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Created on 09.30
Mixed Cat Litter Is Trending — Why Bentonite Remains an Essential Choice
A category perspective on Xingmei’s long-term focus on premium bentonite
By category share alone, the cat litter market is at a clear turning point. Data from the 2026 China Pet Industry White Paper shows that mixed cat litter has risen to 45.8% of usage, surpassing tofu litter (40.2%) for the first time and becoming the most commonly chosen category among pet owners, while bentonite cat litter ranks third at 26.1%. This has sparked a recurring industry debate over whether mixed litter is replacing bentonite.
Yet the data tells only half the story. In the same survey, the shares of mixed and cassava-based litters are climbing while those of tofu and bentonite are edging down. Does this shift mean bentonite is in decline? In this article, we take a closer look at the category to offer a more measured view: the rise of mixed litter is a trend, while the long-term cultivation of bentonite represents sustained value. The two are not substitutes; they address different cat-parenting scenarios and run in parallel.
1. First, Understand the Trend: Why Is Mixed Litter Gaining Momentum?
The rise of mixed litter is, in essence, a victory of “performance combination” over “single material.” It layers the lightness, flushability and texture of tofu litter with the clumping and absorption of bentonite, responding to today’s pet owners who want the best of both worlds—lower dust alongside stronger clumping and deodorizing.
More importantly, consumer expectations are shifting from “usable” to “better.” This survey newly included decision factors such as antibacterial performance and health monitoring, signaling a move toward health-conscious, refined choices. In this context, a single product that stacks multiple benefits is naturally easier to gain favor.
Still, when it comes to the purchase decision itself, pet owners continue to weigh basic performance first:
— Deodorizing effectiveness 63.2%; clumping and absorbency 62.1%; dust level 52.1%. These three metrics remain the key considerations. By contrast, brand awareness, KOL and professional endorsements all receive notably lower mention rates.
The takeaway is straightforward: in the cat litter business, marketing is an amplifier, but product experience is the foundation. The brands that deliver consistently strong core performance are the ones that earn repeat purchases over the long term.
2. Don’t Rush to Take Sides: Mixed vs. Bentonite Is About Scenarios, Not Superiority
Focusing only on which category has the larger share risks misreading the market’s true structure. More revealing is how preferences vary by city tier:
— Tier-1 cities lean toward tofu litter at 48.3%; tier-2 cities choose mixed litter at a higher rate of 47.4%; in tier-3 and below, bentonite litter records a relatively higher mention rate of 29.8%.
The winning category differs by tier, which shows there is no one-size-fits-all litter. The market is shaped by urban demographics, cat density, price sensitivity and usage habits. Tier-1 consumers prioritize lightness and convenience, while multi-cat households and mass-market segments value durability and value for money—and for the latter, bentonite is the natural core.
Bentonite and mixed litter are not in a zero-sum competition. They simply serve different cat-parenting needs and preferences.
3. Back to Fundamentals: Bentonite’s Value Lies in Performance, Not Share
Bentonite can be called an essential category because its naturally occurring mineral properties offer advantages that are difficult to replicate through simple formulation:
Fast clumping with firm clumps. It locks moisture quickly for easy scooping and holds together well.
Strong natural deodorizing and absorption. These come from the mineral's own physical and chemical characteristics, rather than from added ingredients.
Relatively low waste. Stable usage translates into friendlier long-term cost.
Well suited to multi-cat, high-volume households. In frequent, heavy-use settings, bentonite's durability and consistency are fully brought into play.
Traditional ordinary bentonite litter, however, carries a long-standing pain point—dust. Dust affects the user experience and ranks among the main reasons owners hesitate to repurchase. This is precisely where the bentonite category draws its dividing line.
4. Xingmei’s Breakthrough: Unlocking Mineral Performance Through Dust-Reduced Wet Sodium Activation
If the answer to mixed litter is to “add” materials together, Xingmei’s approach is to refine a single mineral to a consistently high standard.
To address bentonite’s key weakness—dust—Xingmei deploys a full-process, dust-reduced wet sodium activation line, treating bentonite from the raw-material stage and solving dust control at the factory level, thereby fully releasing the mineral litter’s inherent performance advantages.
Xingmei’s quality strengths can be summarized in several dimensions:
① Dust control. Through full-process, dust-reduced wet sodium activation, Xingmei tackles dust—bentonite’s main weakness—head-on, so that strong clumping and a low-dust experience go hand in hand rather than forcing a trade-off.
② Batch consistency and traceability. For B2B customers, batch consistency is the baseline of trust. Xingmei applies unified standards across raw materials, process and quality control, keeping key indicators such as clumping, deodorizing, absorbency and dust level consistent from batch to batch, delivering predictable results to distributors and brands.
③ Clumping and deodorizing grounded in mineral performance. Leveraging natural mineral characteristics and a disciplined sodium-activation process, Xingmei products deliver stable clumping speed, firm clumps and reliable odor control—winning repurchase through performance rather than concept packaging.
④ Cost and supply certainty. Bentonite's durability and low-waste profile support its competitiveness in value-for-money and bulk supply. For B2B sourcing and distribution, this is both a product-level edge and supply-chain certainty.
⑤ A solid base in multi-cat and mass-market segments. Given the tiered preferences for tofu, mixed and bentonite litters, bentonite holds stable, sustained real demand in mass-market and multi-cat households, offering channels a differentiated positioning opportunity.
5. Competitive Landscape: In a Fragmented Market, Experience—Not Hype—Wins
By brand usage rate, the current cat litter market is characterized by domestic brands and a broadly fragmented landscape. The most-used brand, Xucuihua, holds only 12.7%; Wangyi Yanxuan and Fuwang follow closely, while most other brands sit below 9%. The top ten brands have not pulled far apart, concentration remains low, and no single brand has yet established a commanding lead.
For B2B players, this is both a challenge and a window: in a fragmented market without a single dominant player, any brand that builds a genuinely strong product experience has room to establish its own position. Given regional preferences and the emphasis on core performance, brands win recognition by sustained investment in real-world product experience—which is exactly why Xingmei chooses to deepen its work in premium bentonite rather than chase the latest trend.
Conclusion: Mixed Litter Drives the Buzz, but Depth Belongs to Those Who Master the Craft
The momentum behind mixed litter reflects the industry’s broad pursuit of a better experience, and that is worth respecting. Yet a trend is not a rejection of a category—it is a filter for quality.
Bentonite is not in decline; it is moving from the mass market toward a more disciplined, premium standard. While many players are adding materials and concepts in the mixed-litter space, Xingmei chooses the bentonite lane and focuses on the details: rigorous dust control, batch consistency as a standard, and the complete delivery of the mineral’s inherent performance.
We remain committed to premium bentonite—not because we dismiss mixed litter, but because we see that a large number of cat-parenting households need a pure mineral litter with dust control and batch consistency refined to a high standard. At a time when mixed litter is in the spotlight, this may be exactly the value that makes Xingmei, as a bentonite-focused producer, most distinctive—not chasing fads, but doing one thing exceptionally well.
Data sources: Industry figures from the 2026 China Pet Industry White Paper, as relayed in a published industry article by Pet Industry PRO; Xingmei process and product information are from Xingmei's official promotional materials.
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