Market evolution: Vitamins (CN 2936) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report analyses the EU's external trade in provitamins and vitamins (CN 2936) over the period 2015–2025. The product heading encompasses a wide range of individual vitamins — including vitamins A, B1, B2, B3/B5, B6, B12, C, and E — as well as provitamins, natural concentrates, and mixtures. The EU is both a major producer and a major consumer of these products, with a highly active intra-EU and extra-EU trade. Over the decade examined, the market has undergone significant structural shifts: the EU's trade deficit in vitamins has more than doubled, import dependency has deepened particularly vis-à-vis China, and individual vitamin segments have followed divergent trajectories shaped by supply-chain concentration, pricing dynamics, and evolving demand. Data are drawn from the general overview, market structure, volatility, vulnerability, and product segment breakdowns.

A Widening Deficit Driven by Rising Import Prices

The EU trade balance has deteriorated sharply

Between 2015 and 2025, the EU's trade deficit in vitamins more than doubled, moving from -€222 million to -€446 million (trade overview). This deterioration was not driven by a collapse in export revenue — exports actually rose by 8.8% in value terms — but rather by the combination of stagnating export volumes and faster-growing import expenditure.

The deficit's doubling is therefore a volume-and-price story: EU export quantities contracted by 19.1% while import quantities grew by 10.2%, and at the same time export unit values rose faster (+34.5%) than import unit values (+14.3%). In other words, the EU has been exporting fewer tonnes of vitamins at higher prices while importing more tonnes at moderately higher prices — a pattern consistent with a gradual loss of cost competitiveness in bulk vitamin production.

Unit values have risen on both sides, but export prices more so

Average import prices climbed from €8,999/t in 2015 to €10,290/t in 2025 (+14.3%), while average export prices rose from €12,481/t to €16,792/t (+34.5%). The persistent premium of EU export prices over import prices — roughly 60–70% higher throughout the period — reflects the EU's specialisation in higher-value, more processed or formulated vitamin products, while imports tend to be bulk, commodity-grade active ingredients (trade overview).

Net import reliance remains moderate but has crept upward

The EU's net import reliance rose from 16.1% in 2015 to 17.8% in 2025, peaking at 25.8% in 2022 — the year of the most acute supply-chain disruptions following the COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war. The EU's domestic vitamin production value grew by 36.5% over the period (from €1.58 billion to €2.16 billion), but this was insufficient to offset the growing import bill, particularly given the volatility of production (which ranged from a trough of €960 million to a peak of €3.78 billion in individual years) (market structure).

China's Import Dominance and the Post-Brexit Reconfiguration of EU Trade

China has consolidated its position as the EU's primary vitamin supplier

The most striking geographic shift over 2015–2025 has been the deepening of the EU's import dependence on China. EU imports from China grew from €572 million in 2015 to €959 million in 2025, an increase of 67.7%, representing approximately 63% of total extra-EU vitamin imports by value by 2025 (top partners). This dominance is reflected in the import concentration index (HHI by value), which rose from 3,291 to 4,357 (+32.4%) over the period, confirming a measurable increase in supplier concentration (concentration). China's position is anchored in bulk vitamins — particularly Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin B5 — where Chinese producers benefit from large-scale synthesis capacity and lower production costs.

The United Kingdom's vitamin trade with the EU collapsed post-Brexit

One of the most dramatic changes has been the near-disappearance of the United Kingdom as an EU import source. EU imports from the UK fell from €321 million in 2015 to just €69 million in 2025, a decline of 78.5%. This likely reflects the combined effects of Brexit-related customs frictions, the re-routing of supply chains, and possible reclassification of trade flows. The volatility coefficient for UK imports was the second-highest among major partners at 0.54, confirming the instability of this trade corridor (volatility). Meanwhile, EU exports to the UK also declined moderately (from €88 million to €81 million, -8.2%), and a price shock was detected in 2018 on this route (supply shocks).

Switzerland and Turkey emerged as growing partners in different roles

Switzerland more than doubled its vitamin exports to the EU (from €137 million to €287 million, +109.1%), likely reflecting its role as a hub for specialised, high-purity, or pharmaceutical-grade vitamins and intermediates. On the export side, Turkey emerged as a notably growing destination for EU vitamin exports, rising from €43 million to €69 million (+59.3%), with the lowest volatility coefficient (0.10) of any major export partner, indicating stable, steadily growing demand. Singapore, by contrast, saw EU exports to it collapse from €87 million to €28 million (-67.5%), accompanied by a price shock in 2022.

EU export concentration has gently diversified

In contrast to import concentration, the export HHI (by value) declined modestly from 665 to 602 (-9.5%), indicating that EU vitamin exports have become slightly more geographically diversified. The top EU exporters remain the Netherlands (€377 million in 2025) and Germany (€283 million), followed by France (€155 million), but smaller Member States such as Spain (+83.6%), Denmark (+63.4%), and Belgium (+49.9%) have all grown their export shares over the period (top reporters). The Netherlands remains by far the most specialised EU Member State in vitamin exports, with an RSCA of 0.43 and an RCA of 2.52 (specialisation).

Divergent Fortunes Across Vitamin Segments

Vitamin E has become the EU's largest and fastest-growing import category

Among individual vitamin segments, Vitamin E (CN 293628) stands out as the most dynamic. EU imports of Vitamin E surged in value from €238 million in 2015 to €634 million in 2025 (+166%), driven overwhelmingly by price increases: the average import price rose from €6,150/t to €13,376/t (+118%), while volumes grew more moderately from 38,741 t to 47,387 t (+22%) (product segment breakdown). This dramatic price escalation — far exceeding general inflation — likely reflects tightening global supply (Chinese producers have consolidated capacity), increased raw material costs, and possibly quality or regulatory-driven shifts in sourcing. Vitamin E's share of total vitamin imports by value rose from roughly 20% to over 40% during the period, making it the single most important segment for EU trade vulnerability.

Vitamin C trade has been reshaped by persistent oversupply from China

Vitamin C (CN 293627) presents a contrasting picture. EU import volumes remained broadly stable (51,815 t in 2015 vs. 61,420 t in 2025), but import prices actually declined from €4,531/t to €3,590/t (-21%). This is consistent with chronic overcapacity among Chinese Vitamin C producers, who dominate global output. More strikingly, EU export volumes of Vitamin C collapsed from 12,621 t to 5,839 t (-54%), and export values fell from €123 million to €43 million (-65%). The EU appears to have progressively retreated from Vitamin C export markets, unable to compete on price with Chinese suppliers. The export price also fell from €9,766/t to €7,366/t (-25%), further confirming margin compression in this segment.

Vitamin B3/B5 has seen a near-total collapse in EU exports

The most dramatic segment-level shift has occurred in D-Pantothenic acid / Vitamin B3/B5 (CN 293624). EU exports of this vitamin plunged from 4,746 t (€49 million) in 2015 to just 1,395 t (€12 million) in 2025, representing declines of -71% in volume and -75% in value (product segment breakdown). Import prices also fell from €8,968/t to €7,684/t (-14%), suggesting that low-cost Asian production has made EU manufacturing uncompetitive for this particular vitamin. This segment exemplifies the broader structural challenge facing EU vitamin producers in commodity-grade products.

EU export strength is increasingly concentrated in higher-value segments

While the EU has lost ground in bulk vitamins (C, B3/B5), it has maintained or grown its position in higher-value or more specialised segments. Vitamin E export values rose from €80 million to €186 million (+134%), with export prices climbing from €6,904/t to €14,856/t (+115%). Vitamins B1 and B2 (CN 293622 and 293623) maintained export values in the range of €43–66 million and €43–58 million respectively, with unit values consistently above €17,000–36,000/t — far above the import price level. The category "Other vitamins" (CN 293629, covering products not individually named like Vitamin D, K, etc.) remained the EU's largest single export category by value at €209 million in 2025, with an average export price of €20,222/t — confirming the EU's niche in specialised, higher-margin vitamin products.

Conclusion

The EU vitamin market (CN 2936) between 2015 and 2025 has been shaped by three interlinked dynamics: a growing trade deficit, deepening import dependence on China, and diverging segment-level trajectories. The trade deficit has more than doubled to €446 million, driven not by collapsing EU export performance overall, but by the structural shift of bulk vitamin production to Asia — particularly China, which now supplies roughly two-thirds of extra-EU vitamin imports by value. This concentration has increased import HHI by 32% and represents a growing strategic vulnerability, as evidenced by the 2022 peak in net import reliance (25.8%).

At the segment level, the data reveals a clear bifurcation: the EU is progressively ceding commodity-grade vitamins (C, B3/B5) to Chinese competitors while defending its position in higher-value, more specialised products (Vitamin E exports, other unmixed vitamins, mixtures). The dramatic rise in Vitamin E import prices (+118% in a decade) warrants particular attention from a supply-security perspective, as it signals potential structural tightening in global supply. Meanwhile, the post-Brexit collapse in UK-EU vitamin trade (-78.5% in imports) represents the most significant geographic reconfiguration of the period.

Looking ahead, the EU's export propensity in vitamins (39.3% of domestic production in 2025) and trade intensity (62.3%) confirm that this remains a highly trade-exposed sector. Policy attention to supply diversification — particularly beyond China — and continued investment in higher-value vitamin specialisation would appear to be the most relevant strategic responses to the trends documented here.