Wet Toilet Paper Surges +11.5% on Celebrity Marketing
By Jessie Wang
4 min read
Executive Summary
China's wet toilet paper market reached CN¥ 3.05 billion with +11.5% YoY growth, making it the fastest-growing towel product category in the December 2023 to November 2024 period. Deyou (德佑) commands a dominant 35.9% market share, powered by its Joy of Life Season 2 celebrity collaboration and Douyin-first distribution strategy. This deep-dive examines how brand strategy, platform dynamics, and product innovation are reshaping the category.
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Market Growth Driven by Volume and Value
Wet toilet paper stands out as the only towel product category achieving simultaneous revenue and volume growth. While regular wet wipes saw price erosion and cotton soft towels grew modestly, wet toilet paper revenue expanded +11.5% YoY alongside healthy volume gains.
Wet toilet paper revenue grows +11.5% YoY to CN¥ 3.05 billion
Platform Dynamics: Douyin's Expanding Role
Douyin expanded its wet toilet paper revenue share from 25.6% to 31.1%, a +5.5pp gain that outpaces Douyin's share growth in any other towel product category. This acceleration reflects the platform's effectiveness for category education -- short-video content demonstrates product benefits more effectively than static e-commerce listings.
Douyin and JD.com gain share in wet toilet paper market
Deyou's Dominant Strategy: Celebrity IP + Douyin Distribution
Deyou's CN¥ 1.09 billion in wet toilet paper revenue represents +35.2% YoY growth and 35.9% market share -- a commanding lead over second-place Vinda at 9.1%. Three strategic pillars drive this dominance:
Celebrity IP Collaboration: The Joy of Life Season 2 partnership with spokesperson Zhang Ruoyun generated massive social media engagement. Deyou's social media content volume and fan distribution metrics show clear correlation between celebrity campaign timing and revenue spikes.
Douyin-First Distribution: Rather than treating Douyin as a supplementary channel, Deyou built its wet toilet paper business with Douyin as the primary discovery and purchase platform. This approach captures consumers earlier in their purchase journey.
Product Innovation: Deyou invested in water purification differentiation, positioning its products with EDI pure water technology alongside "zero additives" claims that resonate with health-conscious consumers.
Product Innovation: Water Purification as Differentiator
Product differentiation in wet toilet paper increasingly centers on water purification technology. Key innovation vectors include:
- EDI pure water: Electro-deionization technology producing ultra-pure water for premium positioning
- Hot spring water: Natural mineral water content as a luxury differentiator
- Deionized ultra-pure water: Technical-sounding claims that signal quality to educated consumers
- 99.9% antibacterial: Standard hygiene claim adopted by virtually all new entrants
Softness, ease of use, and portability are core consumer demands
Competitive Landscape: Top Brands
The wet toilet paper market shows high concentration, with Deyou's 35.9% share dwarfing all competitors:
- Deyou (德佑): 35.9% share, CN¥ 1.09 billion, +35.2% YoY -- category king
- Vinda (维达): 9.1% share, leveraging tissue brand heritage for cross-category credibility
- Kleenex (舒洁): 5.3% share, competing on international brand recognition and quality perception
- Deyou's lead over Vinda (26.8pp gap) is the widest brand-to-second gap across all three towel product categories
New entrants primarily compete on Douyin and Tmall/Taobao with aggressive pricing and antibacterial positioning, but struggle to match Deyou's integrated celebrity marketing and distribution scale.
Key Takeaways
- Wet toilet paper grew +11.5% YoY to CN¥ 3.05 billion, the fastest-growing towel product category
- Deyou dominates with 35.9% market share, nearly 4x larger than second-place Vinda
- Douyin's share expanded +5.5pp to 31.1%, outpacing platform gains in other towel categories
- Water purification technology (EDI, hot spring water) drives premium product differentiation
- Celebrity IP collaborations (Joy of Life Season 2) correlate with social media engagement and revenue growth
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About the Data
This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence data covering December 2023 to November 2024. Moojing tracks 400,000+ brands across 30+ e-commerce platforms, representing 58-65% of China's online retail GMV. For full methodology and additional insights, see the complete Towel Products whitepaper.
This content adheres to Moojing's editorial standards .
