Yu Minhong's Oriental Selection moves into health supplements, wins "blue hat" approvals

What happened

It has been reported that Oriental Selection (东方甄选), the e‑commerce and livestreaming arm spun out of New Oriental (新东方) and led by Yu Minhong (俞敏洪), hosted a health‑food launch on April 15 announcing six self‑branded supplements have secured China's "blue hat" (保健食品) approvals. Products unveiled include a calcium‑zinc‑vitamin D/K oral liquid, glucosamine‑chondroitin‑calcium tablets, multivitamin‑mineral tablets and CoQ10 softgels. Oriental Selection also reportedly plans a 2026 roll‑out of seven cross‑border, bonded‑warehouse SKUs that claim overseas manufacture and local‑law compliance.

Why it matters

Why the rush into supplements? Simple: scale and margin. Research firms project China's health‑supplement market to expand from roughly RMB 420–450 billion in 2025 to more than RMB 1.2 trillion by 2030, and category gross margins for brand owners routinely beat typical retail lines. For Oriental Selection — a top livestream seller that already has more than 800 self‑operated SKUs and, according to its filings, saw self‑operated GMV exceed 50% of total GMV — supplements fit neatly with its higher‑trust, health‑conscious customer base.

Strategic context and risks

This move is also a hedge against platform concentration: Yu has publicly warned about over‑reliance on a single channel like Douyin and is accelerating self‑brand development and offline pilots. But the category carries regulatory risk and reputational sensitivity — CCTV recently exposed a high‑profile "fake foreign" supplement brand, stoking scrutiny of imports and marketing claims. In the current geopolitical climate, cross‑border supply chains and compliance will be watched closely by regulators and consumers alike.

Outlook

Oriental Selection's play says as much about ambition as economics. Is Yu aiming to build a vertically integrated retail brand — online, bonded import, and bricks‑and‑mortar — rather than remain a pure livestream merchant? It has been reported that the company plans flagship physical stores and an e‑commerce training school to scale talent. The strategy could lift margins and diversify channels, but success will depend on strict quality control and navigating heightened regulatory and public scrutiny in China’s booming but unforgiving supplement market.