Global ranking of dietary supplement brands

Currently, there is no unified and recognized dietary supplement brand ranking published by an authoritative third-party organization in the world - the gap between top brands under different selection dimensions can vary by several echelons. If sorted by global public revenue in 2023, the first echelon is BY-HEALTH, Swisse (Heryan Holdings), GNC, Natures Bounty, and Blackmores ； If sorted by the professionalism of medical endorsements, brands focusing on scientific research such as Doctor's Best, Doterbes, Puritan's Pride, and Nordic will rank higher. ； If calculated by subdivided category, the choice of Nordic for fish oil, Culturelle for probiotics, and Doctor's Best for coenzyme Q10 have become the default "invisible rankings" in the global nutrition community.

To be honest, when I was doing nutritional product category research for cross-border e-commerce platforms in the past two years, I visited more than a dozen offline pharmacy chains in Europe, the United States and Australia, and also talked with nutritionists from three domestic tertiary hospitals about product selection standards. I found that different groups have completely different definitions of "good brands". The so-called ranking actually depends on where you stand. Ordinary consumers look at exposure. Swisse and By-Health, which they see every day in elevators and live broadcast rooms, are naturally top-notch. ； When professionals look at clinical data, they think those professional brands that do almost no C-end marketing and only supply pharmacies and hospitals are really reliable. ； As for sellers of imported health products, they pay more attention to the stability and compliance of the supply chain. Whether they can pass customs and whether they have access certification for the corresponding region are more important than any ranking.

There was a joke last year when I was shopping at a local pharmacy in downtown Auckland. I took an Australian brand recommended by a domestic internet celebrity and asked the teller if it was in stock. The person waved his hand and said that it was sold exclusively to tourists in duty-free shops. Locals generally buy Blackmores or smaller local brands. They look at whether they have Australian TGA certification and whether there are extra coloring and sweeteners in the ingredient list. They don’t care about global rankings at all. People in the industry are actually well aware that among the “Top Ten Dietary Supplement Brands in the World” found online, nine out of ten brands have paid for their own reviews by small agencies. Whoever provides the most sponsorships will be ranked first. The reference value is really not great.

Of course, this does not mean that brands with high revenue are not good. For example, many people complain that Swisse is too heavy on marketing and has high ingredient premiums. However, its channel coverage is excellent. You can buy it in any airport duty-free shop or supermarket chain around the world, and its quality control has always been above the passing line. Ordinary consumers can buy basic vitamins and collagen drinks without doing any homework and will not step into big thunder. This in itself is a kind of strength. There is also GNC, which went bankrupt and reorganized a few years ago. Now the domestic agency rights have been sold to Harbin Pharmaceutical. Many people think that it has "declined". However, the GNC professional line products in the United States have sufficient concentration of ingredients and complete certifications. They are still stocked by many fitness parties all year round. It is definitely not right to beat them to death with a stick.

There is also an interesting controversy: many people think that imported brands are better than domestic brands. In fact, looking at the R&D investment data in 2023, BY-HEALTH has a higher R&D ratio than Swisse and Blackmores. Its own transparent factory can even check the source of raw materials. Many products have also received USP certification. Not only do they sell well in China, they are also exported to more than 20 countries. In terms of comprehensive strength, it is definitely the first echelon in the world. I have always bought By-Health’s basic vitamins and calcium tablets at home. They are cost-effective and have domestic blue hat certification, so they are safe for the elderly.

If I really want to be honest about which ranking is the most practical, I think the "private ranking" based on subdivided categories is the most reliable: when buying fish oil, look for the IFOS five-star certified model of Nordic. Omega3 is pure enough and heavy metal residues are almost zero. It is suitable for people with high incomes.； When buying probiotics, choose Culturelle’s LGG strain. It is supported by more than a dozen clinical data and is much more effective in regulating the gastrointestinal tract than those miscellaneous strains. ； When buying coenzyme Q10, choose the reduced version from Doctor's Best. The absorption efficiency is more than 30% higher than that of the oxidized version. It is suitable for people who often stay up late and have heart problems.

To put it bluntly, dietary supplements are things that vary from person to person. Whether you are looking for daily health care or targeted conditioning, and whether your budget is tens or hundreds, the suitable brands are completely different. When you really want to make a choice, don’t focus on those fancy global rankings. First, understand your own needs, and then check whether the product has corresponding compliance certifications and whether the core ingredients are supported by clinical data. It is more effective than reading the rankings of a hundred bloggers.