China’s skin whitening: a market projected to reach 7.8 billion US dollars by 2030
According to a survey from Japanese skincare firm Shinseido, the top four concerns of Asian women all relate to skin tone darkening. The top point of issue for Chinese women is yellow, sallow skin. On the men’s side, demand for sunblocks and whitening agents are also rising. The fascination with fair skin in China has […]
Beauty standards in China: Navigating changing beauty trends as the economy grows and the society changes
As an abstract term, beauty has been shaped by a variety of cultural and social factors in different times and different countries. When the society changes, beauty standards often change accordingly. Therefore, when exploring the beauty standards in China, we need to illustrate the specific background, including cultural, historical, and other economic elements as Chinese […]
Appetite for beauty food in China rises as consumers’ health awareness grows
In the wake of the pandemic, Chinese consumers’ growing focus on health and well-being has sparked a beauty food revolution, transforming the way people perceive skincare and nutrition. With a rising emphasis on wellness, the demand for functional food has surged, leading to the widespread popularity of beauty food in China. According to Euromonitor, China’s […]
UNISKIN: the cutting-edge anti-aging brand for Chinese skin
As of 2019 China’s beauty industry is the second largest in the world, with skincare the biggest and fastest growing market segment within the beauty and personal care industry. In 2021 China’s skincare market was worth 9.2 billion RMB (1.34 billion USD), recording a 17% y-o-y increase. Historically, China’s skincare market has been dominated by […]
Natural skincare in South Korea vs China: Navigating two markets with totally different “clean beauty” concepts
Natural skincare is defined by products with ingredients that are all naturally derived, such as plant extracts or water-soluble chemicals from a mineral ore. The global natural skincare product market in 2021 was estimated at USD 6.7 billion (44.5 billion RMB) and is expected to reach USD 7.3 billion in 2022. A brand’s strategy 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 […]
The crackdown on plastic surgery ads in China: Balancing the beauty economy with surgery scandals and deaths
In September 2021, Chinese state media called for stricter regulations on plastic surgery ads in China, mentioning its excessive pervasiveness and false claims. In the last decade, China’s aesthetic medicine experienced a period of steady growth, driven by rising consumer disposable income, enhanced consumer awareness and the emergence of hedonic values. Chinese aesthetic medicine market […]
“Beauty value” economy in China (颜值经济): How social media made ‘face score’ a valuable asset
The “beauty value” economy in China, known in Chinese as 颜值经济 (yán zhi jing ji) is a recent internet slang, in which “yan” means face and appearance, and zhi represents the value of a person’s appearance. Several psychological aspects of the “beauty value” economy in China make it so prosperous. Firstly, working on one’s own […]
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: […]
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 […]
How brands carve room for body positivity in China
Body positivity refers to the assertion that all people deserve to have a positive body image, regardless of society’s ideal shape, size, and appearance. The body positivity movement challenges existing social standards of what preferred body is, promotes the acceptance of all types of bodies, helps people build confidence and acceptance of their own bodies […]