China's Beauty Industry Goes Global: Competing Systemically for Long-Termism

Transforming e-commerce’s systemic capabilities into global brand competitiveness. By Leo As China’s domestic beauty market enters a phase of saturated competition, going global has become a definitive growth path for Chinese brands. After several years of exploration, the narrative of Chinese beauty (C-Beauty) going overseas has evolved beyond mere commodity export. A new generation of brands—characterized by distinctive visual language and cultural substance—no longer settle for being affordable alternatives to international giants, nor do they confine themselves to price-driven competition in emerging markets. Instead, they are now exporting unique brand aesthetics to global markets and vying for influence over aesthetic discourse. This marks the dawn of a new era for C-Beauty’s globalization: one defined by “systemic capability and long-termism.” Over the past decade, Korean beauty (K-Beauty) built global influence through iconic products like glass-skin formulations and cushion compacts—powerfully propelled by the Hallyu wave. Today, C-Beauty is rapidly catching up, leveraging exceptional product design, agile digital marketing, and mature e-commerce operational expertise. According to Statista, the global beauty and personal care market will reach $677.2 billion this year—and surpass $799.1 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, China’s cosmetics exports are setting new records: in 2024, export value exceeded RMB 50 billion for the first time, with both volume and value hitting five-year highs. Against this backdrop, Huazhixiao—a Chinese beauty brand renowned for its “Oriental fairy-tale aesthetics”—demonstrates how a design-driven brand can systematically tackle overseas challenges through deep collaboration with Amazon. The role of global e-commerce platforms is shifting—from mere “sales channels” to strategic “global expansion partners.” Securing Entry into Mass Markets Overseas For Chinese beauty brands, gaining acceptance and recognition in overseas markets—without falling into homogenization—is the top priority in global expansion. For brands with highly distinctive styles, directly targeting mainstream markets with vastly different cultural contexts carries high risk. A pragmatic strategy is to first validate product appeal and business models within “cultural resonance zones,” where aesthetic affinities lower the cost of consumer education. Huazhixiao chose Japan as its first overseas market. Japan’s anime and manga culture strongly resonates with Huazhixiao’s “fairy-tale aesthetics,” significantly reducing the barrier to aesthetic adoption. In 2019, Huazhixiao entered Japanese multi-brand retailers such as Cosme and Loft via local agents; simultaneously, it launched on Amazon Japan. Offline and online channels played complementary roles: physical stores offered tactile experiences and immersive aesthetics, while e-commerce platforms like Amazon provided immediate, broad-based sales validation and real-time user feedback loops. This dual validation gave Huazhixiao the initial confidence to expand into broader markets. After this successful debut, Huazhixiao turned its attention to Europe and North America—where Chinese brands face the challenge of finding meaningful touchpoints with mass consumers. For Huazhixiao, that touchpoint wasn’t traditional mass advertising, but rather the product itself functioning as a “visual language” capable of sparking organic social media virality. In 2022, Huazhixiao restructured its standalone website for Western markets and executed a pivotal brand-message translation—reframing “shōjo heart” (a Japanese term for youthful, girlish sensibility) into the more universally resonant “Live Your Fairytales.”

China’s Cosmetics Market in H1 2025: Domestic Brands Rise, Douyin Soars, International Brands Retreat!

In the first half of 2025, China’s cosmetics market presented a stark dichotomy—domestic brands surged ahead, Douyin’s e-commerce GMV surpassed RMB 100 billion, while major international brands withdrew from physical retail channels en masse! What major shifts occurred in the industry during these six months? Let’s examine the latest data and trends! I. Overall Market: Steady Growth Amidst International Brands’ “Cultural Mismatch” 1. Domestic Consumption: Moderate Growth, Diverging Import Demand ・Domestic retail sales: RMB 229.1 billion (+2.9%). Though growth isn’t explosive, China remains a vital engine for the global beauty market. ・Imported cosmetics: Import volume rose 8.6% (to 171,000 metric tons), yet import value grew only 0.7% (to RMB 59.76 billion), indicating heightened consumer rationality—consumers no longer blindly pursue expensive imported goods, instead prioritizing cost-effectiveness and proven efficacy. 2. International Brands: “Retreating Step-by-Step” in the Chinese Market ・Global giants (e.g., L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble) posted solid global growth—but their recovery in China remains sluggish. ・Multiple international sub-brands have withdrawn: ・Brands under Shiseido, Kose, and Amorepacific have exited physical retail or fully withdrawn from China. ・Estée Lauder and Unilever reported weak performance in China; premium brands—including TATCHA, Sekkisei, Laneige, and Decorté—have either drastically scaled back operations or completely exited the Chinese market. Root Causes: Slow response to evolving Chinese consumer needs, outdated product portfolios, excessively high pricing, and declining competitiveness amid the rise of domestic brands! II. Channel Transformation: Online Dominance, Douyin’s Beauty GMV Surpasses RMB 100 Billion! 1. E-commerce Remains the Undisputed Main Arena ・Overall e-commerce channel growth: +6.9%, with penetration continuing to rise. ・Douyin’s e-commerce explosion: ・Penetration increased by 5.6 percentage points—making it the fastest-growing platform for beauty products! ・Douyin’s beauty GMV exceeded RMB 100 billion in H1 2025 (per Chanmama data); 215 brands achieved over RMB 100 million in GMV! ・Live-streaming commerce remains king: Domestic brands dominate both visibility and sales on Douyin. 2. Offline Channels Continue to Contract ・Traditional channels—including CS stores (cosmetic specialty stores) and supermarkets—show stagnant growth; several international brands further scaled back offline footprints. Trend: Future beauty sales will be dominated by online > offline, and Douyin > Tmall! III. Brand Landscape: Domestic Brands Ascend, International Brands Retreat 1. Domestic Brands: Dominating the 618 Shopping Festival ・On Tmall and Douyin’s 618 rankings: More domestic brands appeared on the lists—and many climbed higher in rankings! ・Leading domestic brands—including Winona, Pechoin, Natural Beauty, and Floryday—continued to lead the pack, while emerging brands also gained traction. 2. Emerging Brands: Intensified Shakeout, “White-Label Logic” Fails ・Brands previously relying solely on “traffic-driven爆款 (viral hits)” to generate quick profits are finding survival increasingly difficult. ・Only emerging brands with genuine product strength and brand equity are thriving—such as HBN, Græn, and Aier Doctor. 3. International Brands: Strategic Contraction ・Multiple international sub-brands have exited China (e.g., TATCHA, Sekkisei); Estée Lauder and Unilever reported lackluster performance in China. ・Root Causes: Outdated products, high prices, and marketing approaches misaligned with Chinese consumers’ expectations.

Chinese beauty brands, flush with success at home, start to vie for global shelf space

13 hours ago

Major Chinese beauty brands like Proya and Florasis are expanding globally via physical retail and R&D centers, utilizing traditional ingredients and competitive pricing to capture international market share amidst domestic slowdown.

reuters

2026-10-26

Chinese beauty brands, flush with success at home, start to vie for global shelf space

Chinese beauty brands, flush with success at home, start to vie for global shelf space

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