How China is Leading the Trend Towards Clean Beauty
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Clean is the new normal in China’s huge and growing beauty market. It’s a prime opportunity for British clean beauty brands to fill a glaring gap left by domestic brands. This is why…
Whether you’re in a supermarket or reading the news, there’s no escaping the current trend for eco-consciousness and all things natural. Consumers and those behind the products they consume are – quite rightly – aware and conscious of their impact on the environment more than ever. The trend is at the forefront of the global beauty industry, too, with Chinese consumers leading the way in their quest for ‘clean’ beauty.
But what is it?
There’s no set industry definition, but most agree that clean products are defined by what they lack, rather than what they are. Broadly, the absence of chemicals like parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and artificial fragrances. “Vegan,” “sustainable,” “no nasties,” “nontoxic,” and “chemical-free” are just some of the terms used in the sector to market the eco-conscious products that are usually based on natural ingredients.
There’s significant demand globally for these types of products and leading this demand is China.
Chinese Consumers Driving Demand for Clean Beauty
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A recent survey of 18 international markets found that almost 60% of Chinese consumers said they would become more environmentally conscious in their purchases post-COVID-19. This from a market which Statista identified as “the world’s second-largest beauty and personal care product market after the U.S. in terms of market value”.
Read more: 5 Trends Dominating China’s Skincare and Cosmetics Industry in 2021 and Beyond
And in an even clearer indication as to the clean appetite of Chinese consumers, an AlixPartners study found that 90% of respondents said it was important to purchase healthy or clean beauty and personal care products, with Millennials leading this demand.
There’s even hope for the remaining 10%. According to a survey conducted by KuRunData among Chinese consumers who haven’t bought clean beauty skincare products recently, more than 80% would like to try them in the future.
Why? Deteriorating air quality and the impact that has on skin, the end of mandatory cosmetic testing on animals as of May 2021 and a greater focus on health as a result of the pandemic are all contributing to this rise of clean beauty in China.
According to global beauty retailer Sephora, an increase in Chinese consumers’ household income, also plays a part in the stronger demand for skincare products with natural ingredients. At its 2020 Virtual Sephora Day, the industry giant said this extra disposable income means these consumers are able to pay for a premium to cash in on the benefits of organic beauty products.
Clear Opportunities for ‘Clean’ British Brands
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It’s apparent that there is a significant – and growing – market for brands with a ‘clean’ product focus. What native Chinese beauty brands haven’t done, however, is capitalise on this. Why? Chinese products are often considered to be of lower quality and made with lower safety standards to those internationally.
Not only that, but it is a landscape in which counterfeit cosmetics plague the market – an alarming reality.
“The list of horrendous ingredients and harmful bacteria tested positively on counterfeit cosmetics will make [consumers] shudder: cyanide, mercury, lead, animal feces, rat droppings, horse urine and loads more ingredients that [consumers] don’t want to put anywhere near [their] skin.” Except from Broken, Netflix’s documentary into the counterfeit beauty industry.
There is also a long-held love of all things British, with British brands in particular considered prestigious in a way local brands are not.
Read more: How UK Retailers Can Capitalise on China’s Demand For ‘Brand Britain’
This pursuit of safety cannot be underestimated. New McKinsey research suggests that almost three-quarters of Chinese consumers will spend more time and money choosing what they perceive to be safe products.
The same piece of research supported what’s a common theme in the current trend towards clean beauty in China – that the global pandemic has resulted in a stronger focus than ever on safety and health in general.
For instance, it found that two-thirds of respondents claim to care more about product safety than they did before the pandemic.
It’s only fitting then that the demand for ‘safe’ international brands is so strong. In fact, almost 40% of Chinese respondents to the 2020 Mintel Clean Beauty Report agreed that clean products are ‘not readily available where I shop’. International brands are the natural solution to fill this gap for Chinese beauty consumers.
Clean Branding is Not Enough
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Considerable demand isn’t a free pass for brands to be lazy, though. Merely adding ‘green’ or ‘clean’ into a marketing campaign is not enough. Even more than Western consumers, Chinese beauty buyers – both male and female – do not take a brand’s claims at face value. Nor do they necessarily purchase the most convenient brand. Research consultancy Ipsos found that more than 90% of Chinese respondents indicated that they conduct extensive research before they buy skincare products and online plays a critical role in this research.