The homeopathy market - France

The global homeopathy market is estimated to be worth 7.82 billion dollars by 2022. It has grown strongly in recent years and should continue to do so over the next seven years. Europe is currently the leading market for this alternative medicine, followed by North America and Asia. However, it is on the latter continent that sales growth is expected to be most significant, due to the full market entry of the largest Asian homeopathic laboratories. France, meanwhile, is one of the leading consumer countries for homeopathy, with an estimated 77% of French people having used this form of treatment by 2018. [Ipsos]. France is therefore home to a mature market with consumers who are loyal to and educated about homeopathy. The French market is dominated by long-established players such as the Boiron laboratory, which holds over 50% of market share[Capital], and the Lehning laboratory. Other groups have entered this market more recently, such as the Gilbert group, traditionally specialized in children's health and cosmetics. Homeopathy has seen its position as an ideal complement to traditional medicine called into question, due to the decision taken in 2019 by Agnès Buzyn, then Minister of Health, to reduce in 2020 and then stop in 2021 the reimbursement of homeopathic treatments by Social Security. Whereas previously many of these treatments were reimbursed at up to 30%, they are now not reimbursed at all from January1, 2021. As a result, the market suffered a significant drop in volume in 2020 and 2021, which was then partially offset by a rise in treatment prices, and a diversification of activities by major market players (probiotics, dietary supplements, flu tests and Covid-19). Boiron, for example, saw its sales increase by 17% in 2022, after having been divided by 2 between 2019 and 2021. [Challenges]