Cushion Foundations Surge +37.3% as China's Makeup Evolves
By Jessie Wang
6 min read
Executive Summary#
China's makeup market is moving away from heavy coverage and towards skin-enhancing beauty that preserves natural features. Online sales of makeup in the beauty enhancement efficacy, the product-claim group for makeup that enhances features rather than covering them, grew 15.8% year on year (YoY) in 2025, while social media discussion of it rose 70.2%. Face makeup within this efficacy grew 18.6%, and cushion foundations grew fastest of all face makeup categories, at 37.3%. Domestic brands such as Carslan and MGP (Mao Geping) have built their makeup lines around this shift, which we believe shows that Chinese consumers increasingly trust homegrown makeup brands to define beauty on their own terms [1].
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The Skincare-Makeup Convergence#
The line between skincare and makeup became harder to draw in 2025, as anti-aging product sales grew 26.3% YoY. As skincare education spread on social media, awareness of "photoaging" turned sunscreen from an optional seasonal product into a daily essential, and by 2025 consumers recognised that a makeup look depends on well-protected skin underneath.
On the cleansing side, discussion of makeup removal grew 18.8% YoY as barrier repair became a mainstream concern. Consumers connected gentle, thorough cleansing with long-term skin health, which drove demand for oil-based cleansers and micellar water formulations designed to remove makeup without compromising the skin barrier they had spent months rebuilding. This attention to both protection and preservation is changing what consumers expect from makeup, so that SPF, skincare actives and a natural finish, which were once premium differentiators, have become baseline requirements.
Beauty Enhancement Takes Centre Stage#
Beauty enhancement overtook all other makeup efficacies in 2025, with sales up 15.8% and social media discussion up 70.2%. Consumers have moved from "covering flaws" to "sculpting bone structure and preserving natural features", an approach that matches the anti-aging and barrier-repair direction of skincare.
Within beauty enhancement, these trends stood out in 2025:
- Luminous and glitter effects: +133.4% growth, as precise shimmer techniques moved from editorial shoots into everyday routines
- Men's grooming makeup: +43.5% growth, reflecting growing male interest in appearance management across city tiers
- Long-lasting and non-caking formulas: a baseline consumer expectation by 2025, so a product that cannot deliver all-day wear is unlikely to be considered
Face makeup under the beauty enhancement efficacy grew 18.6% YoY in total sales and gained 2.9 percentage points (pp) of market share. Foundation remains the largest sub-category at CN¥ 14.57 billion, but its stable growth rate indicates a mature format, and most of the growth is coming from newer formats that combine convenience with skincare benefits.
Brand Strategies in Domestic and International Makeup#
Two Chinese brands show how domestic makeup brands are building their businesses in different price tiers of the beauty enhancement market.
Carslan, founded in 2001, has pursued a philosophy of "trendy makeup, within everyone's reach", and its mass-market positioning is aimed at Tier 3+ cities, where makeup penetration continues to expand. Its products, such as the Black Magnet Setting Powder Compact and the Night Cat Foundation, emphasise long-lasting wear and a natural finish at accessible prices.
MGP (Mao Geping) positions itself as a premium domestic makeup brand under the "Master of Oriental Makeup Aesthetics" identity. Its philosophy, "shape beauty through makeup, craft the Oriental aesthetic", appeals to consumers looking for makeup techniques designed for Asian facial contours. Products such as the Luxury Caviar Cushion and the Flawless Skin Foundation Stick support the brand's premium positioning.
On the international side, YSL's Pink Star Limited Edition Cushion Foundation is an example of a premium cushion built for this trend. The product's claims of "flawless sheer coverage" and a "dewy finish" match the rosy vitality trend closely, since they combine skincare nourishment with coverage at a luxury price point.
Rosy Vitality and the New Style Landscape#
"Rosy Vitality Makeup" emerged as the fastest-rising style trend of 2025, with an emphasis on a healthy flushed complexion that reflects inner wellness. The style is defined by three principles:
- Flaw attitude: "Minor flaws, embrace; major flaws, lightly cover." The aim is natural vitality, and flaws are accepted as part of authentic skin texture.
- Colour approach: Warm-toned base with rosy undertone. Shades including apricot pink, peach, coral, and red-tea brown mimic the natural flush of healthy skin.
- Makeup hierarchy: "Focused enhancement plus light base." Visual attention shifts to rosy blush or lip colour, with priority on facial fullness and dimension and no heavy layering of colour.
Rosy Vitality competes with several other trending styles. Noble Chic, with nude brown and grey-pink palettes suited to formal settings, lacks the energy younger consumers want. K-Beauty's low-saturation, translucent "glass skin" finish remains popular but is less flattering for the warm or deep undertones common among Chinese consumers. Soft Romantic's diffused matte-blur palette is approachable but risks a flat complexion.
Runway beauty pointed the same way, and at Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025 radiant skin and intense eyes were the leading look [2].
Key Takeaways#
- Cushion foundations grew fastest of all face makeup categories, at 37.3% YoY, driven by the convergence of skincare nourishment and makeup convenience
- Rosy Vitality Makeup overtook K-Beauty and Noble Chic as the fastest-rising style trend, reflecting consumer demand for healthy, natural-looking warmth
About the Data#
This analysis is based on Moojing Market Intelligence data covering China's online beauty and skincare market in 2025. Moojing analyses brand and category performance across major Chinese e-commerce platforms. For full methodology and additional insights, see the complete 2025 Beauty & Skincare whitepaper.
- Website: moojing-global.com
- Email: info@moojing-global.com
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/68588397/
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Frequently Asked Questions
China's makeup buyers are moving away from heavy coverage toward skin-enhancing beauty that preserves natural features, so that the aim has shifted from covering flaws to sculpting bone structure and keeping what is already there. Beauty enhancement overtook every other makeup efficacy in 2025, with sales up 15.8% and social discussion up 70.2%, and face makeup under it grew 18.6% and gained 2.9 percentage points of share. Discussion grew faster than sales, which we believe suggests that interest is running ahead of purchases.
Because they sit exactly where skincare and makeup are converging. Cushions grew 37.3%, faster than any other face makeup category, while traditional foundation, still the largest sub-category at CN¥ 14.57 billion, grew steadily in the way of a mature format. The cushion wins on the combination of skincare nourishment and application convenience, which is precisely what a consumer buying skin enhancement rather than coverage is looking for. SPF, skincare actives and a natural finish have stopped being premium differentiators and become baseline requirements.
Consumer education, mostly about damage. Anti-aging product sales grew 26.3% in 2025, and as skincare knowledge spread through social platforms, awareness of photoaging turned sunscreen from an optional seasonal product into a daily essential, because consumers came to accept that a makeup look depends on protected skin underneath. The same logic runs at the other end of the day: makeup removal discussion grew 18.8% as barrier repair became mainstream, pushing demand toward oil-based cleansers and micellar formulations that lift makeup without undoing the barrier work.
The fastest-rising style trend of 2025, built on a healthy flushed complexion that reads as inner wellness rather than cosmetic artifice. It has three rules: a flaw attitude of "minor flaws embrace, major flaws lightly cover"; a warm base with a rosy undertone in apricot pink, peach, coral and red-tea brown; and a hierarchy of focused enhancement over a light base, moving attention to blush or lip colour instead of layering. It won on fit, because one competing style lacks the energy younger consumers want, another's translucent finish flatters warm or deep undertones less well, and a third risks a flat result. Adjacent evidence points the same way: luminous and glitter effects grew 133.4%, and men's grooming makeup grew 43.5%.
