Recently, according to data released by the China Insurance Association, the total import and export trade volume of cosmetics between China and Africa reached 1.728 billion yuan ($240.1 million) in 2023, representing a year-on-year growth of 12.8%. In that year, China’s exports of cosmetics to Africa accounted for 95.8% of the total trade volume between China and Africa in the cosmetics industry, highlighting China’s significant position in the African cosmetics market.
It is worth noting that China’s exports of cosmetics to Africa have shown a slow but steady growth trend in the past five years, with export values steadily increasing from $190 million in 2019 to $230 million in 2023.
According to Liu Yan, Deputy Director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department and Secretary-General of the Cosmetics Branch of the China Association of Medical Import and Export, although the overall trend of China’s import and export trade in cosmetics showed a decline in 2023, the African market demonstrated good growth prospects and significant untapped potential. She pointed out that in the import and export trade of cosmetics between China and Africa, Chinese cosmetics dominate the market.
In terms of product categories, oral care products have become the largest category of Chinese exports to Africa in the cosmetics industry. According to data from the China Insurance Association, in 2023, China’s exports of oral care products to Africa reached $110 million, accounting for 46.7% of the total exports of cosmetics to Africa. Among them, toothpaste accounted for the majority of the market share, reaching 96.4%. Following oral care products, beauty and skincare products had an export value of $59.34 million, accounting for 15.5%, mainly including lip, eye, and powdered beauty products. Additionally, exports of body care products, hair care products, and perfumes amounted to $27.88 million, $19.46 million, and $17.47 million, respectively.
Among all exported cosmetics, toothpaste took the lead with an export value of $105 million, accounting for 54.3% of the total export value of cosmetics to Africa. Other products with export values in the millions, listed in descending order, included perfumes and colognes, hair removal products, lip cosmetics, hair care products, powdered cosmetics, and eye cosmetics.
According to data from the China Insurance Association, the top ten export markets for Chinese cosmetics in Africa in 2023 were South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Guinea, Angola, Sudan, and Togo. These top ten markets accounted for 74.7% of China’s total exports of cosmetics to Africa. Among them, South Africa and Nigeria performed exceptionally well, with export values reaching $39.75 million and $35.96 million, respectively, accounting for 43.5% of the total export value to the top ten markets and becoming important growth points for China’s cosmetics exports to Africa.
