Under the sweeping wave of new consumption trends, consumer demands have quietly entered a new era.
In fact, as consumer awareness continues to mature, individuals are increasingly seeking spiritual fulfillment through consumer goods. “self-pleasing” has gradually become an important consumer label.
Recently, based on a deep insight into the face mask market, Nox Bellcow (NBC) and Yonghushuo jointly released a report titled “The Innovative Blueprint of self-pleasing Era Face Masks.” Starting from the current situation of the face mask market, the report proposes the “Nine Forces Model of self-pleasing Face Masks.” It thoroughly analyzes the user profile and development trends of the face mask industry in the context of self-pleasing consumption across nine dimensions: efficacy, quality, reputation, brand, environmental friendliness, service, design, experience, and price. It accurately captures consumer demands in the self-pleasing era and points out new breakthrough directions for the face mask market in 2024.
NBC breakthrough 768-billion-red-sea market with “self-pleasing“
Face masks have always held an important position in the skincare market.
Data from Zion Market Research, a market research company, shows that the global face mask market is projected to reach 50.91 billion USD by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.5%. According to UserSay’s predictions, although the current face mask market growth rate has slowed down, it is still expanding, and the market size is expected to reach around 76.8 billion yuan by 2025.
The data from the report shows that in the online skincare industry in the past year, face masks rank fourth in terms of GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) with a share of 9.96% among segmented categories. The online market size of face masks in January 2024 reached 36.413 billion yuan, with a market share of 8.51%. Among them, Douyin face masks experienced a year-on-year growth of 16.61% in GMV, surpassing e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and Tmall in terms of market size and sales volume.
It can be seen that with the slowing growth rate and the quiet changes in key distribution channels, face masks are in urgent need of new marketing strategies and product stories.
Yonghushuo’s research data shows that as many as 89.5% of users are negatively affected by work, study, and daily life emotions, with over 60% of people spending at least one hour immersed in negative emotions every day. They have started using the “self-pleasing” approach to establish an emotional connection with themselves and positive emotions. The market for “self-pleasing consumption” is rapidly expanding.
According to the report, within the January 2024-MAT1 period, the volume of self-pleasing discussions on the internet reached 18.22 million, with a year-on-year growth of 56.6%. The interaction volume reached 580 million, with a year-on-year growth of 69.5%. Notably, the concepts of emotional skincare and healing skincare in the beauty industry experienced explosive growth, with a staggering 790% increase in the volume of emotional skincare discussions.
Furthermore, up to 69.4% of consumers stated that using face masks helps them generate or enhance self-pleasing emotions. The research in the report also shows that 92% of users are willing to pay a premium for self-pleasing face masks, far exceeding the percentage of users who refuse to pay a premium, with jar-applied masks having the highest acceptance rate for premium pricing.
It can be said that face masks have become an important tool for consumers to regulate emotions and relieve stress, with “self-pleasing” being a key keyword for face masks to break through.
Specifically, according to the report, in terms of online market distribution, sheet masks, as the traditional flagship category, still hold a high market share of 65.5%. The total sales in the January 2024-MAT1 period reached 23.826 billion yuan. However, the sales peak is mostly concentrated during promotional periods, with Taobao and Tmall remaining the main battleground, while Douyin is gradually gaining momentum.
Yonghushuo’s research data shows that only 2.41% of users do not use sheet masks. Among users who use sheet masks, 75.88% of them experience self-pleasing emotions. Cream masks, traditional sheet masks, bubble masks, and ampoule masks are more preferred.
Compared to sheet masks, which heavily rely on major promotions, the sales trend of cream masks is relatively stable, with a total sales of 12.551 billion yuan in the January 2024-MAT1 period. UserSay’s research data shows that 75% of users of cream masks experience self-pleasing emotions. Among sub-categories, cleansing clay masks and sleeping masks are more favored by users.
It can be seen that under the “self-pleasing” economy, the face mask industry still has considerable room for development. Therefore, despite the increasing regulatory measures on the cosmetics industry by the government in recent years, the number of registered face mask products is steadily increasing. From February 2023 to January 2024, face masks ranked second with 32,000 registered products in the skincare category, with a year-on-year growth of 16.14%.
Within this context, OEM/ODM undoubtedly play a crucial role. As one of the world’s top four cosmetic ODM companies, NBC has been among the leaders in terms of the number of registered products in recent years. With a focus on materials, ingredients, and effectiveness, NBC has strengthened research and development investment and empowered product innovation. It has become a leader and trendsetter in the face mask industry. Public data shows that as of 2023, NBC has registered a total of 9,330 products, including 4,956 face mask products, ranking first among face mask ODMI apologize, but it seems that the text you provided is incomplete. Can you please provide the complete article or let me know how I can assist you further?
Product is king seizing the sub-segment market
Although “self-pleasing” is a major direction in the development of the facial mask industry, ultimately, it is the product itself that can capture the hearts of consumers. Therefore, regardless of the concept on which it is based, it is ultimately necessary to focus on the effectiveness, ingredients, mask material, and other aspects of the facial mask itself in order to seize the sub-segment market of the “self-pleasing economy”.
The “Report” shows that in the context of self-pleasing as of January 2024, the highest levels of user attention on the internet for product effectiveness, ingredients, and usage experience are 33%, 17%, and 12% respectively.
In terms of effectiveness, there are significant differences in the effectiveness requirements of different types of facial masks. Patch masks with soothing, repairing, and moisturizing effects are more popular, while users inclined towards whitening and brightening, oil control and acne treatment, and skin cleansing tend to choose cream masks. Particularly in the area of skin cleansing, there is a significant disparity in the proportion between patch masks (2.24%) and cream masks (16.27%).
In terms of ingredients, consumer behavior also shows strong preferences. Ingredients such as B5/panthenol, boswellia, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and recombinant collagen, which are popular in lotions and creams, are also the top five favored ingredients in facial mask products. Among them, recombinant collagen has seen a growth rate of 2109%, and boswellia has seen a growth rate of 1178%. In addition, cyclic peptides have increased by 2060%, and centella asiatica has increased by 287.2%, potentially becoming the next popular facial mask ingredient.
In addition, as two important technical challenges that affect the user experience of facial masks, the mask material and essence are also indispensable factors in the competition of facial masks in the era of self-pleasing.
According to the “Report,” from the perspective of sales volume of the top 100 patch mask products, the top three types of mask materials are plant fiber, lyocell (tencel), and seaweed fiber. Their common advantages are better adherence to the skin and strong adsorption and purification capabilities. In terms of manufacturing processes, mask products with higher sales volume tend to lean toward hydroentangled processes. Mask materials produced through this process do not shed or lint, and are more sensitive-skin-friendly.
In terms of essence, the top 100 patch mask sales volume in the past year includes four types: essence water, dual-chamber separation, concentrated essence + essence water, and freeze-dried + pure water. Among them, in addition to the traditional essence water, the dual-chamber separation type of mask essence storage has attracted more attention from users, accounting for 21% of sales.
Based on this market insight, the “Report” combines current consumer demands and numerous emerging concepts to summarize four highly potential facial mask trends: overnight masks, oil-infused masks, microbiome masks, and traditional Chinese herbal masks. These four types of masks not only meet the demands of consumers for ingredients and effectiveness but also have considerable market potential.
For example, in the current era of the internet and post-internet, staying up late has become a habit that many people can’t shake off. More than 80.3% of self-pleasing users reported staying up late at least twice a week, and the long-term issues of dull skin and excessive oil production caused by staying up late continue to bother them, making overnight masks popular. However, so far, there hasn’t been a single best-selling product in the market for overnight masks, indicating significant market potential.
In addition, in the era of self-pleasing, consumers can be divided into instant self-indulgers and evolving self-indulgers, and different consumers naturally have different consumption demands in different scenarios. The “Report” identifies five opportunities based on this: professionals and research and development technicians pay more attention to self-indulgent mask demands; individuals with dry skin consider the noticeable effects after using self-indulgent masks as the most important; post-90s individuals with oily skin prefer the experience of floral-scented masks, while post-80s individuals favor cream-like textures; professionals and office workers have an urgent need for skincare products for overnight use; and individuals with combination skin, as luxury beauty enthusiasts, require whitening and spot-removing masks.
5 Major Trends to grasp the pulse of the “self-pleasing era” in facial masks
According to user data monitoring, the online buzz surrounding self-indulgent facial masks has grown by 81% YoY as of January 2024, surpassing overall self-pleasing volume. There is no doubt that “self-indulgent facial masks” have become an important development trend in the facial mask market. So, what is the direction of development for “self-indulgent facial masks”?
From a product concept perspective, environmental sustainability is an inevitable direction, with biodegradability and renewability as core product features. In fact, as one of the most important global public issues, sustainable development is a path that companies must take in the long run. Taking NBC’s innovative film material series masks as an example, they use soothing and balancing ice diamond film cloth made primarily of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, which is 100% naturally biodegradable and certified skin-friendly without irritation. Additionally, this mask series also contains renewable plant-based ingredients, including Skin Cooling, centella asiatica leaf extract, and North American witch hazel water.
In terms of ingredients, natural extracts from traditional Chinese herbs, bio-synthesis and microbial fermentation, and patented ingredients derived from neural content research are all popular and important efficacy ingredient trends in the market. Precisely grasping the cutting-edge trends in raw materials is crucial for effectively responding to the rapidly evolving facial mask market. For example, NBC’s Ultimate Firming Cream Mask incorporates “encapsulated retinol x niacinamide” to stimulate collagen production.
Under the demand for self-pleasing, the sense of smell naturally plays a soothing role. Currently, with the continuous expansion of the fragrance market, more and more mask brands are focusing on the therapeutic aromatherapy-level self-indulgent experience. Consumer surveys show that users rate the importance of smell in facial mask products at 6.59, while in self-indulgent facial masks, the importance reaches 6.87. 67% of Generation Z users are more concerned about the long-lasting and pleasant fragrance of facial masks.
Taking NBC’s Pure Beauty Flower Research Series Masks as an example, they use real flower petals and utilize the natural active ingredients in the petals. Through seven manual selection and refining processes, the masks not only maintain the natural beauty of the fabric but also retain the original colors and fragrance of the flower petals.
In terms of efficacy, there is a continuous rise in demand for precise wrinkle reduction and firming, and facial masks have become the core carriers for addressing this demand. Related efficacies are also expected to be breakthrough points for future facial masks. Responding to this demand, NBC has introduced a Cream Firming Mask with an outer layer of “bandage” style fabric to prevent moisture evaporation. The inner layer combines the characteristics of a surface bandage, and after immersion, it becomes richly elastic. The skin-contact layer contains nearly 1/4 of anti-aging face cream, achieving precise wrinkle reduction.
In terms of technology, nanocarrier technology, which has received considerable policy attention and support, may become a focus of the future facial mask industry. NBC, always at the forefront of the industry, began researching “electrospinning technology” five years ago and has subsequently introduced electrospun dissolvable essence patches with core ingredients such as recombinant collagen, silk protein, and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, directly addressing pain points in the current facial mask market.
It can be said that NBC has been at the forefront of exploring the facial mask market’s progress, with insights into market trends and deep cultivation in professional technical fields, ultimately creating a super mask factory that combines high production standards and high-quality innovation capabilities. In the future, NBC will bring more innovations and achievements to the facial mask market.
Note:
- 2024.01MAT: February 1, 2023, to January 31, 2024.
