Safety, health and cleanliness have become the main theme in the post-pandemic era with the concept of skin removal based on different skin types and makeup removal for nourishing skins also a concern by consumers. The category of makeup removal has undoubtedly ushered in an outbreak in the Chinese market.
In the era of the epidemic, fewer people wear makeup. Many people show an attitude of “who cares” when wearing masks. How will makeup removal products, as a makeup derivative and a link between makeup and skincare products transitional categories, develop in the post-pandemic era in the Chinese market?
According to data from O&O Consulting, the retail sales of makeup remover products in China exceeded $1.208 billion from April 2021 to March 2022, up 16.9% year-on-year. According to the survey data, 65% of consumers have the habit of makeup and 63% of consumers also use makeup remover products when they are not wearing makeup, which provides a large consumer base for the Chinese makeup removal market.
From the perspective of brand positioning, the data shows that the top 3 brands in the total list of China’s top 20 makeup removal brands have changed. In recent years, the rise of China’s innovative brands focusing on the field of makeup removal such as ZHUBEN has gradually changed the situation in which foreign brands hogged the Chinese makeup removal market in the past. From April 2021 to March 2022, the Chinese aromatherapy skincare brand ZHUBEN won first place in China’s online makeup removal brand with retail sales of more than $110 million and retail sales accounting for 9.1%, surpassing the French makeup remover brand BIODERMA to win the first place in China’s online makeup removal brand. While the Japanese makeup brand shu uemura ranked second with 7.9% of retail sales and BIODERMA which previously ranked in the “top” dropped to the third place with retail sales down 30.2% year-on-year and retail sales accounting for 5.8%.
From the perspective of brand growth rate, KIMTRUE (705.7%), ROCKINGZOO (697.3%), Eve Lom (185.5%), book by book (149.7%), BOBBI BROWN (146.3%) growth rate is faster from April 2021 to March 2022, of which, Chinese cosmetics brands like KIMTRUE and ROCKINGZOO show explosive growth, with an over 695% year-on-year growth. It is worth noting that in the total list of China’s top 20 makeup removal brands on the whole network, there is also a “priceless” unexpected winner, the SPA-level luxury skincare brand Eve Lom acquired by Yatsen last year, the parent company of Chinese makeup brand Perfect Diary, which is the first time Eve Lom has been shortlisted in the list of China’s top 20 brands for makeup removal on the whole network, ranking 11 and accounting for 2.1% of retail sales.
The gradual release of demand for makeup removal products in China has allured many local Chinese cosmetic brands and intensified competition in the field of makeup removal in China.
In addition to the basic cleansing and removing effects, Chinese consumers have more demand for derived skincare benefits, with hydration and soothing being the main skincare needs. In texture, the share of oils and creams with more concentrated skincare ingredients is expanding, gradually diluting the more mainstream makeup remover market in the current.
In March 2022, among the best-selling items in the retail sales of makeup remover on MAT China’s mainstream e-commerce platform Tmall, the top 3 were two makeup remover oils from ZHUBEN and one makeup remover cream from KIMTRUE. Among them, only 6 of the Top 30 retail best-selling items on Tmall makeup removal are makeup removers and the rest are makeup remover oils, makeup remover creams, and other products.
With the upgrading of consumption, the portable makeup removal experience that does not affect the effect of makeup removal has become an incremental consumption demand. Recent years have seen China’s makeup removal market with the B.F.S. technique has doubled. For example, the Chinese makeup brands Florasis and the Korean makeup brand BABREA have launched one-piece clean makeup remover wipes. Chinese cosmetics brands such as Marie Dalgar and xiefuchun have also launched disposable carry-on products with disposable makeup removal oil.
The growth potential of makeup removal products is inextricably linked to the transformation of Chinese consumer concepts. Safety, health and cleanliness have become the main theme in the post-pandemic era with the concept of skin removal based on different skin types and makeup removal for nourishing skins also a concern by consumers, so China’s makeup removal market has ushered in greater development opportunities and the category of makeup removal has undoubtedly ushered in an outbreak in the Chinese market.
