According to Euromonitor International’s latest research, following the negative impact of home seclusion and strict lockdown measures in China, beauty and personal care has enjoyed a surge in sales growth, driven by demand for better skin health, products that enhance personal wellbeing, the rise of Chinese beauty, and the ineluctable momentum of e-commerce and new retail experiences.
Sales of beauty and personal care in China reached CNY573 billion in 2021, a rise of 10% on the previous year.
Colour cosmetics and fragrances saw particularly impressive growth on the back of the wider recovery, with a notable increase in consumers trading up.
This had a resultant impact on premium sales and product upgrades - a clear reaction to the pandemic, with people wanting to treat themselves and enjoy some glamour, following prolonged uncertainty and austere compromise.
Consumers focus on skin health, efficacy and holistic wellbeing
After a year of health fears in 2020, consumers were fast to sublimate their concerns in products that offer a heightened sense of personal wellbeing.
Skin health in particular is a key focus; sales of dermocosmetic skin care rose by 19% in 2021, with a surge in demand for solutions targeting sensitive skin and maskne.
Holistic wellbeing will stay a key trend - the pandemic has thrown this into focus, and the message that physical wellbeing is integral to mental health and personal happiness is becoming firmly entrenched.
Other categories in beauty echo this. Sun care has seen consumers gravitate to products with more diverse and sophisticated features, such as blue light shielding …
