China is the second largest beauty market in the world behind the United States in revenue terms, according to Statistica. And it’s a market with plenty going on, fuelled by increasingly engaged consumers and shaped by a significant boom in e-commerce, said Ying Sang, executive chairman of B2B trade fair China Beauty Expo.
C-beauty trends
Speaking to attendees at the Cosmetic 360 tradeshow in Paris, France, last month, Sang said China’s 250 million younger consumers – aged 18-34 years – remain a “dominant group for beauty” because they are buying from both domestic and international brands and “tend to be more experimental”.
Consumers aged 24-44 years represent 219 million in China, she said, and have a preference for “high quality and functional products” like those targeting anti-ageing or specialised skincare needs and are more likely to invest in premium.
However, the 646 million people aged 45+ in China are an “increasingly important” group for beauty, Sang said. “There is a rising demand for premium brands that address ageing.”
Beyond this, Chinese beauty consumers in general are “becoming more health conscious and environmentally aware”, she said, so brands offering cleaner and greener products at reasonable price points will appeal. Though none of this is relevant without a significant e-commerce strategy, she said.
E-commerce influence
The influence of e-commerce on China’s beauty market cannot be underestimated, Sang said, particularly the content side where livestreaming and influencer marketing was now key to engaging with consumers.
Moto Chen, vice president of specialised beauty publication China Cosmetics Review (CCR), agreed: “The integration of content and shopping has already transformed consumer behaviour in China a lot.”
And this can only really be understood in studying how TikTok Shop (actually, its Chinese counterpart named Douyin) has shaped the country’s beauty market, Chen told attendees.
Online sales through TikTok/Douyin Shop hit a merchandise value of US$449 billion in China in 2024; about 30% higher than the previous year with 65% of sales coming from short videos and livestreams.
Describing this growth as “explosive”, Chen said the platform holds significant promise for beauty brands and retailers in China. “Why does it work so well? It’s a fully integrated ecosystem with discovery, education, purchase and post-purchase support all happening in one place. This encourages repeat purchases; it’s not just about impulse buys.”
Beyond China - a “rare” growth opportunity
And the opportunity of TikTok Shop stretches far beyond China’s beauty borders, given how rapidly the platform is gaining momentum in Europe and the US, said Chen. Understanding how the model has evolved in China, therefore, will be key for European and US beauty businesses looking to unlock “new opportunities” in e-commerce and, more specifically, content e-commerce.
But businesses must “move quickly”, Chen said. “...Europe now has a rare opportunity. Early adopters can capture market share before the channel becomes saturated.”
The UK provides a “clear preview” of what could soon happen across Europe, he explained. TikTok Shop now engages over 30 million monthly users in the UK –a lmost half of the population – and features 490 billion beauty-related reels, the equivalent of around 7,000 beauty videos for every person in the UK. The platform has become a “commercial powerhouse”, converting engagement into business, he said.
Chen said the future of global beauty growth clearly lies in “immersive” and “educational” strategies driven by content. “Content e-commerce is fundamentally reshaping the global beauty industry,” he explained. “TikTok Shop’s expansion across Europe is not just a test, it is the new reality. And European beauty brands are at a cross-roads, I think everyone is, entering what we call this ’China moment’. The brands that embrace this model early will build a deeper consumer relationship and gain a decisive data advantage.”
