How brands can monetize male beauty in China

Key points to remember:

• Male beauty is one of the fastest growing consumer product segments in China, and the growth of male beauty product buyers has exceeded that of women. According to CBNData (2020), almost 80% of men born after the 1990s developed skin care routines during their studies.

• The men’s skincare industry in China is more than three times the size of the US market and more than twice the size of South Korea (2019). And according to Mintel, the market will reach $2.8 billion (RMB 18.5 million) by 2025.

• National brands overcome the influence of international brands on young local consumers, thanks to their agile business model and understanding of local consumer needs. According to a report by ocean engineseven of the top ten men’s personal care brands on the Douyin platform were local brands in 2020.

From masks to eye creams and foundations to bronzers, thousands of male Tik-Tokers are sharing their beauty routines and expertise on video-sharing platforms like Douyin. And in the comments sections, many people have asked for product recommendations and advice on skin conditions, such as acne and other blemishes.

This growing interest in Douyin points to a vibrant Chinese men’s skincare market, which was valued at $1.9 billion in 2020 and, according to mintelis expected to grow by around 50% ($2.8 billion) by 2025.

Below Influence of Chinese pop idols, Gen Z men are now embracing the idea of ​​wearing makeup. The rate of men learning to apply cosmetics is increasing twice as fast as women, and the growth of male skincare purchases also surpassed its counterpart.

Meanwhile, China’s largest online education platform, Tencent Classroom, released its top ten learning trends in 2021. According to her, combing your hair and putting on aftershave are no longer enough for the basic male grooming routine, it seems.

According to a report Jointly released by Tmall and Cainiao, the inventory of male cosmetics imported during the 2020 Singles’ Day Shopping Festival increased by more than 3,000% year-on-year. Key products like foundation and eyeliner are becoming particularly popular, and the growth rate of boys (born after 2000s) buying liquid foundation is twice that of girls and four times that of men. eyeliners.

Despite an obvious rise in the segment, so far international players have been reluctant to aggressively target male customers, allowing niche brands and C-beauty seize local spending opportunities. According to a report by ocean enginein 2020, seven of the top ten men’s personal care brands on the Douyin platform were local brands.

Many domestic startups have achieved dominance in the men’s beauty industry through user-centric business models that allow them to effectively capture consumer demands in a dynamic landscape and rapidly expand product lines and services. relevant campaigns. On the other hand, foreign brands have been slow to diversify their channels and target the needs of local male spenders.

To win in the local market, established brands must learn to think like national brands by quickly spotting opportunities and adapting to consumer dynamics. Right here, Daily Jing analyze it key trends in the male beauty industry and potential new channels for international actors.

Product seeding

Young people continue to drive the industry’s rapid growth, and national brands are fully leveraging this target audience with aggressive content creation strategies. A report of CBNData (2020) found that almost 80% of men born after the 1990s developed skincare routines during college or even before. And over the past year, post-95s have overtaken post-90s to become the top consumers of male beauty products online.

Local startups quickly seized the opportunity and became popular Gen-Z platforms – Douyin and little red book, in particular – in their battlefield. The strong base of KOC (key opinion consumer) and beauty influencers in both chains has been the driving force behind the boom in male cosmetics consumption. Although Little Red Book has a predominantly female user base, Data published by the platform shows that content related to male beauty more than tripled year-on-year.

Consumers do not only care about their appearance, but also that of their partner. Shane Xu, the founder of men’s beauty brand Shakeup, which is stocked at Harvey Nichols, said Daily Jing that they also collaborate with influencers. “One campaign that went really well for us was a collaboration with an influencer,” he said. “She introduced our lip gel as a great winter gift for boyfriends.” In fact, it did so well that he confirmed, “It’s now one of our best sellers.”

Given their priorities in the industry, these platforms are the ideal places for seeding content from male beauty brands. Recently, a video of scruffy boys turning into handsome guys with a few easy makeup steps went viral on Douyin, and the #fleekboy hashtag garnered over 390,000,000 views.

“All KOL campaigns [@乌鸡gege, @厂花老王, @张拾染] we did very well,” Xu said. However, the founder of the men’s skincare startup revealed that his team in China took great care in selecting the right influencer. “Looking at follower data isn’t enough,” he explained. “You have to do research, look at their content to see if it fits your brand well and if the followers are genuine.”

Understanding men’s drinking habits

Although not new, multi-functional beauty products (one formula providing two or more benefits) are gaining momentum among male consumers who are beginning to refine their skincare routines, which are still far behind the complex beauty processes of women.

According to Xu, they prefer “stuffed properties in one product. It’s the attraction. Shakeup hero BB cream product now sells every 6-8 minutes on Tmall Global. He goes on to say, “The main selling point of our products is their hybrid nature. Our BB Cream has cosmetic features but offers skincare benefits like SPF and Hyaluronic Acid which makes the process much easier for our male users.

Shakeup highlights the effectiveness of its BB cream, which is supposed to unify the complexion and camouflage imperfections. Photo: Shakeup’s Weibo

The list of ingredients in products also makes a difference during the male decision-making process. Cosmetic scandals involving fluorescent powder and other harmful substances from videos of beauty experts and KOCs analyzing the composition of skincare products are also attracting netizens’ attention. Healthy and transparent formulas are gateways to winning the loyalty of male consumers.

And while skincare products are definitely on the rise, the sector is still underdeveloped in some categories. For example, Xu mentions color cosmetics, saying, “Basic concealers and nude colors are prevalent in the industry.” Therefore, male consumers might wear makeup to hide their facial imperfections. However, the eyeshadows, mascaras, and shimmery blushes seen on pop idols will take longer to penetrate the mainstream.

Live broadcast

As the desire for unique immersive experiences and personalized recommendations grows in China, live e-commerce has exploded. In 2020 the total number of live viewers reached 560 million in China, accounting for 62% of the country’s total Internet users. Male consumers are not left out either.

The latest figures show that between 2018 and 2020, male watchers increased by 205.4%, compared to an increase of 111.1% compared to their counterparts. In fact, the celebrity livestreamer Li Jiaqi no longer addresses his audience as “all girls”, but rather “all boys and girls”.

Live broadcaster Li Jiaqi promotes C-beauty brand Florasis engraved makeup set, inspired by the Miao ethnic minority. Photo: Weibo by Li Jiaqi

The number of male anchors has also increased, now accounting for almost 40% of the total number. A Taobao ON THE MAP The report reveals that beauty is one of the most popular categories among male consumers in live streaming rooms, with the highest sales in Shanghai, followed by Tier 1 cities and new Tier 1 cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu.

As China becomes one of the largest men’s skincare consumer markets, domestic brands have led the way with an aggressive product seeding strategy that effectively targets young male beauty consumers. . But these international brands are seeing their market share shrink significantly, thanks to local brands.

This dynamic market requires quick responses to consumer needs. Opportunities for foreign brands may lie in their collaborations with live-streaming anchors to gain additional user insights, open consumer dialogues, and build long-term relationships. As such, KOL anchors will perhaps be the next brand ambassadors.