US Media: Chinese beauty brands are choosing Southeast Asia as their top destination for overseas expansion, rather than European and American markets.
The parent company of Juoduo, Joy Group, achieved overseas sales of $87 million in 2025, with Vietnam being its largest overseas market. The company plans to open stores in Malaysia by year-end, while Singapore serves as its regional hub. From 2019 to 2024, the annual compound growth rates for Chinese makeup and skincare brands in Southeast Asia reached as high as 70% and 115%, respectively. This shift is driven by geographical proximity, cultural similarities, and a youthful demographic structure.
Chinese brands are enhancing their image through technological accumulation, research and development investment (reaching $10.3 billion in 2024), and culturally tailored marketing strategies, while also launching sunscreen and waterproof products adapted to local climates. Although some brands continue to explore the European and American markets, experts caution that beauty products require adaptation to different skin types, making it significantly more challenging to break into markets with substantial cultural differences compared to "hard goods" like electric vehicles.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867498853074954/
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