Despite lingering stigma, the male beauty market in China remains resilient

Beauty in China is shifting away from being an option to becoming a necessity. With growing awareness of beauty products and a desire to gain social acceptance, more men are turning to beauty products. Even the older generations, who tend to hold onto more stigma regarding beauty products, are slowly adopting them. While skincare is […]
Will Chinese beauty brand Perfect Diary make a comeback with its skincare-infused makeup?

Perfect Diary (完美日记), a Chinese cosmetics brand, achieved early success through KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing, co-branding, and private traffic pools. However, despite being recognized as one of the leading makeup brands in China, Perfect Diary’s success has waned over time. To recover, it has been focusing more on product quality, integrating skincare functionalities into […]
Tripling sales and halving prices: China’s samples market revolutionizing purchases

Product samples have increasingly influenced full-size purchases in recent years, reshaping the Chinese B2C market. The astonishing popularity of sample-sized products has given rise to a thriving samples economy in China which has not seen similar growth in the West. Chinese consumers are increasingly embracing sample-sized shopping, leading to a shift from samples being purely promotional to […]
Is China’s sample’s economy a beauty market disrupter?

According to JD.com’s data, the sales of sample-size products (小样) in China have grown 4.3-fold between 2019 and 2023. Vending machines distributing sample-size products are popping up around malls, Harmay (話梅), a sample-size retailer born on Taobao has hopped offline to run 11 stores in 8 Chinese cities. Chinese consumers are then going to Xiaohongshu […]
China’s samples economy report

Product samples are incredibly popular in China, driving the growth of a unique economy that hasn’t seen the same rise in the West due to specific economic factors and consumer preferences. In China, product samples are evolving from a promotional tactic to a packaging option, as consumers are increasingly willing to buy sample-sized products. This […]
China’s skincare market: From ingredient-savvy “skintellectuals” to moms and teens

While color cosmetics were negatively impacted after COVID-19, skincare in China remained resilient. Even new groups of consumers, such as teenagers who didn’t widely use skincare much in the past, are showing greater interest. In 2023, China’s skincare market was worth USD 55 billion, and it is expected to reach USD 59 billion in 2024. […]
Consumer pain points in China’s beauty market

In the very competitive beauty market in China, many brands are fiercely and rapidly innovating to satisfy the needs of consumers. However, there are still remaining pain points that have not been addressed at all or have not been addressed effectively by brands. To identify some of these pain points, we conducted social media listening […]
Biotech beauty in China: global alliances are reshaping the future of cosmetics

By 2024, China’s beauty & personal care market is expected to yield a revenue of RMB 499.7 billion with a projected annual growth rate of 4.84% (CAGR 2024-2028). The driving forces behind this growth primarily stem from the cosmetics and skincare segments. Driven by Chinese consumers’ higher expectations for effective but safe and sustainable cosmetics […]
China’s fragrance market: daily life embraces scents, from wearables to cars and homes

The fragrance market in China has experienced significant growth in recent years. In 2022, it reached RMB 16.9 billion, and forecasts suggest it will surge to RMB 38.7 billion by 2026. In 2021, the fragrance penetration rate in China stood at a mere 5%, a marked contrast to the United States (50%) and Europe (42%). This significant […]
“Would you still choose Japanese skincare products?”: Trending hashtag on Chinese social media

Twelve years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown in 2011, Japan was set to release treated radioactive waste into the Pacific Ocean due to limited space to contain the waste. This raised concerns over safety issues revolving around potential contaminations of Japanese skincare and cosmetic products among Chinese netizens. In the 1st week of April, there […]
She economy rising: Decoding the shopping secrets of Chinese women

Chinese women are experiencing a noticeable surge in financial independence. As society undergoes changes, women’s priorities are also shifting. They are moving beyond traditional family roles to prioritize self-care. This report examines diverse consumption patterns among Chinese women, identifying opportunities in the “she economy.” It underscores their pivotal role in household decisions, evolving dynamics, and […]
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 […]