A recent report released by the Beijing Consumers Association on May 31 reveals that livestreaming is even more pervasive in online shopping in China than most marketers anticipated.
The survey included 4,112 consumers. It found that 90% of respondents have either browsed or made purchases through livestreams. That number stopped me when I first read it. After 15 years working in the China beauty market, I still find it striking. This is not a niche behavior. It is the default way Chinese consumers shop.
If your brand is not in livestreaming right now, you are not just missing a channel. You are missing the channel.
The numbers behind the trend in 2026
The Beijing report data confirms what we see daily with the brands we work with. But the picture has evolved significantly since that study was published. In 2026, China’s livestream e-commerce market is projected to exceed 6.2 trillion RMB in gross merchandise value. That is up from roughly 4.9 trillion in 2024.
Douyin now accounts for over 40% of all livestream shopping sessions in China. Taobao Live remains the leader for conversion, but Douyin has closed the gap fast. Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) has quietly become a third major player, especially for premium and niche beauty brands. Its livestream format feels less transactional, more editorial. For cosmetics, that matters.
I’ve seen skincare brands generate more qualified traffic from a 90-minute XHS livestream than from three months of banner ads. The audience quality is different. Users come with intent. They want to understand ingredients, ask questions in real time, and see how a product performs on actual skin.
Learn more about how to position your brand on Xiaohongshu for cosmetics marketing and why it is increasingly the first stop for Chinese beauty consumers.
Influencers and key opinion leaders (KOLs) in China
The report’s findings confirm the influence of KOLs. Nearly half of respondents cited their fondness for specific livestreamers as the primary reason for tuning in. This is the parasocial dynamic that drives Chinese social commerce. Consumers follow people, not brands. They trust a familiar face more than a product page.
What has changed in 2026 is the segmentation of that trust. The era of one mega-KOL selling everything to everyone is fading. Brands that work with us now achieve better results by combining a mid-tier KOL with 50,000 to 500,000 followers for credibility, and a cluster of KOCs (key opinion consumers) for volume and authenticity. The micro-to-macro approach consistently outperforms single-influencer campaigns in the beauty category.
AI-powered discovery is also reshaping how consumers find livestreams. Douyin’s algorithm now surfaces relevant streams based on a user’s ingredient search history, past purchase behavior, and even the skin concerns they have searched in other apps. A consumer who spent 20 minutes reading about retinol on XHS may be shown a dermocosmetics livestream on Douyin that same evening. For brands, this creates new possibilities for targeted entry, but only if your content and KOL selection align with actual search intent.
See our full overview of KOL marketing strategy in China to understand how to structure your influencer investment for the beauty market.
The most popular categories
The most popular categories for livestream shopping in the Beijing survey are cosmetics and:
- personal care products (50.78%),
- food and beverages (40.71%),
- clothing and shoes (35.24%),
- daily household items (25.41%),
- digital appliances (20.65%),
- jewelry and collectibles (16.25%).
Cosmetics at the top is no accident. Beauty products are demonstrable. A host can show texture, apply foundation live, react to a serum in real time. The format fits the category perfectly. No other product type benefits as much from video commerce as skincare and makeup.
In 2026, ingredient-focused content is driving the most engagement in the beauty category. Chinese consumers, especially the 25-35 demographic, actively research formulas before buying. Niacinamide, centella, peptides, fermented extracts: these are search terms, not just ingredient labels. A livestream that explains why a formula works, not just what it does, converts at a significantly higher rate. Brands that work with us script their KOL sessions around ingredient education. It increases average order value and reduces returns.
Traditional e-commerce platforms remain the primary channels for livestream shopping. But the growth in Douyin and Xiaohongshu is where the opportunity sits for beauty brands entering the market or trying to reach a younger, more discovery-oriented consumer.
Why Livestreaming?
The survey found that the main reasons consumers choose livestream shopping include trust and affinity for the host. Nearly half (48.54%) of respondents said they choose livestream shopping because they like the hosts. Another 41.68% cited trust. Additionally, 28.04% said livestream shopping stimulates their desire to buy, and 18.14% mentioned product affordability.
That last point matters for beauty brands. The price perception in livestreams is often more favorable than on a static product page. Hosts negotiate exclusive deals. The urgency of a limited session stock creates momentum that no banner ad can replicate. I have watched a French skincare brand sell out 800 units of a 480 RMB serum in under 25 minutes during a well-briefed Douyin session. The same product had been sitting in their Tmall store for six weeks with minimal traction.
The mechanics behind this are not complicated. Trust is built through repetition, expertise, and relatability. A KOL who consistently reviews skincare with honest feedback builds an audience that follows their recommendation as seriously as a dermatologist’s. For foreign beauty brands, finding the right host is the hardest part. It requires real vetting, not just follower counts.
What this means for your brand strategy
If you are a cosmetics brand looking to enter or scale in China, livestreaming is not optional. It is where product discovery happens, where trust is built, and where purchase decisions are made, often in real time.
The platforms are not interchangeable. Taobao Live is best for brands already on Tmall with an established SKU range. Douyin works for reach and new audience acquisition, especially for brands with visual storytelling potential. XHS is where premium and niche brands should start if they want to build credibility before going broad.
Read our guide on Douyin advertising for beauty brands to understand how to structure your first campaigns and choose the right KOL profile.
The ingredient trend is not slowing down. Chinese consumers in 2026 are better informed about formulas than most Western consumers. They read labels. They cross-reference claims on XHS before buying. Your KOL needs to speak that language. A host who can explain why your hyaluronic acid molecule size matters, and how it penetrates differently than a competitor’s formula, will always outperform one who just says the product feels nice.
We work with beauty brands at every stage, from first Tmall entry to multi-platform KOL programs. Our team at our China KOL and influencer agency runs livestream campaigns across Douyin, XHS, and Taobao Live for cosmetics brands that want real results, not just impressions.
Contact us for a free consultation on your China cosmetics strategy.
