China’s cosmetics industry is the second-largest in the world. It is valued at over $60 billion in 2023. China’s cosmetics industry is growing rapidly. The growth of China’s cosmetic industry is driven by a growing middle class, evolving beauty standards, and a strong interest in skincare and makeup. Consumers are increasingly focusing on both product innovation and high quality. Leading beauty brands of China are offering a wide variety of products.
From foundations and lipsticks to skincare essentials, each product is constantly adapting to new trends and is being manufactured with advanced technology.
There’s also a rising demand for natural ingredients and premium products, especially in skincare. As a result, China has become a major player in the global beauty market. The country is expected to continue driving growth in the Asia-Pacific region in the skincare and makeup industry.
Here is a list of top makeup brands in China that are changing the cosmetic industry landscape globally.
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Florasis
- Founded in: 2017
- Founded by: Freeman and Wu Chenglong
- Headquarter: Hangzhou, China
Florasis is a Chinese beauty brand that blends traditional Chinese culture with modern makeup technology. The brand targets women aged 20-30. Florasis uses herbal and flower extracts in its products, based on traditional Chinese recipes. The packaging of the brand features historical imagery, carvings and patterns which reflect Chinese style. Florasis aims to promote national pride, create a visually stunning experience and offer high-quality color. The brand’s image is rooted in East Asian heritage and identity.
Flower Knows
- Founded in: Launched in 2016
- Founded by: Yang Zifeng and Zhou Tiancheng
- Headquarter: Hangzhou, China
Flower Knows is a popular Chinese beauty brand. The brand is known for its enchanting, fairytale-inspired products with beautiful and girly packaging. The brand’s products are available on Amazon.in. Flower Knows has received investment from Kunyan Capital and Tiantu Capital. The official Flower Knows website offers a 15% discount on first orders.
Perfect Diary
- Founded in: 2017
- Founded by: Jinfeng (David) Huang
- Headquarters: Guangzhou, China
Perfect Diary is a Chinese makeup brand. The brand offers a variety of products like eyeshadow palettes, lip glosses, lip stains, setting powders, foundation and brushes. Perfect Diary is known for its unique designs and high-quality products at affordable prices. The brand’s success is driven by effective marketing strategies. These include social media promotion to attract users, brand collaborations for limited edition products and a membership system that offers exclusive benefits to encourage purchases.
Girlcult
- Founded in: 2018
- Founded by: Jiawei Ma
- Headquarter: Shanghai, China
Girlcult is a Chinese makeup company. The brand creates high-end cosmetics for millennials. Their product range includes eyeshadow, lipsticks, blush, highlighters, lip gloss and multifunctional cream. Their customers appreciate the shine and pigment of Girlcult’s lip products, as they create a clear film that prevents colour transfer.
Uhue
- Founded in: 2019
UHUE is a Chinese custom cosmetic creation device. It allows users to make their cosmetics at home. It offers a variety of customizable options for base shades, accent colours, hue, undertones, coverage, finish and shimmer which enables users to create a personalized foundation, concealer, bronzer, lip colour and eyeshadow. Users can also save, update and share their formulas. UHUE was designed to solve the challenge of finding cosmetics that match unique skin tones, especially for those with less common complexions. The brand is gaining popularity in the Chinese cosmetics market. It is known for its high-quality, skincare-infused products.
Pink Bear
- Founded in: 2020
- Founded by: Yatsen
Pink Bear is a Chinese cosmetics brand. The brand blends cute aesthetics with high-quality makeup. It was founded by the parent company of Perfect Diary. It was created to make beauty fun and accessible. Pink Bear offers playful, everyday products at affordable prices. Their packaging features a cartoon bear image. The brand provides vibrant and innovative cosmetics that let you embrace your whimsical side.
Judy Doll
- Founded in: 2017
Judydoll is a Chinese makeup brand. The brand offers a wide range of products. Their product range includes foundations, concealers, blushes, eyeshadows, lipsticks, lip glosses, lip creams, mascara, eyebrow pencils and highlighting powders. Judydoll is known for its innovative, colourful and girly products. Judydoll uses high-quality ingredients and long-lasting formulas. The brand also supports gender equality and women’s empowerment. Judydoll aims to help people blend their style with everyday essentials with a focus on setting colour trends.
Joocyee
- Founded in: 2019
- Founded by: Joy Group
- Headquarter: Shanghai, China
Joocyee is a Chinese makeup brand. The brand offers a variety of products. Their product range includes eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, highlighters, blush and cream concealers. Their eyeshadow palettes feature tones like taupe, purpley pink and silver flecks.
Joocyee’s lipsticks feature tones like the Glazed Rouge collection, which comes in colours like Strawberry Sparkling Wine and Peach Dew. Joocyee also offers a multi-purpose blush stick for cheeks, eyes and lips. The brand initially sold products online but has opened retail stores in China, with minimalist and modern designs in locations like Changsha and Chongqing.
Cute Rumor
Cute Rumor is a Chinese makeup brand. The brand offers a variety of products that cater to different beauty preferences, from cute doll-like looks to more sophisticated styles. The brand blends traditional techniques with modern innovation while combining Asian and Western makeup styles. One of their popular products is their lipsticks which features a non-sticky formula that prevents smudging and staining.
Flortte
Flortte is a Chinese makeup brand. It is known for its cruelty-free and vegan products. The brand offers a range of cosmetics that are blendable and buildable. Their product range includes jelly lipsticks, cream blushes and Dewy Foundation, which provides buildable coverage and a radiant finish for a natural glow.
Flortte combines innovation and style with high-quality ingredients and trendy packaging. The brand is gaining popularity among beauty enthusiasts for its innovative approach. All Flortte products are vegan and cruelty-free.
Into You
- Founded in: 2019
- Founded by: Wen Chong
- Headquarter: Shanghai, China
INTO YOU is a Chinese makeup brand. The brand is known for its innovative products like lip mud, lip serum and lip and cheek mud. Their Matte Lipstick Lip Mud is a lightweight formula that provides a matte finish and conceals lip lines. The Nourish Lip Serum is a four-in-one product that plumps, moisturizes and reduces fine lines, it also doubles as an overnight lip mask. The Shero Super Matte Lip & Cheek Mud is a versatile product for both lips and cheeks, which offers a long-lasting matte finish. INTO YOU is committed to cruelty-free practices and technological innovation in its products.
Kaleidos
- Founded by: Zoey Pu, Tony Chen and Mark Henry
- Headquarter: Shanghai, China
Kaleidos is a Chinese makeup brand. The brand is designed for creative individuals who appreciate quality and unconventional beauty. Their products, such as the Symphony Face Illuminator offer a skin-like finish and a natural glow, while the Space Age Highlighters come in unique shades like “Star Surfer” and “Moon Cruiser.”
The Smokey Nostalgia Lip Clay Vault is available in Urban Outfitters stores in the US and Canada. Kaleidos embraces values like authenticity, individuality and personal empowerment. The brand uses a kaleidoscope as a symbol of beauty’s ever-evolving nature. Their products are sold exclusively through their official channels and authorized partners internationally.
Pink Flash
- Founded by: Guangzhou Yawei Biotechnology Co., Ltd
Pink Flash is a Chinese cosmetics brand. The brand offers a range of affordable and high-quality makeup products which are aimed at young women. Their products include lip tints, lip creams, lip glosses, eyeshadow palettes (like the Pink Dessert palette), waterproof foundations, blushes (both matte and shimmery), makeup base primers and beauty sponges such as the Oh My Puff Beauty Sponge. The brand is known for its fun, colourful and whimsical packaging. Pink Flash products can be purchased from HOK Makeup.
Focallure
- Founded in: 2016
- Headquarters: Guangzhou, China
Focallure is a brand that specializes in base makeup and cosmetics. The brand offers a variety of affordable products. The brand uses big data analysis to enhance its operations and create a personalized makeup experience for users. Focallure’s products are designed to provide a luminous, dazzling effect while adding a touch of sparkle to everyday beauty.
ColorRose
- Founded in: 1999
- Headquarters: Guangzhou, China
ColorRose is a Chinese makeup brand. The brand offers a range of cosmetics like lipsticks, eyeshadows, blushers, highlighters, lip glosses and nail polishes. Their products are vegan, cruelty-free, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic which makes them suitable for all skin types and ages. ColorRose eyeshadow palettes are easy to blend and come in a variety of colours, designed for different looks. Their palettes offer long-lasting wear, a natural finish and a luminous effect, with full-size and multi-colour options.
Conclusion
The beauty industry is rapidly evolving. The growth of the beauty industry is driven by constant innovations in cosmetics and skincare. Additionally, Social media and beauty influencers are playing a major role in shaping trends. The global makeup market is valued at $41.49 billion in 2023. It is projected to grow to $70.80 billion by 2032 with a 6.24% annual growth rate.
In China, the cosmetics market reached over 517 billion yuan in 2023. It is expected to grow to 579.1 billion yuan by 2025. Chinese makeup brands are gaining global recognition for their innovative products and sustainable formulas which is contributing to the ongoing expansion of the market.
