Header image source: Agebox.
Over the past decade, growth hormones have gained ground as a common option for parents aiming to support their children’s height development, often considered alongside calcium supplements, exercise, and adequate sleep. However, these hormones are tightly regulated medications with specific usage criteria. In today’s height-conscious culture, these constraints are becoming more apparent.
In response, new entrants have surfaced in the consumer healthcare space, targeting children who do not meet the clinical criteria for short stature but still aspire to grow taller. One such company is Agebox, a US-based brand whose leading product is iKids-Growth, an IGF-1 growth factor sensitizer. Since launching in China in late 2022, the product has been used by over 40,000 children and maintains a reported repurchase rate of 70%. The local team has grown from a few dozen to several hundred employees.
In a recent interview with 36Kr, Agebox’s Asia Pacific head Ryan Luo and product specialist Ben Wang discussed the company’s trajectory and its role in the height-growth market.
Luo noted that understanding this market requires distinguishing between user segments. Conventional height growth treatments focus on children whose predicted adult height falls below the third percentile (P3)—approximately 161.3 centimeters for boys and 150.4 cm for girls.
Still, Luo emphasized that children above the P3 threshold may also have legitimate aspirations. “It’s more of a pursuit of quality of life,” he said, suggesting that increased height can influence future outcomes in areas like employment and relationships.
Agefu is aimed squarely at this broader demographic. “We analyzed data from more than 40,000 users in China over the past two years. Most of our users fall between the P3 and P75 range, with a median at the 25th percentile. That tells us we’re on the right track.”
The product’s formulation is designed to extract active compounds from food to enhance the body’s sensitivity to IGF-1, a hormone key to bone development. According to the company, this enables height gain in a controlled and evidence-based manner.
Wang explained the underlying biology: the body’s GH–IGF-1 axis regulates physical growth. After the pituitary gland releases growth hormone, the liver produces IGF-1, which then stimulates cartilage growth at the ends of bones, facilitating skeletal development.
iKids-Growth aims to enhance this process in two ways: by increasing the number and responsiveness of growth hormone receptors on liver cells, thereby boosting IGF-1 production, and by improving the sensitivity of cartilage cells in the growth plates to IGF-1. This dual mechanism is intended to support healthy growth without compromising a child’s long-term development.
“Our R&D philosophy is to use food-grade ingredients to deliver clinically effective outcomes. We apply pharmaceutical-level efficacy standards in developing dietary supplements,” Wang said.
Agebox has initiated six clinical studies in China to assess the efficacy of its IGF-1 sensitizer. These studies span 45 institutions and include participants with rare conditions like Silver-Russell syndrome, as well as children who are not clinically short but exhibit slow or delayed growth.
“We want Agebox’s products to solve real problems,” Wang said. “Frankly, many height growth products on the market lack clear mechanisms or clinical backing. Some are little more than placebos. China doesn’t need another placebo. Clinical research is the best way to show whether a product actually works.”
Despite limited investment in traditional advertising, the product has gained visibility. “We believe that the clear demand and tangible results speak louder than advertisements,” Luo said. “There are many height growth products on the market, but most fail to significantly improve a child’s height SDS (standard deviation score) when used within safe dosage limits.”
A product that can safely enhance IGF-1 efficiency through the body’s natural growth pathways, without accelerating puberty or limiting future growth, has a clear value proposition.
Agebox’s expansion in China began with small-scale trials involving employees’ children, followed by the launch of its first clinical study and broader distribution in May 2023.
“We’ve avoided traditional consumer marketing. Instead, we’ve focused on scientific validation through cell studies, animal trials, clinical research,” Luo said. “On the user side, we partner with height management institutions, content creators, private networks, and premium maternity retailers. Our goal is to establish a new mindset among parents: injections for P3 and below, Agebox for P3 and above.”
China marks Agebox’s first major market outside the US, but the company plans to expand to Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia in 2025. Luo said demand for height growth solutions is particularly strong in Asia, where dietary supplements are widely accepted. In South Korea, for example, some treat height improvement as part of medical aesthetics.
Although iKids-Growth was only launched in the Asia Pacific in 2022, Agebox was founded in 2009 in the US. It developed a phenotypic drug discovery (PDD) platform using primary cells, particularly for conditions involving multiple biological pathways, such as endocrine and neurological disorders.
The PDD platform generates biodata by analyzing how dietary extracts affect cellular activity and metabolic functions. With this data, Agebox has formulated more than 50 targeted supplements.
In addition to its IGF-1 product, Agebox is also developing supplements for managing uric acid levels in children and supporting those with autism spectrum disorder.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Hu Xiangyun for 36Kr.