SMOOTO

SMOOTO is a Thai skincare brand founded in Bangkok in 2013. The brand built its reputation on tomato extract formulas with vitamin C and organic moisturizers, targeting women looking for affordable, effective facial care. After strong growth across Southeast Asia, SMOOTO set its sights on China, the world's second-largest skincare market, now valued at over USD 62 billion and growing at close to 7% per year.

Entering China in 2026 is a different game from five years ago. C-beauty brands now hold more than 57% of market share, their fifth consecutive year of gains. Chinese consumers in the 25-35 age bracket demand proof of efficacy: clinical actives, full ingredient transparency, peer reviews on Xiaohongshu. Douyin has overtaken Tmall as the primary revenue channel for beauty. A KOL-led livestream session can drive thousands of units in a single hour. For a foreign brand with no Chinese identity, no follower base, and no local registration, breaking through requires a precise multi-platform entry from day one. Cross-border e-commerce via Tmall Global offers the fastest legal route in, but without social proof built in parallel, traffic will not convert.

GMA was brought in to build SMOOTO's presence in China from scratch. The brief covered opening a Tmall Global store, seeding the brand on Xiaohongshu and Douyin through KOL and KOC partnerships, and building a WeChat community around SMOOTO's core brightening and hydration line. The target audience was Chinese women aged 22 to 35 in first and second-tier cities, open to Southeast Asian beauty alternatives and already engaged with efficacy-driven skincare content on social platforms.