Image source: VOGUE
When Shen Teng revealed his skin care process in a variety show, all kinds of luxury skin care products, from La Prairie eye cream to La Mer toner, were unveiled. Under the package of entertainment variety shows, we can also see that Chinese men’s demand for personal skin care is becoming stronger, and this is not limited to the young people.
In the fiercely competitive beauty industry, beauty personal care giants have also noticed the potential market for men's skin care, and have successively launched new brands for Chinese men.
5 At the end of May, Unilever China launched EB39, a skin care brand specifically for high-end men. The new brand starts from a male perspective from design to naming. The overall design is inspired by the cyberpunk style in video games, while the EB in the name is the abbreviation of Energy Buff in the game, and the 39 refers to the time spent on skin iterating itself. It is officially positioned as "Unilever China's first light luxury men's skin care brand, the first AI algorithm-driven formula research and development brand, and the first meta-universe artist skin care brand."
5 At the end of May, Unilever China launched EB39, a skin care brand specifically for high-end men. Image source: SOHU
4 A few days after EB39 was officially launched, Shiseido Group announced that it will soon launch the Sidekick Shop Ket, a Gen Z men's skin care brand. Sidekick focuses on providing natural ingredients and formula products for Asian Gen Z male consumers. The first series has been unveiled at the Tokyo experiential collection store Shiseido Beauty Square and will be officially launched in China on July 1. It has taken the lead in opening official accounts on B, TikTok and Xiaohongshu.
men's skin care category seems to have not been the main focus of brands under major beauty care groups. Many male consumers with this need have to buy products designed for women. But now, this trend is changing, and the beauty giant has finally begun to seriously design skin care products for men.
Shiseido Group announced that it will soon launch the Z-generation men's skin care brand Sidekick. Image source: SOHU
Brand from a male perspective and method
27-year-old architect Venkor Lee usually has skin care habits. The brand he uses more often in Shanghai is L'Oreal Men.
Venkor told us after learning about EB39 that he believed that the repair function of EB39 for staying up late is his most favorable element. The skin care effect promoted by the brand is very suitable for the needs of most men on the market, and he is also very interested in the bottle design with a sense of technology. Judging from the existing user comments in the Tmall store, consumers are very satisfied with the EB39 Cyber Technology design and the refreshing skin care effect.
can be seen that whether it is EB39 launched by Unilever China or Sidekick launched by Shiseido, they are full of gaze and empathy for Chinese male consumers in brand concepts, product design and promotional marketing, trying to break away from the "inertia" of women's skin care products in the past and truly make the skin care products that men need.
Newly entered the brand trying to break away from the "inertia" of women's skin care products in the past and truly make the skin care products that men need. Image source: VOGUE
For example, EB39, from brand name to promotional terms, is centered on the e-sports game with the most male users. Whether it is the AI algorithm in the official slogan, the meta-universe artist, or the strategy of promoting and converting consumption based on Douyin, it is all about men's attention.
Sidekick directly emphasizes that it is skin care for Asian Generation Z men in the brand promotion. Not only does the brand’s visual image feature fresh and simple color matching, resonating with the aesthetic preferences of young men, it also takes the lead in laying out a social media platform where young people in China gather.
's confidence in the skin care market of young male consumers in China comes from the overall development of the Chinese male beauty market. China's men's beauty and personal care fields are rapidly gaining market share.
According to the report of the Forward Industry Research Institute, with the improvement of China's men's skin care awareness, the consumption demand for men's skin care products has continued to increase. In 2020, the market value of China's men's skin care products was RMB 12.5 billion. It is estimated that the market size of China's men's skin care products industry is expected to reach RMB 20.7 billion in 2026, with an average annual compound growth rate of 15.88% in 2021-2026.
With the improvement of men's skin care awareness in China, the consumption demand for men's skin care products has been continuously increasing. Image source: VOGUE
Although, like other industries, the men's beauty industry has been affected by the epidemic and sales fell sharply at the end of 2019, the market has seen signs of recovery.
According to Daxue Consulting data, starting from the first quarter of 2020, sales of Chinese men's skin care products and personal care products on Tmall and Taobao doubled. Ipsos said that the two major online channels of social media and live streaming have become the most important channels for Chinese male beauty consumers to study products, and 86% of male consumers buy skin care products online.
The prosperity of China's male skin care market is mainly driven by the change in young consumers' attitudes towards personal care. As the gender orientation of makeup and skin care gradually fades, skin care products have become increasingly regarded as necessities by young male consumers.
As the gender orientation of makeup and skin care gradually fades, skin care products have become increasingly regarded as necessities by young male consumers. Image source: Pinkvilla
"Leader" in the high-end field. A relatively vacant
, coincidentally, the two brands launched this time are both positioned at high-end customer groups. EB39 said the brand is Unilever's first light luxury men's skin care brand in China, priced between 268 and 630 yuan. Shiseido also emphasized that Sidekick will be a "new luxury" in skincare brands, committed to creating a new luxury image for Gen Z.
Alibaba previously pointed out that the market popularity of China's men's cosmetics and skin care products is constantly heating up, and it is becoming more refined, professional and high-end . This is also an inevitable trend after rapid economic development and improved quality of life.
huge engine research shows that men's skin care products consumers are mainly concentrated in first-tier and second-tier cities, which cover 60% of China's male consumers, and first-tier mature elites are more at sensible for maintenance. As male consumers pay more attention to product quality, the trend of beauty and personal care for young men is becoming more and more high-end.
Chinese men's cosmetics and skin care products market is constantly heating up, and it is becoming more refined, professional and high-end. Image source: VOGUE
What is contradictory to consumers' pursuit of high-end is the brand's vacancy. , looking around, China's high-end men's skin care market has not yet been fully developed. The high-end brands in the market are headed by Bienquan, a subsidiary of L'Oreal Group, as well as Langshi, a subsidiary of Estee Lauder Group, and Goff, a local Chinese brand, have not shown a state of being a sensation in the hundreds of schools.
compared with women's high-end skin care brands, there are very few high-end brands on the market that specialize in men's skin care, and they entered China later.
For Unilever Group itself, the release of EB39 has filled the vacancy in the group's brand matrix. At present, most of Unilever's men's skin care brands listed in China are mainly based on affordable public positioning, such as Dove and Qingyang, while high-end REN Skincare and Murad have not yet made comprehensive layouts in the Chinese market. Shiseido's high-end brand is also mainly based on women's skin care lines. Before Sidekick, there were no high-end skin care brands targeting young men.
UnitedLearn's high-end line REN Skincare and Murad have not yet made comprehensive layout in the Chinese market.Image source: Beauty Expert
Will the Chinese men's skin care market get rid of the situation of
"do it all the time, die all the time"?
Beauty Research Institute's "2021 Men's Beauty Market Consumption Trend Insights" pointed out that at present, international brands such as Biouquan and Qingyang are relatively in a market leader. In addition, L'Oreal Men, Koyan and Tom Ford are also brands with rich experience in China.
and new entrants such as EB39 and Sidekick also have new domestic men's brands. Perfect Diary, a local beauty brand in China, has officially launched the men's series last year. In addition, Winona, Gu Shi, Li Ran and her dear boyfriend have also gained a lot of voice among young Chinese consumers through online platforms.
Regarding the future development of China's men's skin care market, Nico, a professional beauty industry practitioner, does not think that the addition of new brands will immediately help it to flourish. "From packaging to ingredients and pricing, I have not seen any difference between EB39 and Sidekick and existing skin care products on the market."
Men's skin care needs are very diverse, and they are not limited to problems such as pores, oils and acne. Image source: Sidekick
Nico further stated that in fact, there are many groups in the young men's skin care market, but "it's been doing it, it's been dying." Because the demand is not clear, the core of the brand is still the same. Men's skin care products are very single, always positioned in the smell of pores, oil, acne and cologne perfume, but men also have many different needs.
According to the survey by the Hong Kong Trade Bureau, male consumers' skin care, in addition to adjusting the skin's water and oil balance, eliminating mainstream needs such as blackheads and acne, also hope to obtain niche needs such as whitening skin, preventing air pollution, and making the skin smoother and more elastic through skin care.
Japan may be an example to learn from. Japanese consulting agency Fuji Economic Research shows that the market size of men's facial care products in Japan reached 1.68 billion yuan in 2019. Although the Japanese male skin care market is small, it started earlier and is more careful in dividing the sub-sectors of different groups.
Nico pointed out that the men's skin care market in Japan is relatively mature and will consider that men have different needs. For example, the Japanese men's skin care brand Bulk Homme focuses on cost-effectiveness and minimalist design, with its main products such as facial cleansers, toners and lotions, which allow men who generally pay attention to functions to make better choices. Kose Cosmeport, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gaosi, has launched Magnifique, a men's basic skin care product brand, which focuses on lotion and beauty liquid masks, focusing on solving problems such as dry and rough skin after washing or shaving.
targets the middle-aged people over 40 years old who have grown significantly in the Japanese male skin care market, and Japanese cosmetics companies have also launched corresponding brands. In 2015, Kao's Karo Cosmetics Company launched Skinmaintenizer, a three-in-one foam facial cleanser, lotion and lotion that can be used for shaving at the same time; Otsuka Pharmaceutical's ULOS men's skin care series and DeOu, the men's personal care brand of Leton Pharmaceutical, are specifically targeting skin problems caused by aging.
When the "male face economy" began to rise, the demand for skin care in China's men has become the next growth point in the beauty industry; with the fierce competition in the women's skin care market, brands have also begun to consciously change direction and focus on the new track of men's skin care. It can be said that whoever takes the lead in winning young Chinese male consumers will become the leader in the Chinese male skin care market.
Whoever takes the lead in taking over young male consumers in China will become the leader in the Chinese male skin care market. Image source: VOGUE
Source V | Vogue Business
Author / Yuhong Sheng
Edit / Yiling Pan
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