10 Favorite Cosmetics Brands of Chinese Ladies
*(Ranked by Tmall/JD Sales, Social Buzz, and Brand Equity | Data Sourced from CBNData, 2023-24 | Updated 2026)*
China’s cosmetics retail market hit 465.3 billion RMB in 2025, up 5.1% year-over-year according to iClick Interactive. Online channels now account for 65.4% of all transactions. What has changed more sharply is the brand mix: domestic labels like Proya, Florasis, and Winona crossed 57% combined market share in 2025, surpassing international names for the first time. This list reflects that shift. It covers the brands Chinese women actually buy most, mixing established international players with the domestic names now competing at the same tier.
1. Estée Lauder (雅诗兰黛)
Why Chinese Love It: Synonymous with luxury anti-aging science; dominates *618* and Singles’ Day sales with celebrity ambassadors like Yang Mi.
Top-Selling Products:
- Advanced Night Repair Serum (¥900/50ml): #1 serum in China; 2M+ units sold in 2023.
- Double Wear Foundation: “24-hour matte” claim resonates with humid climates.
- https://www.esteelauder.com.cn/
2. Lancôme (兰蔻)
Why Chinese Love It: Combines French elegance with localized campaigns (e.g., rose-themed collabs for Qixi Festival).
Top-Selling Products:
- Génifique Youth Activating Serum (¥1,080/50ml): Tmall’s top-selling premium serum.
- Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation: Viral on Douyin for “flawless selfie skin.”
3. Shiseido (资生堂)
Why Chinese Love It: Trusted Japanese R&D; leverages heritage and “Asia-fit” formulations.
Top-Selling Products:
- Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate (¥1,050/50ml): 1.5M units sold via livestreams in 2023.
- Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Cream: Targets aging anxiety in tier-2/3 cities.
4. L’Oréal Paris (巴黎欧莱雅)
Why Chinese Love It: Mass-premium positioning; KOL partnerships (e.g., Wang Yibo) drive Gen-Z appeal.
Top-Selling Products:
- Revitalift Filler Hyaluronic Acid Serum (¥350/30ml): Douyin’s #1 “affordable anti-aging” product.
- True Match Foundation: Customizable shades for diverse skin tones.
5. Dior (迪奥)
Why Chinese Love It: Status symbol; limited editions (e.g., Lunar New Year red lipsticks) sell out in seconds.
Top-Selling Products:
- Rouge Dior Lipstick (¥380): Iconic “999” red shade is a gifting staple.
- Capture Totale Super Potent Serum: Marketed as “red carpet skin in a bottle.”
6. Sulwhasoo (雪花秀)
Why Chinese Love It: Korean hanbang (herbal medicine) allure; positioned as “red ginseng luxury.”
Top-Selling Products:
- First Care Activating Serum (¥780/90ml): Xiaohongshu’s most-reviewed K-beauty product.
- Concentrated Ginseng Cream: Tmall’s #1 premium anti-aging cream in 2023.
7. MAC (魅可)
Why Chinese Love It: Bold, inclusive branding; collabs with C-pop idols and Chinese IPs (e.g., Forbidden City).
Top-Selling Products:
- Studio Fix Fluid Foundation (¥340): #1 foundation for “studio-level makeup” hype.
- Powder Kiss Lipstick: Viral “blurred lip” effect on Douyin.
8. Laneige (兰芝)
Why Chinese Love It: K-beauty hydration queen; dominates winter skincare routines.
Top-Selling Products:
- Water Sleeping Mask (¥230/70ml): 8M+ units sold annually.
- Neo Cushion Matte: “Pore-blurring” cushion for oily skin trends.
9. The Ordinary (平凡之美)
Why Chinese Love It: Transparent, affordable “skincare nerds” appeal; thrives on Xiaohongshu’s ingredient-focused reviews.
Top-Selling Products:
- Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (¥85/30ml): Viral for pore refinement and brightening; over 500K reviews on Xiaohongshu, frequently cited as the entry point into active skincare for Gen-Z buyers.
- AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution (¥99): The “red mask” generates high before/after content volume on Douyin; ingredient transparency drives repeat purchase from chemistry-literate consumers.
10. Florasis (花西子)
Why Chinese Love It: Heritage-narrative color cosmetics built around traditional Chinese aesthetics and botanical ingredients. Florasis converted cultural design into a real commercial engine, reaching 3 billion RMB in annual sales and becoming the dominant domestic color cosmetics brand. In early 2026, it opened a flagship at Ginza Six in Tokyo, the first Chinese cosmetics brand to operate there, signaling that the domestic premium tier is now export-ready.
Top-Selling Products:
- Embossed Silk Powder (¥199): Signature “blooming” floral texture design; top gifting SKU on Tmall for three consecutive years.
- Carved Lipstick (¥180): Engraved case design went viral on Xiaohongshu repeatedly. Search volume for “花西子口红” spiked 120% after the Tokyo launch announcement in January 2026.
2026 Update: How the Market Has Shifted
The brand list above reflects purchasing data from 2023-24. In 2026, several structural changes affect how Chinese women discover, evaluate, and buy cosmetics. Brands we work with at Cosmetics China Agency are navigating these shifts daily, and the data points below explain why some strategies that worked two years ago are producing weaker returns now.
Douyin Now Drives More Beauty GMV Than Tmall
Livestreaming accounts for approximately 70% of beauty sales on Douyin (ByteDance internal data, Q1 2026). This is not incremental volume; it has pulled discovery and conversion away from Tmall search. The pattern Cosmetics China Agency research confirms: Chinese women now browse Tmall less for product discovery and use it more for repurchase. The first encounter with a brand happens on Douyin via a livestream or short video, and the eventual cart sits on Tmall or directly in Douyin’s own checkout. Brands that still treat Tmall as their primary acquisition channel are losing top-of-funnel volume to competitors with stronger Douyin content operations.
Douyin’s beauty GMV contracted 1.13% year-on-year in February 2026, which marks the first meaningful dip after four years of growth. The contraction reflects saturation at the mid-tier: too many brands running the same livestream format with the same discount mechanics. Brands that held share during this period were those with differentiated content, not just aggressive pricing.
Xiaohongshu Has Become a Search Engine for Beauty
Over 70% of Xiaohongshu users now begin product research with a search query rather than browsing a feed (iClick Interactive, 2026). The platform functions as a lifestyle search engine. Searches are becoming longer and more specific: queries above 8 characters grew sharply, with anxiety-related beauty searches (“best products for stress skin,” “acne after 30”) up 66% year-on-year and healing-framed searches up 34%. Brands that invest in keyword-optimized note content on XHS are capturing intent that previously went to Baidu.
For international brands on this list, Xiaohongshu is where Chinese women validate purchase decisions. A product can generate Douyin hype, but XHS reviews determine whether it converts into repeat orders. Cosmetics China Agency data on brands like Estée Lauder and Lancôme shows that their Advanced Night Repair and Génifique serums each have more than 200K notes on XHS. That review depth is a competitive moat that newer or less-invested brands cannot replicate quickly.
AI Search Is Entering the Beauty Purchase Path
Doubao, ByteDance’s AI assistant, reached 260 million monthly active users in 2026 and grew 300% year-on-year (QuestMobile, Q2 2026). It now connects conversational queries directly to Douyin shopping links. A user who asks “which serum works for oily skin in summer” gets a product recommendation with a buy button. Kimi (Moonshot AI, 90M MAU) and Baidu’s ERNIE Bot (220M MAU) are running comparable integrations. This changes the top of the funnel for cosmetics: brand visibility in AI-generated answers is becoming as important as ranking in Tmall search or generating XHS notes. Brands without structured product data, ingredient transparency, and indexed content are invisible in these outputs.
For the international brands on this list, the AI search layer rewards ingredient storytelling and clinical claims. Shiseido’s Ultimune and The Ordinary’s active formulations surface well in AI responses precisely because their formulation rationale is documented and indexed. Brands that rely on aspirational image campaigns without substantiated product claims are less visible in this format.
Domestic Brands Are Not a Niche Anymore
Chinese beauty brands crossed 57% combined market share in 2025 for the first time. Florasis, Proya, Winona, and Perfect Diary are not positioned as budget alternatives. They compete at the same price tier as Sulwhasoo and MAC. Florasis’s carved lipstick at ¥180 and Proya’s active serums at ¥350-450 sit next to international products at equivalent price points, and they hold their own in ingredient review content. For the brands on this list, the competitive pressure is no longer just from other international names. The threat is domestic, and it is growing.
Brands we work with see the best results when they combine strong Tmall store fundamentals with aggressive XHS content seeding and Douyin livestream investment. The brands that treat these as separate activities, rather than one connected journey, consistently underperform on repurchase rates.
Our digital marketing agency for China helps beauty brands navigate these changes. Contact us for a free audit.
