Today, China’s National Bureau of Statistics released its latest data. In April this year, total retail sales of consumer goods reached RMB 3.7247 trillion, up 0.2% year-on-year. From January to April, total retail sales of consumer goods reached RMB 16.4941 trillion, up 1.9% year-on-year.
Among them, retail sales of cosmetics reached RMB 32.6 billion in April, up 4.7% year-on-year, continuing to outperform the broader market. From January to April, total retail sales of cosmetics reached RMB 154.2 billion, up 5.6% year-on-year.
CHAILEEDO reviewed cosmetics retail data for April over the past decade from 2017 to 2026 and found that the market size has generally fluctuated upward, showing three clear stages:
2017-2021: a period of rapid expansion. April retail sales rose from RMB 17.65 billion to RMB 27.22 billion, marking five consecutive years of positive growth. The highest growth rate reached 17.8%, reflecting significant market expansion.
2022-2023: a period of major volatility. In 2022, April retail sales fell 22.3% year-on-year to RMB 21.38 billion. In 2023, the market recovered rapidly, with growth surging to 24.3% and April retail sales rebounding to RMB 27.62 billion, marking a strong comeback.
2024-2026: a period of steady growth. Since 2024, April retail sales have moved away from sharp fluctuations. In 2025, sales exceeded the RMB 30 billion mark, reaching RMB 30.87 billion. In 2026, they continued to grow by 4.7% year-on-year, demonstrating sustained resilience in the recovery.
Notably, after cosmetics retail sales fell 2.3% year-on-year in June last year, China’s beauty consumption market quickly rebounded. Since then, monthly retail sales have remained in positive growth territory, and the upward trend continued through April this year. Based on the published data cycle, the category has now achieved year-on-year growth for nine consecutive periods.
In addition, Qingyan’s review of cosmetics retail sales from January to April between 2017 and 2026 shows that the industry’s overall scale increased from RMB 78.36 billion to RMB 154.2 billion, with four consecutive years of growth from 2023 to 2026. Over the past decade, declines occurred only in 2020 and 2022, while 2021 recorded the highest growth rate of the decade at 35.3%. In 2026, the growth rate stood at 5.6%.
In terms of customs import data, in April 2026, China imported a total of 28,058.7 tons of “beauty cosmetics, toiletries and personal care products,” with an import value of RMB 10.91 billion. From January to April, cumulative imports of “beauty cosmetics, toiletries and personal care products” reached 110,267.1 tons, down 0.6% year-on-year, while cumulative import value reached RMB 39.98 billion, down 0.5% year-on-year.
