The Conditions for Survival in China's Base Makeup Market Are Changing: K-Beauty Rises to the Challenge of Adhesion and Durability
As the demands of consumers in the Chinese base makeup market evolve, K-Beauty faces a new challenge. How is the industry responding to develop products with the adhesion and durability that consumers desire?
Changing Expectations of Chinese Consumers
The Chinese base makeup market has rapidly evolved over the past few years. Beyond basic makeup and skincare functions, consumers now expect a variety of effects from a single base product. This includes not only adhesion and durability but also naturalness and multifunctionality. Specifically, Chinese female consumers increasingly seek products with "coverage, skincare ingredients, anti-aging, skin soothing and restoration, oil and UV protection, and even blue light blocking." This has made them more selective in product choice, pushing K-Beauty to strategize how to meet these multifaceted consumer needs.
This backdrop is driven by intensifying competition in the Chinese market. Data from the past three years (20222024) indicates steady growth in China's color cosmetics market, particularly in the base makeup segment. By 2024, the market share of base makeup reached 53.4%, a 21.67% increase from 2022's 48.8%. The core of this growth is women aged 26 to 40 with oily and combination skin. Notably, 72% are aged 25 and older, with 47% residing in first and second-tier cities.
Category-specific sales are also noteworthy. As of the first quarter of 2024, total sales of base products increased by 13%, with foundation growing by 10% and cushion products by 16%. Segmented items like fixer sprays grew by 45% year-on-year, demonstrating the potential of high-functionality products.
Breakthrough in Budget Products and Segmentation
Another challenge facing K-Beauty is heightened competition in affordable price ranges. Products priced between 0300 yuan dominate the base makeup market, with 61% of sales concentrated in the 0100-yuan range. Combined with the 100 to 300-yuan bracket, this accounts for about 91% of the total market. Consumers now expect quality alongside price competitiveness, making it difficult to survive solely on low-cost products.
Thus, K-Beauty companies are moving to segment the market with premium functional products. For instance, in the fixer spray category, there's increasing demand for products in the 500 to 1000-yuan range. This trend is not merely an exception but suggests a rise in sales for high-functionality product lines like anti-aging, soothing, and long-lasting features.
Additionally, analyzing consumer dissatisfaction in the Chinese market is crucial. Data shows that Chinese consumers frequently mention issues such as "caking," "unnatural skin tone," "prominent makeup appearance," "lack of coverage," and "easily breaking down." These are closely tied to the texture, formula, and coverage balance of makeup products.
Need for Product Innovation to Address Market Complaints
K-Beauty faces the dual challenge of meeting the evolving expectations of Chinese consumers and overcoming the shortcomings of existing products. Upgrading products to address major consumer complaints is crucial for securing competitiveness in the Chinese market.
As a result, product development is becoming more refined. There is high demand for base products that enhance adhesion and durability while providing a natural and lightweight finish. With increasing demand for multifunctional products, the formulation side also requires a composition of multi-functional, high-density ingredients. If timely responses to changing consumer perceptions and needs can be achieved, it could improve not only revenue but brand trust as well.
In Closing
China's base makeup market is rapidly changing and developing. For K-Beauty to succeed in this environment, it must creatively integrate the multifaceted functions consumers expect and achieve differentiated competitiveness in both budget and premium functional product segments. By doing so, it can lead trends and sustain growth moving forward.
Strategic approaches are necessary for K-Beauty to enhance competitiveness in the Chinese cosmetics market. If you need useful advice or support, contact YURICO5.
