Under the Trend of "Medicinal Food Homology," the Health Beverage Sector: Ingredient Dark Horses Break Through and Brands Achieve Youthful Transformation.

On one hand, they indulge in full-sugar milk tea while binge-watching shows into the early morning; on the other, they rely on "health water" in their thermoses for emergency "self-rescue." This "punk wellness" lifestyle—simultaneously depleting health and resorting to creative remedies—has long become a daily norm for today's youth. And this seemingly contradictory habit is quietly fueling a health trend that cannot be ignored: chronic diseases are showing a clear trend of affecting younger populations.

A research team from Monash University in Australia published a study titled "The association of sweetened beverage intake with risk of type 2 diabetes in an Australian population: A longitudinal study" in the journal Diabetes & Metabolism, providing strong evidence for this trend. The study concluded that compared to those who rarely consume sweetened beverages, daily intake of sugar-sweetened beverages was significantly associated with a 23% increased risk of type 2 diabetes, while daily consumption of artificially sweetened beverages carried an even higher risk increase of 38%.

Driven by persistent health anxiety, young people are increasingly integrating wellness needs into their daily consumption. The rise of concepts like "medicinal food homology" and "traditional Chinese wellness" has provided convenient and efficient solutions.

From policy to market, the momentum in the medicinal food homology sector continues to build. In 2024, China’s National Health Commission updated the "Directory of Substances Considered Both Food and Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials," adding four substances—Rehmannia glutinosa (dihuang), Ophiopogon japonicus (maidong), Asparagus cochinchinensis (tiandong), and Citrus grandis ‘Tomentosa’ (huajuhong)—to the list. According to publicly available information, by 2025, the directory had expanded to 106 substances, providing a more robust foundation of compliant raw material options for innovative products such as wellness beverages.

Beyond widely recognized ingredients such as red beans and goji berries, what high-growth “dark horse” ingredients have emerged in the wellness beverage market in 2025? What do the sales figures behind these ingredients reveal? And what innovative highlights do representative products showcase? This article will combine the latest online market data—from overall industry trends and in-depth analysis of high-growth ingredients to case studies of brands like Wugu Coffee and Guozi Shule—to comprehensively decode the growth drivers of the wellness beverage sector.

The term “wellness water” in this article specifically refers to beverages whose core ingredients are drawn from the “Directory of Substances Considered Both Food and Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials” published by China’s National Health Commission, combined with functional claims commonly seen on e-commerce platforms, such as “dampness removal,” “eye protection,” and “heat reduction.”

All data related to wellness water in this article is sourced from Mojing Analysis+, covering major e-commerce platforms from January to November 2025. The ingredient selection logic is as follows: high-frequency ingredient keywords appearing in product titles of wellness water on e-commerce platforms are identified and cross-referenced with ingredients included in the medicinal food homology directory to form the analysis pool. Market performance indicators such as sales revenue, growth rate, and product count are visualized through bubble charts, providing data support for subsequent discussions on ingredient trends and brand strategies.

The Rise of Traditional Chinese Wellness Water: Volume and Price Growth Activate Sector Expansion

The term "medicinal food homology substances" specifically refers to ingredients with dual attributes, such as red beans, barley, longan, astragalus, and goji berries. Plant-based beverages made primarily from these food-grade herbs through processes like boiling or extraction are known as "Traditional Chinese wellness water." The rise of such products not only enriches the beverage market's category matrix but also allows consumers to incorporate convenient health management into fragmented daily hydration scenarios, aligning with the modern desire for "light wellness with minimal effort."

Data monitored by Mojing Analysis+ shows that from January to November 2025, sales of wellness water increased by 35.4% year-on-year, surpassing 7.6 billion yuan, while sales volume rose by 36.3% to 176 million units, demonstrating a clear trend of "growth in both volume and price." This growth reflects not only the awakening of consumer health consciousness and the continuous release of demand for wellness diets but also a new growth opportunity for beverage manufacturers to break through in a fiercely competitive market.

The upgrading of consumer demand is also driving the evolution of wellness beverages from "general wellness" to "precision targeting." The vague concept of "wellness" can no longer meet segmented needs. Specific functions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, dampness removal, liver protection, eye care, and sleep aid are gradually aligning with the personalized demands of different consumer groups, becoming the core selling points for brand differentiation.

The popularity on social platforms further confirms the sector's potential. According to Mojing Social Listening data, discussions related to wellness beverages on mainstream social platforms have reached 190,000 mentions, a 16.4% increase month-on-month, with topic engagement continuing to rise.

A cross-analysis heatmap of demographics and scenarios clearly reveals that staying up late and insomnia are core consumption scenarios for wellness beverages, with users highly concentrated among health-conscious individuals with specific wellness needs. The alignment between scenarios and target demographics is exceptionally strong.

To precisely address the core challenges associated with staying up late, medicinal food homology ingredients such as honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, licorice, and cogongrass rhizome have become popular choices in wellness beverages.

Honeysuckle combined with chrysanthemum effectively reduces internal heat, alleviating issues like sore throat and mouth ulcers often triggered by late nights. Licorice serves a dual purpose of "flavor enhancement + stomach protection," balancing the bitterness of other ingredients while soothing the stomach discomfort common after sleep deprivation. Cogongrass rhizome, with its heat-clearing, fluid-promoting, and diuretic properties, tackles post-stay-up dryness and bodily swelling. Through their refined efficacy alignment, these medicinal food homology ingredients meet the modern consumer's core demand for "light wellness with minimal effort."

Medicinal Food Homology Ingredient Landscape: Established Players Grow Steadily, Emerging Forces Break Through Strongly

Data monitored by Mojing Analysis+ shows that medicinal food homology ingredients in the wellness beverage sector on mainstream e-commerce platforms exhibit a clear "dual-track development" pattern. Black sesame seeds and jujube (red dates) firmly occupy the top positions in sales revenue, while Ficus hirta (five-finger peach) and dried tangerine peel have emerged as "dark horses" in the sector due to their exceptionally high growth rates.

2.1 Black Sesame Seeds

From the performance of leading ingredients, black sesame seeds undoubtedly stand as the "top-tier" player in the wellness beverage market. Sales revenue of wellness beverages containing black sesame seeds increased from 980 million yuan in 2024 to 1.4 billion yuan in 2025, marking a year-on-year growth rate of 42.9%. The number of new stores offering such products reached nearly 700, with over 3,600 new product listings added.

In terms of market structure, the dominant position of leading brands remains solid, with the top five brands collectively accounting for over 50% of market share and contributing the majority of category sales.
Regarding product formats, black sesame wellness beverages are overwhelmingly dominated by instant powders, with formula innovations centered on a "base ingredient + premium additive" model.
In terms of ingredient additions, beyond core components such as black sesame and black beans, ingredients like walnuts, bird's nest, and snow fungus are consistently integrated to enhance product value.
In terms of user groups, brands have also developed specialized products targeting specific demographics such as the elderly and pregnant women, including sugar-free, high-calcium, and low-GI variants, making black sesame wellness beverages a preferred category for breakfast and meal-replacement scenarios.

2.2 Jujube (Red Dates)

As another leading ingredient in sales revenue, jujube exhibits a market pattern characterized by "stable volume and rising price." From January to November 2025, sales of wellness beverages containing jujube grew from 770 million yuan in 2024 to 1.04 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 35.1%. Unlike the industrial expansion seen in black sesame, the number of stores and product listings for jujube-based wellness beverages experienced a slight decline compared to the same period last year, while the average product price rose by 1.9 yuan.

In terms of market structure, jujube-based wellness beverages show a distinct contrast to black sesame products, with small to medium-sized brands emerging as the main market drivers and contributing over half of the market share.
Regarding product formats, jujube-based offerings span a variety of types, including tea bags, instant powders, and plant-based drinks, with formulations balancing efficacy and taste.
In terms of ingredient combinations, tea bag products often incorporate components such as longan, hawthorn, brown sugar, and corn silk, which not only enhance health benefits like replenishing qi and nourishing blood but also add layers of flavor to the beverage.

2.3 Ficus hirta (Five-Finger Peach)

Among the high-growth ingredients, Ficus hirta leads the sector with "exponential growth." Sales revenue of wellness beverages containing this ingredient surged from 61.41 million yuan in 2024 to 178 million yuan in 2025, representing a year-on-year growth rate of 177.69%. The number of new stores offering such products increased by 266, with 693 new product listings added, showcasing a robust growth momentum.

In terms of market structure, the Ficus hirta sector exhibits a highly concentrated landscape, with the top five leading brands collectively accounting for approximately 80% of the market share, indicating that industry influence is concentrated in the hands of a few players.
Regarding product formats, offerings primarily consist of instant powders, plant-based beverages, and tea bags, with the core functional focus being "dampness removal."
In terms of ingredient combinations, by blending with components such as barley, poria cocos, and Chinese yam, products not only reinforce the core selling point of dampness regulation but also use the natural flavors of grains to balance the distinctive taste of Ficus hirta, achieving a harmony between efficacy and palatability.

2.4 Dried Tangerine Peel

Dried tangerine peel has emerged as another highlight among high-growth ingredients due to its rapid growth rate. From January to November 2025, sales revenue of wellness beverages containing dried tangerine peel increased from 130 million yuan in 2024 to 280 million yuan, achieving a year-on-year growth rate of 115.4%. The industry side also displayed robust activity, with 724 new stores entering the market and over 2,500 new product listings added.

In terms of market structure, the market share of leading brands in November 2025 declined compared to January of the same year, while the share of small to medium-sized brands continued to rise, exceeding 50% by November. This indicates a shift in industry competition from "dominance by top players" toward a "diverse and flourishing landscape."
Regarding product formats, plant-based beverages and tea bags remain the core offerings, with a functional focus on "strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach."
In terms of user demographics, innovative moves by leading brands have been particularly noteworthy. For instance, Nongfu Spring's Oriental Leaves launched a new dried tangerine peel and white tea product in 2025, while Genki Forest introduced a dried tangerine peel and hawthorn beverage. Leveraging the core efficacy of dried tangerine peel in spleen and stomach health, along with its sweet and refreshing taste, these products cater to the demand for "relieving greasiness and nourishing the stomach" amid a diet heavy on takeout, driving sustained growth in category popularity.

Brand Case Studies: Wugu Coffee + Guozi Shule — Breaking Through in the Wellness Water Sector with Precision STP Strategy

In the previously outlined landscape of wellness water ingredients, black sesame seeds and Ficus hirta (five-finger peach) respectively represent the "steady top-tier" and "high-growth" ingredient sectors. This section will focus on two representative brands from these key segments—Wugu Coffee and Guozi Shule—using the STP model. By analyzing mainstream e-commerce data across three dimensions—market segmentation, target audience, and market positioning—we will dissect how these brands achieve growth breakthroughs in differentiated sectors through precise demand alignment.

3.1 Wugu Coffee: Precision Positioning Solidifies Leadership in the Black Sesame Sector

Wugu Coffee Food Group Co., Ltd. was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Shenzhen. The company was listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 12, 2018, and is a benchmark enterprise focused on natural nutrition and health foods. According to data monitored by Mojing Analysis+, Wugu Coffee achieved sales revenue of 445 million yuan on mainstream e-commerce platforms from January to November 2025, representing a remarkable year-on-year growth rate of 67.9%, firmly maintaining its leading position in the black sesame sector.

In terms of product functionality, Wugu Coffee has established a differentiated product matrix that precisely caters to diverse needs. The brand has launched four core variants: a zero-sugar version tailored for individuals focused on weight management and sugar control, an organic version aligned with the demands of health-conscious consumers seeking premium quality, a coconut flavor version that appeals to young audiences pursuing innovative tastes with its milk tea-inspired profile, and an organic variant designed to meet the nutritional needs of pregnant women, new mothers, and children.

In terms of scenario adaptation, the brand achieves cross-scenario penetration through diverse packaging formats. For daily at-home consumption, it offers large-capacity bulk packaging, suitable for household use and office snacks. Portable boxed versions cater to on-the-go meal replacement needs during commutes. Additionally, exquisitely designed gift boxes precisely fit scenarios like gifting to parents or elders during festive seasons, transforming black sesame products from a mere beverage category into a versatile medium covering daily wellness and social gifting occasions.

The target consumer group primarily focuses on women aged 25–35, who commonly share core needs such as hair nourishment, meal replacement, and weight management. The ready-to-drink powder format of Wugu Coffee not only quickly satisfies satiety needs but also avoids additional physical burden, perfectly aligning with the fast-paced lifestyle of this demographic, making it their preferred choice for wellness.

At the corporate positioning level, Wugu Coffee's strategy consistently aligns with its clear business identity. The company adheres to the philosophy of "quality ingredients, no additives, and greater professionalism," focusing on core products such as grain nutrition powders and the "Hei Zhi Yang" (Black Nourishment) series. Through a coordinated layout of supermarket counters and e-commerce channels, it effectively delivers health products to households and consumer groups who prioritize dietary wellness. This approach has laid a solid foundation for its sustained leadership in the black sesame sector.

3.2 Guozi Shule: Youthful Positioning to Capture the Young Wellness Market

Data monitored by Mojing Analysis+ shows that from January to November 2025, Guozi Shule demonstrated outstanding performance in the Ficus hirta (five-finger peach) sector on mainstream e-commerce platforms, achieving sales of 6.7179 million yuan and a year-on-year growth rate soaring to 1724.2%. By deeply understanding the wellness needs of younger generations, the brand has rapidly captured the dividends of this emerging sector.

In terms of product functionality, Guozi Shule centers its offerings around the "Herbal Sparkling" series (plant-based beverages), launching five differentiated drinks that precisely target the core wellness pain points of contemporary youth. The ingredient combinations are designed around three high-frequency scenarios: staying up late, prolonged sitting, and high-oil/salt diets, comprehensively addressing essential wellness needs such as dampness removal, eye care, heat reduction, and dryness relief. This perfectly aligns with Generation Z’s "punk wellness" philosophy of balancing indulgence with remediation.

In terms of scenario adaptation, the brand has deeply integrated wellness needs with everyday situations. It addresses the issue of dry eyes caused by prolonged screen use during work by catering to the eye-care demands of heavy screen users. For those reliant on takeout and high-oil/salt diets, it offers solutions focused on heat reduction and greasiness relief. Targeting office workers who sit for long hours and experience issues like dampness buildup and physical discomfort, it emphasizes dampness removal and spleen-strengthening benefits, seamlessly weaving wellness into daily work and life.

Regarding the target consumer group, the brand focuses on the younger demographic, specifically the 25–35 age range, which forms the core discussion base on social media platforms. To effectively reach these users, the brand reinforces its youthful image by sponsoring popular variety shows (e.g., Goodbye Lover 4) and enlisting celebrity endorsers (e.g., Yang Zi). Additionally, with sleek and aesthetically pleasing bottle designs and packaging styles, it precisely aligns with the aesthetic preferences of contemporary young consumers, further enhancing user affinity and purchase intent.

At the corporate positioning level, Guozi Shule was founded in December 2019 and has always adhered to the mission of "creating beverages that young people love." From branding to product development, the company fully targets the needs of the younger demographic, building a diverse product matrix that includes over ten series such as sugar-free tea, Duoduo lemon tea, herbal sparkling drinks, and Oriental light milk tea.

Conclusion

The Traditional Chinese wellness water sector continues to heat up amid the medicinal food homology trend, driven by the dual forces of social media buzz and consumer demand, propelling industry upgrades. Core ingredients exhibit a pattern of differentiated competition: leading ingredients (black sesame, jujube) solidify the market foundation, while high-growth ingredients (Ficus hirta, dried tangerine peel) uncover new opportunities. Wugu Coffee has cemented its advantage in the black sesame segment through a differentiated product matrix, while Guozi Shule captures the youth wellness market with a youthful positioning and trend-driven innovation.

Looking ahead, as trends toward precise efficacy, youthful product design, and refined scenario adaptation deepen, brands that align with the "punk wellness" needs of younger generations while balancing compliance and innovation will continue to seize the opportunities within this dynamic sector.