The cosmetics industry in China has been quickly growing over the last years due to the huge development of the Chinese economy.
10 Trends of Chinese Consumers in Cosmetics: Insights & Explanations
1. Growth of Local Brands
Explanation: Chinese consumers increasingly favor domestic brands that blend traditional cultural elements (e.g., porcelain-inspired packaging, Hanfu aesthetics) with modern innovation. Brands like Florasis and Peach & Lily leverage historical motifs and ingredients (ginseng, peony) to resonate with cultural pride.
Why It Matters: 72% of Gen-Z prioritize guochao brands, driving 20%+ annual growth for local players.
2. Livestream eCommerce Addiction
Explanation: Over 60% of beauty purchases are influenced by livestreams on Douyin (TikTok) and Taobao Live, where KOLs like Austin Li demonstrate products in real-time. Flash sales, limited editions, and interactive polls create urgency.
Why It Matters: Livestream-driven GMV for cosmetics hit ¥150B in 2023, with 30% higher conversion rates than static ads.
3. Clean & Safe Beauty
Explanation: Post-pandemic, 89% of consumers scrutinize ingredient lists for “clean” certifications (China’s GB/T, EU Ecocert). Brands like Winona and Avene emphasize hypoallergenic, fragrance-free formulas.
Why It Matters: Searches for “敏感肌护肤” (sensitive skin care) surged 200% on Xiaohongshu in 2023.
4. Men’s Grooming Boom
Explanation: Men’s skincare sales grew 25% YoY, driven by C-pop idols and influencers normalizing routines. Products like L’Oréal Men Expert Hydra Energetic and Innisfree Forest For Men dominate.
Why It Matters: 40% of male consumers aged 18-34 now use serums and BB creams.
5. Tech-Driven Beauty Experiences
Explanation: AR try-ons (e.g., Perfect Diary’s virtual lipstick filters) and AI skin diagnostics (e.g., Olay’s Skin Advisor) bridge online-offline engagement.
Why It Matters: 65% of users on Tmall interact with AR tools before purchasing.
6. Sustainability & Eco-Consciousness
Explanation: 64% of consumers pay a premium for refillable packaging (e.g., Kiehl’s Reusable Serum Bottles) and cruelty-free claims.
Why It Matters: “零浪费” (zero waste) is a top Xiaohongshu search term, with 500M+ views.
7. Hyper-Personalization
Explanation: AI-powered skin analysis tools and custom-formulation services let consumers build routines tailored to their exact skin type, climate zone, and lifestyle. Platforms like Tmall’s Skin Diagnostic Lab and brands like Proya offer personalized serum blends based on data from app-linked devices.
Why It Matters: 58% of beauty shoppers on Tmall say personalized recommendations directly influenced their last purchase.
8. Travel Retail & Hainan Duty-Free Growth
Explanation: Hainan has become a testing ground for luxury beauty launches, with duty-free cosmetics sales topping ¥60B in 2024. Consumers use travel retail to access limited editions and exclusive sets not available on mainland platforms.
Why It Matters: Brands like Dior Beauty and La Mer allocate dedicated SKUs for Hainan, treating it as a separate market with its own pricing and product mix.
9. Science-Backed Ingredients
Explanation: Chinese consumers now read ingredient labels like researchers. Niacinamide, retinol, recombinant collagen, and peptides drive purchase decisions far more than brand prestige alone. Domestic biotech brands like Bloomage Biotech and Giant Biogene built category leadership around clinically tested actives.
Why It Matters: Searches for “成分党” (ingredient enthusiast) have grown 150% on Xiaohongshu since 2022, with no signs of slowing.
10. Fragrance as a Lifestyle Statement
Explanation: Fine fragrance was once a niche category in China. It is now the fastest-growing beauty segment, with double-digit annual growth since 2018. Chinese consumers treat scent as an identity marker, favoring niche international houses and domestic brands that blend traditional notes (osmanthus, oolong, baijiu) with contemporary formats.
Why It Matters: The fragrance market reached USD 6.8B in 2025. Consumers on XHS share “scent diaries” that generate millions of views and drive discovery traffic directly to niche brands.
What 2026 Changes for Brands in China’s Beauty Market
China’s beauty market crossed RMB 1.1 trillion (USD 141B) in 2025. Sales from January to April 2026 grew 5.6% year-on-year. The growth is real, but the rules have changed. The data shows a market that has moved from hype-driven impulse purchases to what analysts call the “stock era”: slower headline growth, but consumers who are far more educated, selective, and loyal when they trust a brand.
C-Beauty Crosses 57% Market Share
Domestic brands now hold 57.4% of the Chinese cosmetics market, their fifth consecutive year of share gains. This is not purely a patriotism story. C-Beauty brands compress product development cycles to weeks, use ingredient narratives rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and operate with native fluency on Xiaohongshu and Douyin that most foreign brands cannot match. Brands we work with that adopt this playbook, including co-creating content with grassroots KOCs on Xiaohongshu before scaling with top KOL campaigns, see 2-3x the engagement rates of those still relying on banner ads.
Platform Strategy: Discovery vs. Conversion
The era of one platform doing everything is over. The data shows a clear division of labor in 2026. Douyin is the discovery and excitement layer: flash campaigns, KOL unboxings, product launches. Tmall and JD.com are the conversion and repurchase layer: detail pages, loyalty programs, subscription bundles. Xiaohongshu sits between both as the trust layer, where ingredient reviews and real user routines determine whether a product earns consideration. Brands that assign each platform a distinct role consistently outperform those running the same creative across all three.
AI Is Entering the Beauty Purchase Journey
In 2026, AI assistants like Doubao (ByteDance) and Kimi influence how Chinese consumers research beauty products before they reach any platform. Users ask AI for product comparisons, ingredient safety checks, and routine recommendations. The brands that appear in these AI responses are those with strong review density on Tmall, structured ingredient data on XHS, and published third-party efficacy studies. Cosmetics brands entering China need to optimize for AI discoverability alongside traditional search and KOL coverage. Proya already uses data-driven platforms to analyze online reviews and ingredient conversations across e-commerce, feeding insights directly into R&D. That is the standard international brands now compete against.
Outdoor Beauty and Functional Formulas
The outdoor lifestyle shift that accelerated post-lockdown is reshaping product demand. Consumers who hike, cycle, or run outdoors need SPF, anti-pollution, and long-wear formulas that perform under real conditions. Categories like mineral sunscreen, sweat-proof setting spray, and tinted SPF balm have grown consistently since 2023. For brands looking to sell cosmetics in China, positioning a product for specific outdoor scenarios generates stronger XHS content hooks than generic skincare routine messaging.
Efficacy Over Emotion
72% of urban Chinese consumers check ingredient labels before buying skincare. The decision framework has shifted from “which brand is popular” to “which brand understands my skin type, climate, and lifestyle.” Brands we work with that lead with clinical proof points, published test results, and dermatologist validation earn higher trust scores and lower return rates. The emotional brand story still matters for top-of-funnel awareness. But it no longer closes the sale on its own.
Our digital marketing agency for China helps beauty brands navigate these changes. Contact us for a free audit.
