A Bitter Pill: Russia Raises Prices on Vitamins from the West

Since October 2, Russia has been imposing a 35% import duty on dietary supplements from countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia and are therefore considered “unfriendly.” Previously, the rates for the most important product groups ranged from 10% to 20%, explains Sergey Shulyak, CEO of the market research firm DSM Group. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed the decree on September 21. It remains in effect until the end of 2027, with exceptions only for Hungary and Slovakia.

The tariff applies to consumer-packaged products that must be registered in the state labeling system “Chestny Snak” (“Honest Label”). Under this system, each package receives a unique code that allows the government to track the product’s journey from the manufacturer or importer to the store checkout.

About 33% of the market value comes from “unfriendly” countries, but they account for only 18% of the packages, according to calculations by Nikolai Bespalov, director of development at the research firm RNC Pharma. In 2025, these products generated 75.2 billion rubles in sales, equivalent to 800 million euros. “Higher customs duties automatically drive up the price on the shelf,” says Bespalov. In the short term, he expects more gray-market imports, albeit in small quantities.

Growth Over Price

Last year, Russians spent 236.9 billion rubles on dietary supplements—equivalent to 2.5 billion euros and 24.9% more than the previous year. This is shown in the DSM Group’s annual report. It covers pharmacies and the four major marketplaces: Ozon, Wildberries, Yandex Market, and Magnit Market. Pharmacies generated 182.5 billion rubles in sales (+23.9%), while the marketplaces generated 54.4 billion rubles (+28.5%). The marketplaces’ share remained stable at 23%.

The growth is almost entirely attributable to higher prices. In pharmacies, sales volume fell by 0.4% to 409 million packages. One package cost an average of 446 rubles, equivalent to 4.74 euros, which is 24% more than in the previous year. From January through August 2026, pharmacies sold 268.2 million packages for 134.1 billion rubles, equivalent to 1.4 billion euros. This was reported by the Moscow business newspaper Kommersant, citing DSM. Compared to the same period last year, sales volume rose by 3.1% and revenue by 17%.

Solgar, Bayer, Doppelherz

Russian manufacturers dominate the pharmacy market. According to DSM, they accounted for 85% of packages and 67.5% of revenue last year. Their share of revenue thus grew by 1.4 percentage points. The market leader is Evalar from the Altai region, with revenue of 26 billion rubles (277 million euros) and growth of 20.2%. An imported product cost an average of 963 rubles (10.24 euros). That is nearly three times as much as a Russian product, which cost 355 rubles (3.78 euros). Sales volume of imported goods fell by 8.1%, yet revenue rose by 18.6%.

Among foreign suppliers, the U.S. leads with 42.1% of import revenue, ahead of Germany with 13.7% and India with 8.1%. Indian products are exempt from the new tariff. The third-largest manufacturer in the pharmacy market is the U.S. brand Solgar, with 11.4 billion rubles in revenue—122 million euros—and growth of 27.8%.

From Germany, the tariff primarily affects two companies. The Leverkusen-based Bayer Group increased its pharmacy sales of products such as Elevit and Supradyn by 68.4% to 3.1 billion rubles, or 33.3 million euros. Queisser Pharma, based in Flensburg, sold Doppelherz products for 2.7 billion rubles, equivalent to 28.8 million euros. This represents an increase of 7.4%.

Tighter Control

Customs regulations complement a series of government interventions. Since 2023, dietary supplements must be registered with Chestny Snak. Retailers were only permitted to sell unlabeled products with a shelf life of up to three years until the end of August 2026. Since September 2025, the consumer protection agency Rospotrebnadzor has been authorized to block websites offering banned products without a court order. Previously, this process took at least three months, Duma Deputy Sergey Leonov told the industry portal Pharmvestnik.

According to DSM, the stricter controls have slowed down online business: while sales on marketplaces grew by 40% in 2024, they grew by only 29% last year.

Protective tariffs were already under discussion as early as 2023. The National Consumer Protection Association (NSZPP), which primarily combats counterfeit products, called at the time for an import ban or a 220% tariff, while Russian manufacturers sought tariffs of 50% to 70% on foreign competitors. The government commission rejected both proposals at the time, according to the business magazine Expert.

Market analyst Schuljak sees the new tariff as a boost for Russian producers and a source of revenue for the budget. With an annual market worth around 300 billion rubles (3.1 billion euros), the state could collect up to 30 billion rubles in additional revenue (311 million euros). He expects prices to rise by 10% to 15%, even for Russian brands. In the wine market, similar tariffs have caused prices to rise and demand to fall.

Sources: DSM Group, Kommersant, TKS.ru, Expert, Pharmvestnik (all RU)

Source: German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade, “A Bitter Pill: Russia Raises Prices on Vitamins from the West,” October 9, 2026.

This article was prepared for the German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade.