China remains a dynamic beauty market — especially in the e-commerce space. In the first half of 2025, China’s prestige beauty e-commerce market posted +9% year-over-year growth, with wellness-driven categories like fragrance, up +17%, and hair, up +16%, leading the charge.

Skincare remains the cornerstone of China’s beauty e-commerce business, accounting for 68% of total beauty sales. Although skincare growth has slowed in 2025, segments associated with wellness are gaining traction, particularly body care and sun care.

 Chinese Consumer Trends Within the Fragrance Category

China’s perfume market trends are another area to call out. Chinese consumers are gravitating toward niche and collection fragrances, which offer unique scents and brand identities, over more mainstream fragrances. This preference shift underscores a consumer desire for personalization and storytelling in beauty purchases.

Looking at performance by channel, while livestreaming sales experienced a modest increase of +5%, traditional B2C e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and JD.com surged ahead with +22% growth, fueled by extended mid-year shopping festivals and aggressive promotional strategies. In contrast, travel retail continues to face headwinds, posting a decline in the first half of the year.

 A Focus on Product Quality Amid Economic Pressures 

Overall, economic pressures have reshaped consumer spending in China but have not diminished it. Consumers are trading smart, not down. While luxury price bands (CNY 3,000+) are down in sales, mid- to high- price ranges (CNY 800–3,000) are posting double-digit growth, and lower price tiers are experiencing more modest, single digit increases. This pricing performance suggests that consumers are being more selective, by prioritizing product quality and brand reputation over simply trading down.

About the Author

Samuel Yan is China E-commerce Commercial Lead, Circana.

Photo: Shutterstock/ Hidden Stitch