China-Based Owners Now File Nearly a Third of US Supplement Trademark Applications as US Filings Stall

Wilmington, Delaware Oct 21, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - China-based owners filed 1,957 US trademark applications for dietary supplements in Q3 2026, 31% of all supplement filings, up from 17% a year earlier, according to a SupplementManufacturers.net analysis of USPTO data. US owners filed 3,499 applications, down 8% year over year.

US filings have held roughly flat at 3,500 to 3,820 a quarter for five quarters, and Q3 2026 was the lowest of that run. Seventy percent of US applications were filed on an intent-to-use basis, meaning the brand had not yet launched.

Filings diverged by category. Collagen filings rose 66%, creatine 50% and electrolytes/hydration 33%, while probiotics fell 23% and protein 12%. California (650) and Florida (589) led US states.

Many applications never become registered brands. Among US applications filed from Q3 2024 to Q1 2025, 54% of those filed without a lawyer had been abandoned by October 2026, against 32% of those filed with one. China-based owners abandoned just 16%, which may reflect sellers filing to qualify for Amazon Brand Registry, which requires a registered US trademark.

 "Most new US supplement brand filings come before the product exists, and a growing share of all filings now come from China-based sellers," said Akhil MK, founder of SupplementManufacturers.net. "For US founders, that means more competition for brand names on marketplaces like Amazon, so it pays to secure the trademark and the manufacturer early."

Methodology: The analysis covers USPTO Class 5 trademark applications whose goods descriptions name dietary or nutritional supplements. Data was pulled on October 20, 2026. Abandonment rates are measured on applications filed at least 18 months earlier, so most have had time to be decided.

The full quarterly analysis, with charts and category data, is at https://supplementmanufacturers.net/research/new-supplement-brands.

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