Under the wave of health consumption reconstruction in the post-pandemic era, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is no longer merely a synonym for "sleep-inducing ingredients". It is accelerating its breakthrough into multiple potential tracks such as functional foods, health products and even children's nutrition products with a posture of diverse applications and cross-generational demands. The evolutionary path of GABA is a microcosm of the transformation of China's functional health market - from single function to compound intervention, from niche recognition to mass popularization, and from emotion and sleep regulation to adolescent growth, stress management and even chronic health conditioning. For brand owners and raw material application enterprises, it is time to reevaluate the strategic value of GABA.
From "good sleep" to "good mood" and "good growth" : GABA's triple market channels have been opened.
1. The sleep track continues to expand in volume.
GABA has replaced melatonin as a new hot spot
The "2025 China Sleep Health Survey Report" released by the Chinese Sleep Research Society shows that the sleep disturbance rate among people aged 18 and above in China has reached 48.5%. It is equivalent to one out of every two adults being troubled by difficulty falling asleep, waking up easily at night or waking up early. Meanwhile, the sleep economy market in China has been growing continuously in recent years. In 2023, the market size of the sleep economy industry in China reached 495.58 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 8.6%. With the continuous increase in the market penetration rate of sleep products and the continuous expansion of product types, the market size of China's sleep economy will maintain a growth trend, and it is estimated that the market size will reach 658.68 billion yuan in 2027. Among them, sleep-inducing functional foods have become one of the important main forces supporting the sleep economy, significantly higher than the overall nutrition product industry. The traditional main ingredient melatonin is experiencing a "decline in the trust dividend" : frequent disputes over dependence and safety have led consumers to gradually turn to GABA, which is milder and has no side effects. GABA is gradually becoming the "new mainstream" in the market. Under this trend, GABA has been rapidly applied in various forms of products such as gummy candies, beverages, oral liquids, and pressed candies, providing brand owners with more innovative and emotionally evoking development ideas.
2. Emotion and Stress Management
The implicit value of GABA has been redefined
In recent years, the mental state of people in the workplace and on campus has shown a highly tense trend. Against the backdrop of the normalization of "mild depression", consumers' focus is no longer limited to falling asleep itself, but has expanded from "being able to sleep" to "being able to relax", "emotional stability" and "stress relief".
GABA is a natural component with neurotransmitter regulatory functions. It can indirectly affect cortisol levels by relieving stress and, in synergy with components such as L-theanine, promote alpha brainwave activities in a relaxed state. Studies have shown that GABA can promote neural relaxation mechanisms by regulating electroencephalogram activities. Relevant experiments have demonstrated that it has a positive effect on alleviating stress responses. And it performed better than the placebo group in terms of emotion management. As a non-pharmaceutical component, its application safety has received extensive attention.
This also explains why an increasing number of brands prefer GABA as one of the main ingredients when developing "stress-relieving gummies".
3. New explosive point:
GABA has risen rapidly in the adolescent height development market
"Height management" is becoming a new core keyword for health consumption in Chinese families. The "2024 Children's Height Status Report" shows that 57% of children's height has not reached the genetic score, and there is still a gap from parents' expectations. The proactive actors have already seen the results.
GABA is precisely the new variable in this high-growth track. Clinical research has found that GABA can promote bone development by stimulating the pituitary gland to secrete growth hormone (GH), and it is currently one of the few "soft" height intervention components supported by scientific mechanisms. The results of domestic clinical trials show that all the treated patients who took GABA orally showed varying degrees of height increase. The secretion of GH is the most vigorous during the deep sleep period. GABA indirectly enhances the release of GH by increasing the proportion of deep sleep. At the same time, it is helpful to improve the stress during the study period and enhance attention and cognitive responses.
The value of GABA supplements goes far beyond "helping with sleep". Against the backdrop of the increasing demands for emotional health, adolescent growth and sub-health intervention, GABA is gradually moving towards the core track of functional foods.
GABA, as a raw material that combines the effects of "non-drug intervention + nutritional fortification + sleep assistance", is becoming one of the core targets for formula upgrades.
GABA Gummies
GABA Tablets
Furthermore, for application-end enterprises, the quality stability, solubility and activity retention rate of GABA raw materials are core elements that cannot be ignored in large-scale production.
Justgood Health GABA Supplement Solution: High Purity, High Standards, and multi-scenario Empowerment.
Relying on its pharmaceutical research and development technology and fully automated production lines, Justgood Health Biotech focuses on the product research and development of high-quality GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), forming a systematic solution from technology to application. Its core advantages include:
High purity guarantee
By selecting patented strains and adopting green biological fermentation technology, high-quality GABA with a purity of ≥99% is prepared, featuring stable activity and strong adaptability.
Full-chain compliance qualifications
It has the production license for health food and international HACCP certification, and meets the regulatory requirements of various functional foods.
Pharmaceutical enterprise-level quality control system
Fully implement strict quality control standards, from raw material extraction to finished product inspection, to ensure stability, safety and traceability.
Multi-scenario application adaptation
It is suitable for various dosage forms such as oral liquid, gummy candies, and pressed tablet candies, meeting the multi-dimensional functional food development needs such as sleep aid, mood regulation, height promotion, and cognitive support.
Professional application support
Provide formula suggestions, efficacy literature support and R&D consulting services to help brands quickly complete product transformation and market entry.
Post time: Jun-23-2025