Updated on 24 August 2026
After a long slowdown, the Chinese herbal skin care brand returned to growth through its own Douyin livestreams and a single hero product, a model its owner admits may be hard to repeat.
By Daxue Consulting
Herborist’s self-operated Douyin livestream sales grew 249.9% in 2025, and its New Seven-White (新七白) clay mask, nicknamed 大白泥 (“big white clay”), became the first product of its owner, Shanghai Jahwa (上海家化), to pass RMB 100 million online in the year. Jahwa’s revenue grew 11.2% to RMB 6.32 billion and the group returned to a net profit of about RMB 270 million (National Business Daily (每日经济新闻), March 2026).
Herborist (佰草集) opened its first store in Shanghai’s Hong Kong Plaza on 28 August 1998. It built a premium image on traditional Chinese herbal medicine with modern codes: about 100 exclusive shops by 2005, a research centre with university hospitals from 2007 and a counter at Sephora in Paris from 2008. Like many first-generation Chinese beauty brands, it then lost ground to faster brands born online. This analysis of Herborist in China examines the Douyin-led recovery, its limits and what it implies for international brands selling “natural” beauty in China.
| Daxue Overview |
|---|
| Origin: launched in 1998 in Shanghai by Shanghai Jahwa, one of China’s oldest consumer goods groups. |
| Positioning: traditional Chinese herbal skin care, “beauty from the root” (美自根源养有方). |
| Owner’s results: Jahwa revenue RMB 6.32 billion in 2025 (+11.2% YoY), back to profit; beauty channel revenue +53.7% YoY. |
| Growth engine: self-operated Douyin livestreams (+249.9% YoY); the 大白泥 clay mask above RMB 200 million of GMV in 2025. |
| Limits: profit helped by one-off gains, dependence on creator traffic, about 300 department store counters under restructuring. |
Herborist in China: key figures
Exhibit 1: A Douyin-led recovery inside a group returning to profit
| Indicator | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Jahwa revenue | RMB 6.32 billion, +11.2% YoY | 2025 | National Business Daily |
| Jahwa net result | Profit of about RMB 268 million, of which RMB 223 million non-recurring; loss of RMB 833 million in 2024 | 2025 | Jiemian (界面新闻) |
| Jahwa domestic online revenue | +36.9% YoY, 44.4% of domestic main business | 2025 | National Business Daily |
| Jahwa beauty channel revenue | +53.7% YoY; online +60.6% | 2025 | Same |
| Herborist self-operated Douyin livestream sales | +249.9% YoY | 2025 | Same |
| 大白泥 clay mask GMV | More than RMB 200 million; target RMB 300-400 million in 2026 | 2025 | Jiemian |
| Herborist department store counters | About 300, under restructuring | 2026 | Jiemian |
| Sale of Jahwa’s 19% stake in Sephora China | €70 million, announced 19 August 2026 | 2026 | 36Kr |
Source: compiled by Daxue Consulting. Herborist’s own revenue is not published.
A Douyin-first turnaround
Jahwa’s 2025 “Four Focuses” (四个聚焦) strategy concentrated on core brands, brand building, online channels and efficiency (National Business Daily). For Herborist, the change came from Douyin. The brand built its own daily livestreams and used large creator sessions, each selling more than RMB 10 million, for peaks. Later in 2025, it launched the 修源五行 (“five elements”) series and a herbal face oil, 仙草油.
Jahwa is also simplifying beyond Herborist. On 19 August 2026, it announced the sale of its 19% stakes in Sephora Shanghai and Sephora Beijing to Sephora Asia for €70 million (36Kr), ending a partnership that also gave Herborist its first Sephora counters. The retailer’s side of the story is covered in Sephora in China.
Management acknowledges the limits of the model
Jahwa’s 2025 profit included RMB 223 million of non-recurring gains. Chairman and CEO Lin Xiaohai (林小海) hopes the 大白泥 mask can reach RMB 300 to 400 million of GMV in 2026, but said the company is not sure the model can be repeated, because the mask’s growth depended heavily on traffic from Douyin creators. Herborist keeps about 300 department store counters, which it is restructuring, and has no plan to return overseas for now (Jiemian).
A herbal story in a market led by efficacy
When Herborist started, “herbal” and “natural” were its whole difference. Chinese shoppers now choose skin care by ingredient and proof; brands such as Proya and Winona grew on efficacy claims, and Chinese brands held 57.37% of the cosmetics market in 2025 (Yicai (第一财经), May 2026). Herborist’s response is to make its heritage concrete: one hero product, a clear benefit (cleansing and brightening for the clay mask) and a story a Douyin host can explain in a minute. The broader trend is analysed in China’s natural ingredients market.
Exhibit 2: Herborist against other Eastern and Chinese beauty brands
| Herborist (佰草集) | Yuesai (羽西) | Science-led C-beauty (Proya, Winona) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Shanghai Jahwa | L’Oréal | Chinese listed groups |
| Story | Chinese herbal medicine | Modern Eastern beauty | Efficacy, ingredients |
| Recent engine | Douyin self-livestreams, hero clay mask | Direct counters, Pro-Xylane line | Douyin, hero serums |
| Weakness | Older image, reliance on one product | Older image, small digital audience | Less heritage |
Source: Daxue Consulting.
Related analyses: Yuesai in China and the C-beauty brands report.
Content moved from department store counters to livestream studios
The brand does not wait for creators: it runs its own Douyin livestreams every day and buys creator sessions for peaks. On Xiaohongshu, the content that sells is practical, such as how to use a clay mask, skin results and routines by skin type. The shift shows how Chinese beauty brands now operate: the livestream studio has replaced the counter as the main point of contact.
How Herborist has changed over the past decade
Exhibit 3: From exclusive stores and Sephora Paris to Douyin livestreams
| Early 2010s | Today | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Shanghai Jahwa | Shanghai Jahwa |
| Story | Traditional Chinese herbal medicine | “Beauty from the root”, herbal science |
| Channels | Exclusive stores, department stores, Sephora | Douyin livestreams, Tmall; online 44.4% of Jahwa’s domestic business |
| International | Paris (2008), Hong Kong (2011) | No overseas plan for now |
| Offline | About 100 exclusive shops (2005) | About 300 department store counters, under restructuring |
| Hero products | Herbal skin care ranges | 大白泥 clay mask, 修源五行 series, 仙草油 face oil |
| Competition | Global groups | Chinese efficacy brands and global groups |
Daxue Take: implications for international beauty brands
Herborist’s path, from early premium ambition to a long slowdown and a Douyin-led recovery, is the path of a generation of Chinese beauty brands. Heritage became an asset again once it was turned into a product and content that fit today’s channels; the story did not change, the way and place it is told did.
- For brands positioned on “natural”, the claim is a starting point rather than a position in China. A hero product with a visible benefit is more likely to carry the brand than a natural range.
- For brands relying on paid creators, Herborist’s growth came largely from its own Douyin livestreams. A self-operated livestream capability reduces dependence on creator fees, provided the brand can staff it daily.
- For brands considering a hero-product strategy, one RMB 200 million product can change how a brand is seen, but Jahwa’s own management doubts it can be repeated. A pipeline of second products limits that risk.
- For international competitors and partners of Chinese groups, older Chinese brands seen as tired can recover quickly once they master Douyin, and groups such as Jahwa are focusing on core brands. Competitive assessments that discount heritage Chinese brands may need revisiting.
Questions for leadership teams: Which product carries the brand on Douyin? What share of sales depends on creators the brand does not control? Which Chinese heritage brands could return in the brand’s categories?
What to watch next
- Jahwa’s results for the first half of 2026 and Herborist’s contribution.
- Whether the 大白泥 mask reaches the RMB 300-400 million target in 2026.
- The restructuring of Herborist’s department store counters.
- New hero products from the 修源五行 series.
FAQ about Herborist in China
Who owns Herborist? Herborist (佰草集) belongs to Shanghai Jahwa (上海家化), one of China’s oldest consumer goods companies.
When was Herborist founded? Herborist opened its first store in Shanghai on 28 August 1998.
Is Herborist growing? In 2025, Herborist’s self-operated Douyin livestream sales grew 249.9%, and its clay mask passed RMB 100 million in online sales. Jahwa’s revenue grew 11.2% to RMB 6.32 billion.
What is Herborist’s best-known product? Its New Seven-White clay mask, nicknamed 大白泥, which passed RMB 200 million of GMV in 2025, mostly through Douyin livestreams.
Is Herborist sold outside China? Herborist entered Paris through Sephora in 2008 and Hong Kong in 2011. In 2026, Jahwa said it had no current plan to take Herborist overseas.
About Daxue Consulting
Daxue Consulting is a market research and strategy consulting firm focused on China. For beauty brands, Daxue Consulting benchmarks Chinese competitors product by product, analyses what works in Douyin livestreams and on Xiaohongshu, and tests claims and hero products with Chinese consumers before launch. Learn more about our consumer research and China market research services, or contact our team.
Author: Daxue Consulting
