OBJECTIVES: Globally, nutraceuticals is increasingly used for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and cancer. This study aimed to conduct a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to measure consumer preferences for nutraceuticals. METHODS: We performed a systematic review in databases including MEDLINE and EMBASE to identify studies which explored factors influencing consumer decisions for using nutraceuticals. The findings were used to guide a focus group discussion amongst 21 purposively sampled Malaysian adult consumers. Four attributes, i.e. source of recommendation, scientific proof of effectiveness, scientific proof of safety, and cost, were used to develop a DCE questionnaire. Each questionnaire contained 8 choice sets. Each choice set was composed of two alternatives described by all four attributes with different levels, and an opt-out alternative. A pilot-testing was conducted by asking a total of 30 Malaysian adult consumers to choose one alternative in each choice set. The data was analyzed using conditional logistic regression model. Categorical variables were dummy-coded. RESULTS: The consumer respondents were 63% female and 37% male, with the average age of 36 years old. The majority graduated from college (47%), with monthly income of <RM5,000 (67%), had no medical condition (80%), and non-nutraceuticals users (57%). Intuitively, the consumers preferred nutraceuticals proven with no side-effect, compared to unclear evidence (coefficient=1.59, p-value=0.001), nutraceuticals with proven effectiveness, compared to unclear evidence (coefficient=1.43, p-value<0.001), and nutraceuticals recommended by healthcare professionals compared to family and friends (coefficient=1.31, p-value<0.001). The cost attribute was not statistically significant in this pilot study. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical evidences, including effectiveness and safety, and source of recommendation significantly influenced consumer preferences for nutraceuticals. Given the small sample size, however, and before all attributes achieve statistically significant results, a full-scale study is warranted to enable further interpretation on consumer preferences for nutraceuticals.