Healthier Choices for Sides and Cooking: The 'Low-Sugar Sauce' Boom

Low-Sugar Sauce Purchases Up 317% Year-on-Year Over the Past Year
A Sharp Contrast to Decline in Overall Sauce Sales
Driven by Rising Interest in Health Management and the Healthy Pleasure Trend
Low-Sugar Demand Expands From Dressings to Traditional Korean Sauces
Manufacturers Broaden Related Product Lineups

As the healthy pleasure trend gains traction, products with reduced sugar content—from beverages and ice cream-based desserts to ready-to-eat meals—have steadily remained popular. Recently, it has also become clear that consumers increasingly prefer sauces with less sugar, both as side dishes and as cooking ingredients. This trend can be explained by the increasing number of options that allow consumers to substitute their frequently used products for lower-sugar alternatives without making major changes to their eating habits.

CJ CheilJedang low-sugar sauce and jang lineup SugarLight products. Provided by CJ CheilJedang

According to purchasing deep data analyzed by market research firm Embrain on receipt data from 20,000 panelists, the estimated total purchase value of sauces sold through major retail channels such as hypermarkets and convenience stores reached 2.5145 trillion won in the latest year (MAT: July 2025 to June 2026) as of June 2026, representing a 2.2% decrease compared to the previous year. However, over the same period, the estimated purchase value for low-sugar sauces was 57.9 billion won, a 317.4% increase from the previous year. The number of purchase receipts for these products also rose by 317.9% during this time.

On a quarterly basis, the popularity of low-sugar sauces has consistently increased. The estimated purchase value for these products rose from 250 million won in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 2.28 billion won in the fourth quarter of the following year, 13.27 billion won in the fourth quarter of last year, and 19.95 billion won in the second quarter of this year. Embrain noted, "Low-sugar sauces are not just a passing trend—they are expanding into the realm of everyday food consumption."

By product category, low-sugar sauces and seasonings ranked highest in estimated purchase value, with 22.08 billion won, followed by dressings at 14.22 billion won. Together, these two categories accounted for over 60% of the total low-sugar sauce market. Over the latest year as of June 2026, purchases of low-sugar sauces and seasonings increased by 262.5% compared to the previous year, while dressings saw a notable 374% growth.

In addition to dressings, which are commonly used for salads, consumer demand for low-sugar products in cooking sauces has also been increasing rapidly. For example, the estimated purchase value for "low-sugar gochujang" in the latest year as of June 2026 reached 7.4 billion won—more than five times the 1.3 billion won recorded in the previous year. Over the same period, estimated purchases of "low-sugar doenjang·ssamjang" and "low-sugar soy sauce" reached 1.5 billion won and 800 million won, respectively, with year-on-year growth rates of 279.9% and 840.4%. By subcategory, low-sugar products were most frequently purchased in the order of seasoning sauces, dressings, vinegar, gochujang, and doenjang·ssamjang.

Food manufacturers are also expanding their lineups of low-sugar sauce products in response to this trend. CJ CheilJedang entered the low-sugar sauces and jang market last year by launching its low-sugar product range, Sugarlight, and reported a 42% sales increase in these categories in the first half of this year compared to the latter half of last year. Ottogi introduced its "LIGHT&JOY Low Sugar Dressing" in May after revamping its existing dressing lineup to lower sugar content. Daesang has also built a low-sugar lineup, including gochujang, doenjang, allulose, ketchup, mayonnaise, honey mustard, and chili sauce, and plans to further expand its offerings. In addition, Dongwon Home Food is selling related sauces under its low-sugar, low-calorie specialty brand Vivid Kitchen, while Sempio has rolled out low-sugar variants in categories such as gochujang, ssamjang, cho-gochujang (red pepper paste with vinegar), bibimjang (spicy mixed-sauce), and brewed soy sauce.

An Embrain representative commented, "With low-sugar consumption growing around sauces and dressings and expanding into jang products, the scope of the market is expected to broaden further."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.