China's Beauty and Skincare Market Hits CN¥ 454B in 2025
By Quan Wenjun
5 min read
Executive Summary#
China's online beauty and skincare market reached CN¥ 454.2 billion in 2025, growing +9.7% year-on-year (YoY) with 5.13 billion units sold (+5.5%). Anti-aging emerged as the dominant growth engine at CN¥ 129.8 billion (+26.3%), while luxury brands and domestic challengers simultaneously gained ground -- L'Oreal held the top position at CN¥ 10.0 billion, but PROYA closed the gap at CN¥ 9.8 billion with the fastest share gains among the top 10 [1].
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A CN¥ 454 Billion Market with Distinct Seasonal Peaks#
China's beauty and skincare market outpaced GDP growth by a wide margin in 2025, confirming the sector's structural resilience and expanding consumer base. Total online sales reached CN¥ 454.2 billion (+9.7% YoY), with volume growth of +5.5% to 5.13 billion units indicating that the revenue increase was driven by a combination of higher purchase frequency and sustained premiumization.
Monthly sales data reveals two pronounced peaks that shape category planning. October dominated at CN¥ 58.0 billion, driven by National Day promotions and pre-Double 11 early access campaigns, while May reached CN¥ 48.4 billion on the back of 618 pre-sale activations and Mother's Day gifting. The July trough at CN¥ 26.5 billion -- a seasonal low between major shopping festivals -- represents an opportunity gap that brands with strong everyday positioning could exploit [2].
Price segmentation data reveals a polarizing market. In makeup, the CN¥ 0-300 band captured 74.1% of sales, confirming mass accessibility as the dominant purchase behavior. In skincare, the CN¥ 0-100 segment grew fastest at +20.6% YoY, driven by entry-level consumers and value-seeking repeat buyers. The mid-market band of CN¥ 300-500 experienced a squeeze as consumers traded either down to affordable essentials or up to premium efficacy products -- a barbell dynamic that is reshaping portfolio strategy across the industry.
Online beauty and skincare sales peak in October and May
Brand Competition: Luxury Surges While Domestic Brands Close the Gap#
The top 10 brands grew +12.5% collectively and expanded their combined market share by +2.9 percentage points -- but the most striking shift is who is gaining fastest. L'Oreal maintained the leading position at CN¥ 10.0 billion, yet PROYA stood just CN¥ 180 million behind at CN¥ 9.8 billion, having delivered +18.2% sales growth and +7.2 percentage points of share gain -- the strongest share expansion among any top-10 player [3].
L'Oreal leads a tightly contested top 5
Growth Engines: Anti-Aging and the Makeup Renaissance#
Anti-aging has become the single most important growth driver in China's beauty market, expanding at more than double the category average. The segment reached CN¥ 129.8 billion (+26.3% YoY), accounting for nearly 29% of total beauty and skincare spending. Body anti-aging -- a nascent category focused on neck, hand, and decolletage treatments -- surged +146.7%, signaling that anti-aging demand is extending well beyond facial skincare into full-body routines.
The competitive landscape within anti-aging splits along product format lines. SK-II dominated the serum segment, leveraging its Pitera franchise to capture premium positioning, while Helena Rubinstein led in anti-aging creams, driven by clinical-grade formulations targeting consumers aged 30 and above. Consumer interest data confirms that the 31-35 age cohort represents 23.4% of anti-aging demand -- the largest single demographic segment -- suggesting that anti-aging purchasing now begins earlier and runs deeper than in previous market cycles.
Meanwhile, the makeup segment is experiencing its own structural shift. Beauty enhancement sales grew +15.8% while social media buzz surged +70.2%, indicating that consumer excitement is running well ahead of purchase conversion -- a pattern that typically precedes accelerated sales growth in subsequent quarters. Key dynamics include:
- Cushion foundations surged +37.3% YoY, with compact formats displacing traditional liquid foundations as the preferred base makeup product
- Carslan (卡姿兰) grew +55.8%, establishing itself as the leading domestic makeup brand through aggressive social commerce activation
- MGP (毛戈平) advanced +33.9%, demonstrating that premium domestic makeup brands can compete with international players on quality positioning
- The "rosy vitality" aesthetic trend drove cross-category demand spanning blush, lip products, and tinted skincare, blurring the boundary between skincare and color cosmetics [5]
Key Takeaways#
- China's online beauty and skincare market reached CN¥ 454.2 billion (+9.7% YoY) with 5.13 billion units sold, driven by both premiumization and volume expansion
- Anti-aging is the dominant growth engine at CN¥ 129.8 billion (+26.3%), with body anti-aging surging +146.7% as routines extend beyond facial care
- Luxury brands are accelerating fastest: Helena Rubinstein +33.5%, YSL +29.2%, La Mer +26.6% -- all outpacing the market by 2-3x
- PROYA closed to within CN¥ 180 million of L'Oreal, gaining +7.2 pp of share and proving that domestic brands can compete at scale on innovation credibility
- Cushion foundations (+37.3%) and beauty enhancement buzz (+70.2%) signal a makeup renaissance that will reshape the category through 2026
## About the Data
This analysis is based on Moojing Market Intelligence data covering China's online beauty and skincare market for the full calendar year 2025. Moojing tracks 400,000+ brands across 30+ e-commerce platforms, representing 58-65% of China's online retail Gross Merchandise Value (GMV). Sales figures reflect online channel sell-through and do not include offline retail. YoY comparisons are calculated against the corresponding 2024 period. For full methodology, brand-level data, and additional category deep-dives, download the complete report.
- Website: moojing-global.com
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Frequently Asked Questions
CN¥ 454.2 billion in 2025, up +9.7% year on year on 5.13 billion units (+5.5%) — comfortably outpacing GDP growth. Volume rising more slowly than revenue means the increase came from a combination of higher purchase frequency and sustained premiumisation rather than from either alone. The year has two pronounced peaks that should shape category planning: October at CN¥ 58.0 billion on National Day promotions and pre-November early access, and May at CN¥ 48.4 billion on mid-year pre-sale and Mother's Day gifting. The July trough at CN¥ 26.5 billion is the opportunity gap — a month between festivals where a brand with strong everyday positioning faces much less competition.
Into a barbell, with the middle under pressure. In makeup, the CN¥ 0-300 band captured 74.1% of sales, confirming mass accessibility as the dominant behaviour. In skincare, the CN¥ 0-100 segment grew fastest at +20.6%, driven by entry-level consumers and value-seeking repeat buyers. The CN¥ 300-500 band was squeezed as consumers traded either down to affordable essentials or up to premium efficacy products. A portfolio built to occupy that middle is being asked to serve two motivations that are moving apart, which is why the barbell is reshaping portfolio strategy across the industry rather than just pricing.
Anti-aging, at more than double the category average. The segment reached CN¥ 129.8 billion at +26.3%, close to 29% of all beauty and skincare spending. Body anti-aging — neck, hand and décolletage treatments — surged +146.7%, which shows the demand extending well past facial skincare into full-body routines. The competitive split runs along product format: one brand dominates serums on a signature ferment franchise, another leads creams on clinical-grade formulations for consumers over 30. And the buyer is younger than the category assumes — the 31-35 cohort alone is 23.4% of anti-aging demand, the largest single segment, so anti-aging purchasing now starts earlier and runs deeper than in previous cycles.
At the very top, yes. The ten largest brands grew +12.5% collectively and added +2.9 percentage points of share, but the striking movement is who gained fastest. The international leader held first place at CN¥ 10.0 billion while a domestic challenger sat just CN¥ 180 million behind at CN¥ 9.8 billion, having grown +18.2% and added +7.2 percentage points — the strongest share expansion of any brand in the leading group. Luxury is accelerating in parallel, with several premium houses growing +26.6% to +33.5%, two to three times the market. The makeup side shows the same domestic strength: cushion foundations grew +37.3%, and the leading domestic makeup brands grew +55.8% and +33.9%, with beauty enhancement buzz up +70.2% against +15.8% in sales — intent running ahead of conversion.
