Reference News website, February 27 report: According to the website of the "Nikkei Business Newspaper", Chinese domestic brands are making a strong rise in the Chinese cosmetics market. According to industry media reports, from January to September 2025, the retail sales of domestic brands increased by 8.3%, more than twice the average level of the market. The market share of domestic brands exceeded half, reaching 56.9%. Consumers' preferences have further shifted from foreign brands to domestic brands, which has brought a severe market environment for foreign companies, including Japanese cosmetics.
From January to September 2025, the total retail sales of China's cosmetics market grew by 3.9%, and it is expected that the annual sales will exceed 450 billion yuan. According to the sales channels, the online sales accounted for 54.1% of the total sales from January to September, significantly higher than the offline sales (such as physical store sales) of 45.9%. Domestic brands played the role of an engine.
According to Hori Iori, general manager of the Shanghai branch of Nint, who analyzed data on the Chinese e-commerce market, the drastic changes in the market pattern were due to the adjustment of strategies by domestic manufacturers. These companies previously mainly produced cosmetics for foreign companies through original equipment manufacturing (OEM) models.
Owing to the impact of the epidemic on China's exports, many companies launched their own brands and products to maintain factory operations. These affordable, high-quality products are very popular with consumers, providing strong momentum for the development of domestic brands.
The composition of cosmetics consumers is also changing. Currently, male consumers account for 35.7% of the total consumers, an increase of more than 20 percentage points compared to 2022. Consumers over the age of 45 have also seen significant growth.
The frequency and amount of cosmetics purchases by consumers have also changed. Compared to 2022, consumers purchase cosmetics more frequently. At the same time, the proportion of consumers who spend less than 1,000 yuan per year has also increased. Industry media attributes this trend of frequent small purchases to "consumer restraint and cost-effective consumption strategies driven by promotional activities."
Although "buying frenzy" was once prevalent among Chinese tourists traveling to Japan, including cosmetics consumption, now "rational consumption" has become the mainstream. Consumers pay more attention to "specific ingredients" and effects in products. The consumer scope has also expanded to areas such as anti-aging care and sensitive skin care. (Translated by Liu Lin)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7611364255383732787/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author themselves.