China's Online Moisturizing Tissue Sales Grow 24.5%

Executive Summary#

China's moisturizing tissue market reached CN¥ 1.95 billion in Jan-Oct 2024, growing 24.5% YoY^[1], which makes it the fastest-growing segment in household paper products. COROU (可心柔) built the category on brand equity and premium pricing, while challenger brands such as Zhihu (植护) and Bubandi (布班迪) have entered it with value pricing and ingredient innovation. This analysis looks at how brand strategies, product innovation and social commerce are changing competition in one of China's most dynamic paper product categories.

COROU's Strategy: Building a Premium Category#

COROU (可心柔) developed the moisturizing tissue category as a premium consumer product. Its strategy rests on brand equity that consumers are willing to pay for, together with a steady investment in brand building and celebrity marketing that we describe below.

The Rise of Value Challengers#

Alongside the premium end of the market, value brands such as Zhihu (植护) and Bubandi (布班迪) have entered the category with a deliberate strategy:

• Value pricing at an average of CN¥ 15-16, well below the premium end of the market, which lowers the barrier to a first purchase
• Ingredient-led differentiation, with Zhihu using Xinjiang sun-grown cotton and a four-layer design for durability
• Content-commerce-first distribution, which uses content-led platforms to reach price-sensitive consumers

We believe this approach shows that lower prices can widen the market for moisturizing tissue, as value brands bring in consumers who had not bought the category before.

Celebrity Endorsements and Social Media#

Social commerce has become an important part of competition in the category. COROU's announcement in October 2024 of the actress Liu Shishi as its brand ambassador generated 27,694 social media mentions and 540,513 engagements in a single month^[1]. The campaign message, "The world is hard, we are soft," connects an emotional aspiration with the product's functional benefits.

COROU social media engagement surges in Oct 2024 following Liu Shishi brand ambassador announcement

*Source: Moojing Market Intelligence*

Product Innovation Beyond "Moisturizing"#

Innovation in this market is happening in structure, ingredients and format. Structural innovation is the fastest-moving area, as four-layer products grew from 2.4% to 6.2% of the market in one year^[1]. Products in this format from brands such as Tempo and Zhihu are designed for wet-strength durability for users with rhinitis and sensitive skin.

Ingredient innovation is central to the strategies of high-growth brands, many of which differentiate through added ingredients such as imported cream, milk protein, glycerin, camellia flower extract and rice germ. These ingredients serve both to improve the product and to set it apart in marketing.

Format innovation shows consumer demand moving towards both ends of the pack-size range. Bulk 72-pack formats more than doubled from 2.0% to 4.5% of the market, while small 3-pack trial sizes grew from 1.7% to 5.4%^[1]. We believe this growth at both ends reflects a common consumer journey, in which shoppers try the product in small packs and then move to bulk purchases once they have settled on a preference.

Consumer Demand: Baby-Centric with Untapped Segments#

Consumer review analysis shows a market centred on babies, with infant and child-related mentions making up 78.6% of all reviews^[1]. Softness (5,000 mentions), skin-friendliness (3,203) and moisturizing (2,297) are the core benefits consumers expect.

Rhinitis patients, at 11.7%, are the most underserved group. Baby-focused marketing was what consumers expected from brands in the category in 2024, so rhinitis patients offer a way to stand out for brands that invest in targeted formulation and messaging. Makeup removal is also emerging as a new use, which extends moisturizing tissue beyond its traditional baby care positioning.

Strategic Outlook#

We expect two developments to shape the moisturizing tissue market in the near term. First, content-led platforms are likely to become an important source of growth for the category, since content commerce suits products that consumers want to see and experience before they buy. Second, ingredient innovation is likely to become a basic expectation in place of a point of difference, which will require brands to develop more specific positioning around usage occasions, consumer groups or material provenance.

For brands considering entry into this market, the data suggests leading with a specific functional claim that is backed by credible ingredient or material innovation, pricing competitively to encourage trial, and investing in content-first strategies to build awareness efficiently.

Footnotes#

^[1] Source: Moojing Market Intelligence, Jan-Oct 2024 e-commerce data across four leading Chinese marketplaces.