The rise of C-beauty: are Chinese cosmetics the next big thing? (2024)

From double cleansing to aegyo-sal make-up to watery, serum-like sunscreens, products attesting to the global dominance of South Korean and Japanese beauty practices abound on digital marketplaces and social media. Now, in the wake of several merger and acquisition moves by key players, experts are more confident than ever that Chinese brands are following in the footsteps of “K-beauty” and “J-beauty”.

In early February, L’Oréal announced its minority stake in Chinese fragrance brand To Summer. According to Elisa Harca, the co-founder of marketing and social media agency Red Ant Asia, the move signals a bright future for Chinese beauty.

“The L’Oréal investment is very significant as it shows how relevant a brand like To Summer is, both locally and potentially globally,” says Harca. “I’m sure L’Oréal have been watching the evolution of To Summer for a long time, and felt that the time was right in terms of brand, product and market.”

Fragrance is proving one of China’s strongest – and most resilient – beauty categories. According to market research firm Euromonitor International, the mainland’s fragrance industry could be worth US$3.1 billion by 2025, up from US$2 billion in 2022.

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Like other C-beauty brands, much of To Summer’s identity revolves around Chinese culture. Take its Lunar New Year collection, which included scented candles and a star lantern, and was showcased using the format of a family dinner menu.

Not only will L’Oréal be able to apply insights from To Summer across its 36 brands, but investing in or acquiring businesses is often more cost efficient than starting one from scratch. It wasn’t the French beauty giant’s first experiment with C-beauty and fragrance: in September 2022, the group invested in Documents, a luxury player known for using ingredients like star anise, mugwood and yulan magnolia. Rival Estée Lauder is also involved, having invested in fragrance brand Melt Season in December 2023.

C-beauty’s rise extends beyond candles and perfume though. “[C-beauty brands] increasingly offer products that are not only price competitive but also have high efficacy,” says Marc-Olivier Arnold, partner and chief strategy officer at RTG Consulting Group. He adds that this is especially true in skincare, a category in which anti-ageing-centric Proya – which he calls “L’Oréal’s top competitor in China” – and sensitive skin-focused Winona, are thriving.

“The Chinese consumer has become more discerning when it comes to skincare, and is quick to pick up on industry trends and research, resulting in a highly mature audience that opts for products that address their specific concerns, instead of merely buying into big global brand names,” Arnold notes. Harca echoes the sentiment, highlighting herbal skincare and lifestyle brand Herbeast, which secured Series A funding in 2022, and four-year-old clean beauty player Dewy Lab as up-and-comers signalling the market’s potential.

It isn’t just global beauty groups and Chinese consumers who are betting on C-beauty – global shoppers are also taking notice of Chinese brands.

Take, for instance, Judy, an Auckland-based content creator who posts her favourite C-beauty finds on social media (and who chose not to give her surname). Alongside Chinese product hauls and Douyin make-up tutorials showing users how to recreate the app’s signature shimmery, blurry lips and clustered manhua (manga) lashes, she has a video explaining how “C-beauty is top tier”.

In the TikTok, which has over 136,000 views, she gushes about make-up brand Flower Knows’ elaborate yet considered packaging design, affordability and excellent formulas.

Judy discovered C-beauty on the social media app Xiaohongshu and has been spreading the word since. While the reception among her viewers has been good, she notes that some still hold preconceived notions, such as believing that all Chinese brands test on animals or that they only make lower-end products.

With this in mind, can C-beauty truly go big? As Harca points out, the category’s rich cultural branding strategies and targeted products could fail to resonate with non-Chinese shoppers. Arnold mentions cosmetics business Jooycee, which gained popularity for its 18 cushion foundation shades spanning warm and cool undertones. “All 18 shades were made for lighter [skintones.] This might not play out so well on the global stage,” he says.

Moreover, China would need to learn from South Korea’s soft power strategy, and solidify interest in its heritage and pop culture to reel in global audiences. “Brand China doesn’t quite have the same caché as brand Korea on the global stage yet,” Harca notes.

But from where she’s standing, Judy is adamant that C-beauty stands a chance. “I love K-beauty, but I think they had their moment – right now most K-beauty looks the same,” she says. “When you see C-beauty, there’s so much innovation and creativity.”