Rebranding success: KANS’ transformation into a leading anti-ageing skincare brand in China
KANS (韩束) is a Chinese skincare brand founded by parent company Shanghai Chicmax cosmetics in 2002. Prior to its re-brand in 2021, KANS functioned as a medium-to-high-end skincare brand within the company’s portfolio, focusing on providing effective skincare products for Chinese women under the slogan “Science realises your beauty”. In 2021, the brand underwent a […]
Perfect Diary: a once-thriving cosmetics brand’s decline and lessons learned
Perfect Diary, a cosmetic brand originating from China, achieved early success in its global expansion efforts. The brand’s initial popularity in China was fueled by effective marketing strategies, including KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing, co-branding, and private traffic pools. However, despite its standing as a leading makeup brand in China, Perfect Diary’s success has waned […]
The male beauty market in China is developing fast and should not be overlooked
Nowadays, as increasingly more male consumers care about their look, the male beauty market in China has gradually become a new driver of growth for the beauty industry. The size of the male beauty market in China reached 17.8 billion RMB in 2021, and according to Euromonitor International, retail sales in China’s male beauty market […]
LA MER in China: how LA MER became one of Chinese consumers’ favorite beauty brands
LA MER has a legendary brand story that distinguishes it from any other cosmetics company. While most skincare products come from laboratories, LA MER is developed by a space physicist – Max Huber. Huber had suffered burns during an experiment and therefore spent years searching for ways to heal his damaged skin but could not […]
How Pechoin, China’s oldest skincare brand, remains a top beauty player after nearly 100 years
China’s skincare market revenue in 2022 amounts to RMB 110 billion and is expected to grow by 8% annually. 2019 research by AskCI Consulting reveals that Pechoin (百雀羚) accounted for 4.5% of this market. Pechoin retains this position by staying on top of China’s skincare market trends which include embracing Chinese traditions, up to the […]
The green step towards less waste – A glance at China’s new packaging regulation
On August 10, 2021, the Chinese State Regulation for Market Regulation (SAMR) launched a set of new provisions restricting excessive packaging of food and cosmetics (GB23350-202X) in China under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The new packaging regulation in China replaces the previous provisions defined in 2009 and is to […]
A complete guide to cosmetics distribution channels in China
China’s cosmetic market has not stopped growing in recent years and it is estimated to generate about 495 billion RMB in 2021, vaunting a 15.1% increase from 2020. Nevertheless, China’s per capita consumption of skincare and makeup products is just 1/3 and 1/5 of that boasted by the US and Japan/South Korea respectively, showing a […]
Lipstick market in China: driven by face value pricing and male beauty
Under the influence of the “beauty value economy”, China’s cosmetics market has always attracted the attention of people who love beauty. According to Baogao, lipsticks accounted for 28% of the Chinese cosmetics market in 2019, with a year-on-year growth rate as high as 36.6%. The lipstick market in China will reach 30 billion yuan by […]
Guerlain in China: Perfume market strategies from 1993 to today
French premier luxury brand Guerlain under the LVMH group is one of the most successful foreign brands who has built a wide presence in the cosmetics market in China, particularly skincare, make-up, and perfume. Over the years, it has learned to adjust its marketing strategies – particularly those involving its products, engaging campaigns, and consumer […]
Olympic marketing 2021: Chando challenges China’s beauty standards featuring female Olympic athletes
On July 12th, when its 20th anniversary coincided with the Olympics Games, Chando, a Chinese beauty brand, released a short video promoting their new high-end Moisturizing Series cream and a surprise gift box made in collaboration with Tmall. (Read more about TMall Heybox). With the slogan “自然而燃 ” (Burn naturally), Chando plays on the idiom: […]
INSBAHA x Sanxingdui Museum campaign: Marketing “antique” products to Gen-Z
On July 12th the Chinese make up brand INSBAHA (原色波塔) released their new collaboration with the Sanxingdui Museum (三星堆博物馆) on all their Chinese social media accounts. INSBAHA is a make-up brand founded by a Chinese cosmetics company, Proya Cosmetics (珀莱雅), which targets ‘health nuts and trend lovers.’ The Sanxingdui Museum is located near Chengdu and […]
How foreign cosmetics and skincare brands in China can succeed: China Paradigm transcript #123 with Jean-Philippe Benoist
GED localizes and establishes foreign cosmetics and skincare brands in China. Currently, GED is partnering with about 20 cosmetics brands. Having initially started with offline channels and distribution with SEPHORA, they are now focusing on digital online sales and marketing channels such as RED, WeChat, Weibo, Bilibili, TikTok, Tmall, JD, VIPshop, and others. Their target […]