As the world’s second largest beauty market after the United States, China’s skin care and cosmetics industry is huge, and the growth momentum should not be underestimated. As the ranks of China’s middle class grow, Chinese consumers’ disposable income increases. By 2025, China’s beauty market is expected to grow to 53 billion US dollars, which is equivalent to 60 trillion yuan. And what are the biggest opportunities for cosmetics brands in 2020?
Domatters takes you to take a look.
Trend one: Focus more on ‘nature’
These words are now widely spread among Chinese influencers and KOLs, such as “natural”, “green”, “clean”, etc. Various social media platforms in China promote various “green beauty”. With the surge in household income of Chinese consumers, the demand for skin care products with natural ingredients is also growing, because these consumers can pay a premium to get the benefits of organic beauty products. According to our survey, 54% of Gneration Z consumers said that when asked about skin care concepts, they attached great importance to plant-based skin care.According to statistics, the number of people born between 1995 and 2005 has reached 264 million, accounting for 18.9 percent of the total population.They are creating their own unique layers and cultures and unleashing the potential for popularity.
In 2020, Chinese people are paying more and more attention to health. The cosmetics brand is gradually moving towards naturalism and organic beauty products in 2020. There are two main reasons behind it. On the one hand, Chinese consumers are increasingly aware of health, on the other hand, they are the attractive concept of new niche beauty products carried by natural and green cosmetics.
The list of horrible ingredients and harmful bacteria that have been tested positively on counterfeit cosmetics will make consumers shudder. For example, it is reported that mercury, lead, animal feces, rat feces, horse urine and other harmful ingredients that consumers do not want to put on the skin are added. In the case of counterfeit cosmetics flooding the market, cosmetics with counterfeit and contaminated ingredients are inexpensive, but their prices are high. These fake and shoddy products damage people’s faces, and the skin problem is getting worse. This has led to an increasing demand for pure natural products.
A strong growth trend in the Chinese beauty market is the niche market-customers want to explore new brands and products, especially those that are little known or even little known. In view of the exclusivity and luxury of organic products, Chinese consumers are particularly succumbed to these fashionable purchases to satisfy their desire for freshness and novelty.
The future trends of beauty and skin care will be green and natural in China. If any brand can align its products and value with these target consumers, then it will be able to gain appeal in China’s booming market segment.
Trend two: Chinese traditional food ingredients are becoming more and more popular, such as Chinese herbal medicine
Chinese culture and philosophy are broad and profound, which can be traced back to ancient times. The composition of traditional Chinese medicine shows the powerful influence of nature on human health. As Chinese consumers expect more preventive health care features and benefits, traditional Chinese herbal medicines have gradually revived. Both Chinese local beauty brands and international brands are studying the power of Chinese medicinal materials and adding them to product innovation, which gradually gains more market share. For example, by blending French exquisite skills with Chinese values, brands such as Cha Ling use Chinese Poole tea in their products to provide powerful anti-aging, moisturizing and skin repairing effects, which are very popular among Chinese consumers.
Now Chinese consumers’ behavior and views on domestic and foreign products have also undergone favorable changes. Some consumers are no longer addicted to products with foreign labels and are more confident in their own culture. .For thousands of years, Chinese women have used Oriental medicine to maintain a fair complexion and youthful appearance.Decorative minerals such as ginseng, astragalus, goji berries, green tea, herbs and jade are used to improve wrinkles, maintain flawless skin and reduce discomfort.
For example, the well-known skin care company Xiangyi Materia Medica Inoherb, headquartered in Shanghai, the company reinvented its own brand to produce skin care products with the theme of traditional Chinese medicine. Facts have proved that the product has scientific effectiveness. Inoherb’s promotion strategy of Chinese herbal cosmetics has successfully occupied a place in the Chinese organic skin care market.
Therefore, foreign beauty brands can learn from these domestic brands in China. For example, your brand can gain a winning advantage in the beauty market in China and the world by adding Chinese herbal medicine or Chinese medicine-inspired therapy to its products.
Trend three: The rise of men’s skin care
With the popularity of Chinese face value culture and brand education, the concept of male skin care has gradually increased. Now more and more men are pursuing exquisite elegance, through skin care for maintenance to enhance the charm of face value, men’s skin care has begun to gradually develop, and the upgrade of consumption in the men’s skin care market is happening quietly. According to the survey data of Tmall Beauty, 88% of men believe that skin care should be treated as a daily care. Among them, raising the face value to enhance their own purposes has become the main driving force for men’s skin care. Therefore, in addition to promoting natural ingredients as a strategy to attract organic consumers, beauty brands can also control the trend of male skin care products and explore the male-dominated demographic data of China.
In an environment where sex ratio has traditionally been biased towards men, in recent years, male-oriented cosmetics have achieved significant growth in the Chinese beauty market. 80% of post-90/95 men have developed skin care habits in college and before, becoming the main consumer of online male skin care products. In the past year, the post-95s generation has surpassed the post-90s generation and has become the largest consumer of the online men’s skincare market. Among them, the post-80s and post-85s prefer more delicate eye mask, facial essence and aftershave lotion. The post-90s people do not forget to apply the mask and do daily sun protection when using the essence. After 95, it pays more attention to basic cleaning.
Of course, due to the increasing awareness of appearance and appearance, men’s willingness to use skin care and makeup products and therefore spend on such products has surged. Therefore, their buying behavior is highly revolving around the most expensive products and usually the best feeling. This puts luxury and expensive brands at the forefront of male beauty, especially organic and natural brands with high-end product lines.
Although the share of male cosmetics in the overall market is still relatively small, it is far less than the penetration rate of Chinese female cosmetics. But the development of the male skin care and cosmetics market is accelerating. The retail sales of male skin care products and cosmetics markets in mainland China will exceed 2 billion yuan in 2020. Natural beauty brands will undoubtedly have the opportunity to brand themselves as unisex products or take a step by specifically targeting men.
If you are a new cosmetics brand intending to enter China, then you can consider launching a cosmetic product developed for men, I believe this can arouse the buying desire of the majority of male consumers in China. On the other hand, brands can also make changes in product packaging design, for example, you can attract male consumers with neutral colors such as black or white, and simple design.
Connect and interact with Chinese beauty consumers
As one of the world’s most famous beauty markets, China appeals not only to global cosmetics companies but also to niche brands that want to enter.But how to navigate these we have provided you with the latest trends in the Chinese beauty market and the upcoming hot trends in China?How do you connect and interact with your ideal customer?How to promote it in Chinese social media such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu?How to enter Tmall or jd platform?Contact Domatters at any time, we can be your agent in China to help you with the brand online promotion.