China's Personal Care Market Surges to CN¥ 117 Billion
By Jotham Lim
5 min read
Executive Summary#
China's online personal care market recovered sharply in MAT2025, reaching CN¥ 117.0 billion with +22.8% year-on-year (YoY) growth after an almost flat MAT2024 (-0.4%). Body care accounted for 56% of the market in MAT2025 and was still gaining share, while fragrance has become the most important purchase driver in both hair care and body care. The rise of content-led commerce, where consumers discover products through short video and live streaming, has changed how personal care products are found and bought.
From an Almost Flat Year to CN¥ 117 Billion#
The market recovered quickly. After an almost flat MAT2024, when sales reached CN¥ 95.3 billion (-0.4% YoY), it added over CN¥ 21.7 billion in a single year to reach CN¥ 117.0 billion. That growth rate was above that of the broader fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) e-commerce market, which makes personal care one of the strongest consumer categories online.
Several forces came together to produce this growth: cost-effective domestic brands lowered the barriers to entry, content-led commerce widened the range of consumers the category reaches, and frequent promotional events such as 6.18 and Double 11 encouraged volume purchases. Average selling prices (ASP), however, fell from CN¥ 62.1 to CN¥ 51.0 over two years, which shows that volume-driven strategies and platform subsidies compressed margins across the category.
Personal care online market surges 22.8% YoY to CN¥ 117.0 billion#
| Period | Revenue (CN¥ B) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|
| MAT2023 | 95.7 | - |
| MAT2024 | 95.3 | -0.4% |
| MAT2025 | 117.0 | +22.8% |
After an almost flat MAT2024, the market passed the CN¥ 100 billion mark for the first time.
Body Care Overtakes Hair Care as the Source of Growth#
Body care grew from 53.8% to 55.6% of the total personal care market, rising 27.0% YoY to CN¥ 65.1 billion, while hair care grew 17.9% to CN¥ 51.9 billion. We believe the widening gap between the two segments reflects consumers moving towards multi-step body care routines, influenced by the "skinification" trend, in which the principles of facial skincare are applied to the body.
On social media, body care discussion more than doubled to 3.69 million posts (+131.9% YoY), while hair care discussion stayed almost flat at 2.92 million posts (-1.2% YoY), so consumer attention has moved towards body care as well as sales.
Body care captures 56% of personal care market and continues gaining share#
| Sub-category | MAT2024 Revenue (CN¥ B) | MAT2025 Revenue (CN¥ B) |
|---|---|---|
| Body Care | 51.3 | 65.1 |
| Hair Care | 44.0 | 51.9 |
Fragrance: The Decisive Purchase Factor#
Fragrance has moved from a secondary product attribute to the most important purchase driver in personal care. In body care, scent accounts for 50.2% of product evaluation discussion, more than five times the second dimension, hydrating and moisturising at 10.0%, and in hair care scent accounts for 36.8% of consumer focus, close to efficacy at 38.4%.
This focus on scent has driven rapid growth in fragrance-retaining products. Hair care fragrance products reached CN¥ 9.37 billion (+38.5% YoY), while body care fragrance products grew to CN¥ 12.64 billion (+61.8% YoY). Together they make a combined CN¥ 22.0 billion market growing at roughly double the rate of the personal care category as a whole.
Consumer motivations show that fragrance serves an emotional purpose. Relaxation drives 46.8% of hair care fragrance demand, followed by image management (28.9%) and lifestyle rituals (24.3%). Consumers increasingly see their personal care routine as a form of self-care in which scent is valued for relaxation.
Traditional floral scents such as cherry blossom, rose and camellia still hold the largest share of sales, while the fastest growth is in other scent families: oriental fragrances grew 137.1% YoY, gourmand scents 109.9% and woody notes 63.9%. We believe these families, influenced by trends in fine perfumery that are reaching daily personal care, show a consumer appetite for more distinctive scent profiles.
Content-Led Commerce Changes How Consumers Buy#
Interest-based, content-led commerce has changed how personal care products are discovered and bought. Personal care products are experiential and well suited to video demonstration. Short-video content and live commerce let consumers see a product's texture and hear about its scent before they buy, and they have become an important route to purchase in both hair care and body care. We believe brands in the category need content that explains a product's sensory qualities as much as listings that describe its specifications.
Emerging Usage Scenarios Create Premium Opportunities#
Body care consumption is moving beyond the bathroom. Gift-giving discussion grew 123.2% YoY to become the second-largest discussion scenario, while discussion of dating occasions rose 172.8% YoY. These scenarios carry higher prices: gift-giving products average CN¥ 92 and dating products average CN¥ 89, compared with CN¥ 25 for sports and fitness.
Gift set sales reached CN¥ 2.3 billion (+51.4% YoY), and premium gift boxes priced above CN¥ 500 accounted for over one-third of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day sales. As body care becomes something consumers give to others as well as use themselves, brands that develop product lines for specific occasions and invest in premium packaging have a clear opportunity.
Key Takeaways#
- Market recovery: China's online personal care market grew 22.8% YoY to CN¥ 117.0 billion after an almost flat MAT2024, adding over CN¥ 21.7 billion in a single year.
- Body care's lead: Body care accounts for 56% of the market and grew 27.0% YoY, ahead of hair care's 17.9%, as skinification encourages multi-step routines.
- Fragrance as category driver: Fragrance-retaining products generated CN¥ 22.0 billion combined, with body care fragrance products growing 61.8% YoY and hair care 38.5%.
- Content-led commerce: Short video and live commerce have become an important route to purchase in both segments, because they suit products that consumers judge by scent and texture.
- Premiumisation through occasions: Gift-giving and dating scenarios command 3-4x the average price of at-home use, which creates opportunities for premium positioning.
Related Insights#
About the Data#
This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence's proprietary e-commerce data, covering SKU-level transactions across three of China's leading marketplaces, with social media analysis drawn from three major Chinese social platforms. MAT2025 refers to the 12-month period from May 2024 to April 2025. Moojing analyses brand and category performance across major Chinese e-commerce platforms.
This content adheres to Moojing's editorial standards .
Frequently Asked Questions
From flat to a record in a single year. After MAT2024 came in at CN¥ 95.3 billion, essentially unchanged at -0.4%, MAT2025 reached CN¥ 117.0 billion at +22.8%, adding over CN¥ 21.7 billion and passing CN¥ 100 billion for the first time. The recovery was not evenly funded, though: average selling prices fell from CN¥ 62.1 to CN¥ 51.0 over two years, so cost-effective domestic entrants, content-led discovery and heavy promotional events expanded volume while compressing margin. The market got much bigger and somewhat cheaper at the same time.
Because "skinification" gave it more steps. Body care moved from 53.8% to 55.6% of the market, growing 27.0% to CN¥ 65.1 billion against hair care's 17.9% to CN¥ 51.9 billion. Consumers are applying facial skincare logic to the body, which turns one product into a routine. Attention moved the same way and further: body care discussion more than doubled to 3.69 million posts (+131.9%) while hair care stayed essentially flat at 2.92 million (-1.2%). A category that gains both steps and share of voice compounds; one that gains neither has to win on replacement cycles alone.
Because it does emotional as well as sensory work. In body care, scent accounts for 50.2% of product evaluation discussion, more than five times the second dimension (hydration at 10.0%), and in hair care it commands 36.8%, near parity with efficacy at 38.4%. The commercial follow-through is large: hair care fragrance products reached CN¥ 9.37 billion (+38.5%) and body care fragrance products CN¥ 12.64 billion (+61.8%), a combined CN¥ 22.0 billion growing at roughly double the category rate. Motivation explains the durability: relaxation drives 46.8% of hair care fragrance demand, image management 28.9% and lifestyle ritual 24.3%. Consumers are buying a self-care ritual in which scent is the part they value for relaxation.
In occasions rather than in formulations. Body care consumption has moved out of the bathroom: gift-giving discussion surged 123.2% to become the second-largest scenario and dating-occasion discussion 172.8%. Those scenarios carry the pricing: gift-giving products average CN¥ 92 and dating products CN¥ 89, against CN¥ 25 for sports and fitness, roughly three to four times the everyday price. Gift sets reached CN¥ 2.3 billion (+51.4%), with premium boxes above CN¥ 500 taking over a third of Valentine's Day and Mother's Day sales. Scent families show the same premiumisation: oriental fragrances grew 137.1%, gourmand 109.9% and woody 63.9%, while traditional florals hold the largest base.
