Recently, Haleon, the parent company of Sensodyne, announced an investment of approximately £65 million to build a new oral health products manufacturing facility in the Lingang New Area of Shanghai. The site will primarily produce oral care products, including those under Sensodyne and Parodontax.
Haleon, formerly the consumer healthcare division of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was spun off as an independent company in July 2022. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Caltrate, Centrum, and Sensodyne, and it has been deeply engaged in the Chinese market for over 40 years. Haleon CEO Brian McNamara stated that construction of the new facility will begin soon and is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. The plant is intended to become a globally leading oral health manufacturing hub, dedicated to serving the Chinese market.
According to public reports, Haleon selected the Lingang New Area due to its favorable policy incentives, convenient cross-border capital flows, well-developed industrial ecosystem, and efficient logistics infrastructure. Over the past three years, Haleon’s oral health business in China has achieved a compound annual growth rate of 15%. The new facility is expected to further strengthen its supply chain and meet rising market demand. Currently, Haleon already operates manufacturing bases in Tianjin and Suzhou.
As a core focus of this investment, Sensodyne and Parodontax target the sensitive teeth and gum care segments, respectively. Sensodyne entered the Chinese market in 2008 and, according to a research report by Southwest Securities, ranked second in the sensitive toothpaste segment in 2021 with a 26% market share, trailing only Coldacid Spirit (冷酸灵). Parodontax was launched in China in 2024 and has already driven double-digit growth in its global business. Haleon plans to expand the brand to 30 cities across China by 2027, reaching 250 million consumers.
Gu Haiying, General Manager of Haleon for Mainland China and Hong Kong, noted that the investment not only aligns with the “Healthy China” strategy but also reflects confidence in the potential of China’s oral health market. According to financial data, Haleon reported revenue of £11.03 billion in 2025, with its oral health business growing by 7.9% and Asia-Pacific revenue increasing by 5.2%. The company also saw strong performance in its online sales channels in China.
