeted intestinal release of ingredients such as collagen peptides and Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes, increasing the colonic absorption rate of active ingredients from less than 35% to 80%, completely solving the industry pain point of traditional gummies being "effective in ingredients but with low utilization."
Innovation in sweetener ingredients is key to driving the widespread adoption of sugar-free and low-sugar functional gummies. With increasing public awareness of sugar control, the market penetration rate of sugar-free and low-sugar gummies has exceeded 44.3%, completely rewriting the traditional sucrose-dominated raw material landscape. Currently, the industry has formed a sugar substitute formulation system based on erythritol, supplemented by steviol glycosides and mogrosides, which avoids the bitter aftertaste and bloating problems associated with single artificial sweeteners while meeting the demand for zero-calorie, high-sweetness taste. Compared to traditional sucrose, new compound sugar substitutes offer greater stability, are compatible with the high-temperature cooking and long-term storage processes required for gummy candy production, and do not cause blood sugar fluctuations. This allows for precise targeting of specific consumer scenarios such as fitness, weight management, and children's health. Industry companies indicate that current sugar substitute raw materials are upgrading towards "low irritation, high flavor, and natural ingredients," with continuous optimization of purification processes for natural plant-based sugar substitutes, further narrowing the taste gap between sugar-free and traditional sugary gummies.
While the industry is experiencing rapid growth, the functional gummy candy raw material supply chain still faces several critical challenges. Currently, China still relies on imports for some high-end active raw materials, and there are technological barriers in categories such as high-end vitamin preparations, specialty herbal extracts, and specialized colloidal excipients. Raw material quality varies significantly, and some small and medium-sized manufacturers use low-purity active ingredients to control costs, resulting in products that do not meet expectations in terms of efficacy. Furthermore, the compatibility and stability of different raw materials are difficult to achieve, and the long development cycle for new products hinders the industry's innovation speed. At the same time, fluctuations in raw material prices and the scarcity of bacterial strains also put pressure on the production and operation of small and medium-sized enterprises.
In response to the current state of the industry, relevant regulatory standards are continuously being improved, forcing the raw material industry to develop in a standardized manner. With the implementation of new regulations related to health foods and snack foods, the dosage, purity, and labeling of functional gummies raw materials are facing stricter controls. Eliminating substandard raw materials and standardizing formulation systems have become an industry consensus. Leading raw material companies are beginning to develop a complete industry chain layout, building their own probiotic strain libraries, plant extract cultivation bases, and colloid production workshops to establish independent supply chain systems, reduce dependence on external suppliers, and ensure stable raw material quality.
Industry analysts indicate that the functional gummies raw material industry will exhibit three major development trends in the future. First, plant-based and clean-label raw materials will become increasingly widespread, gradually replacing traditional animal glues and artificial additives. Second, functional raw materials will be refined and upgraded for specific scenarios, with continuous iteration of specialized raw materials for niche scenarios such as sleep, eye care, gastrointestinal regulation, and sports nutrition. Third, raw materials and processes will be deeply integrated, maximizing the preservation of active ingredient efficacy through technologies such as microencapsulation and low-temperature extraction. With continuous breakthroughs in upstream raw material technology and constant improvement in the supply chain, the functional gummy candy industry will shed its "snack-like gimmick" image and truly achieve a two-way upgrade in "taste + efficacy," thus promoting the high-quality development of the healthy snack industry.
Shaanxi Lv Ke Chun Yuan Biotechnology Co., Ltd
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Huaxia Yue World, Weibin District, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province
Phone Number
86-13992760792
sales04@lucynatural.com
