Yanɡ Ting

One friend outside the industry once asked me:Which cosmetics brand sells best in China? Korean brands were popular before they were strongly affected by“THAAD” deployment; domestic cosmetics brands grew fast, but their market share is not clear. Maybelline, its market share reached 20% as the absolute leading brand,according to sales proportion, what else if Maybelline is not best selling in China?

Maybelline presence is weak now, I nearly forgot it if not for its spokesman, Wu Yifan. Maybelline brand influence declined so fast that I wonder what is its real share in market?

To some extent, the current cosmetics market is confusing. Because China’s market has been growing,there is a need for a benchmark for the operator, the seller,and the consumer. The consumer needs to know what is good, what is fashionable now, and the approximate price;the operator needs to know how development should be,and how to follow. Today, a cosmetics brand benchmark is missing.

The development trend of cosmetics brands is not very clear. For example, the cosmetics market is regarded optimistically, but the CS channel performs poorly,cosmetics output is far behind its display area growth rate, cosmetics are seriously overstocked, a new brand is difficult to survive, etc. For more examples, face cosmetics and eye cosmetics competition becomes increasingly hot,lip products, which is highly expected to not perform well; non-cosmetics enterprises are across the border aggressively, and many old domestic cosmetics brands slowed down. At present, the cosmetic market is lively,Korean brands are fading; where is the driving point for domestic cosmetics development?

To find out where the makeup market is going, we must first find where the makeup market come from.

Past—scenario application marketing phase

In China’s market, makeup has always been an attached product of skin care, despite professional cosmetics, such as Maybelline and Bobbi Brown having entered China’s market. Since 2005, China’s makeup market has developed to a certain scale, as represented by Maybelline turned losses into gains, and Max Factor,COVERGIRL, MAC and many other international makeup brands entered China, successively. With China entry into the WTO, rapid development of the foreign trade market, gradual acceleration of China’s economy,fast population flow into China, the retail market in China grows fast, and cosmetics retail stores also started their golden decade. For the makeup market, there is a big change—the generation born in the 80s come on the stage.

Both China’s makeup market and Maybelline should thank the 80’s generation. The 80’s generation grew up in the reform and opening-up, influenced by western culture and accepted the requirements of western images.Therefore, after the 80’s generation came into society,their social image needs made consumption becomes part of daily life.

During this period, L’Oreal conducted intensive investigation, and published “Research Report on Makeup Acts and Attitudes”. In the application of makeup, they were divided into four themes and ten scenes, in which formal banquets, parties and working occasions are used mostly.

Therefore, when consumers purchase makeup, they are not buying some concept product, but consume after experiencing an enhanced appearance according to the requirements of the scene, that is, the marketing idea of“from appearance to products” implemented in the past.Whether the top ten scenes of makeup marketing or the“win” series of AUPRES, both are based on this marketing idea. So, we can call this stage “scene application marketing stage” of makeup.

Now—Korean concept marketing phase

BB cream was hot in China around 2008. No matter its origin, it is, indeed, imported from Korea to China. Korean makeup seems hot in China, although the BB cream market is dominated by Maybelline, a Korean brand takes the opportunity to enter China—Etude House.

Etude House takes the highest input-output ratio in Chinas makeup market, we can even say it “collects money”. The right time, right place and the right people made Etude’s achievement, and inspired South Korean makeup brands’ enthusiasm. It’s known that Innisfree and Missha suffered frustration in the China market.Therefore, whether agent sales or the direct selling, South Korean makeup flood into China’s market rapidly, so China’s market entered “Korea makeup” era.

National policy guidance has allowed Korean products to penetrate fully into China’s market, and media is full of Korean entertainment. Whether the “l(fā)ittle fresh meat” Korea style star entertainment, or product concept innovation of Korean makeup, is extremely compatible with the 80’s and 90’s generation appetite, so Korean makeup formed a large scale. Whether CC cream, air cushion cream, tone-up cream, air cushion brow tint, lip balm and other innovative categories, or horse oil, snake venom, snail and other speculation concepts, all make China’s makeup market a Korean style label, and let“Korean concept marketing” become the driving engine of Chinas makeup.

At the same time, it made the makeup market a bad phenomenon. When one concept fires up, the whole market is rampant and formed a fierce low-cost impact.Although the Korean concept marketing stirred the market, it only leads to individual hot (flood), rather than the whole makeup market. This is also the true reason why the makeup market appears prosperous, but unprofitable.

Future—social demand marketing phase

Having experienced the training market-oriented“scene, application marketing stage” and star productdominant “Korean concept marketing”, where will China’s makeup market go? Where is the next drive engine of China’s makeup market?

We have been looking forward to using the opportunity of Europe and America made to make the color bar code,that is the lip product truly prosper. The newly acquired Urban Decay and NYX makeup by L’Oreal, have started a flame in color marketing in Europe and America, while YSL’s limited-edition starlight lipstick also started a fire in the China market.

In domestic makeup brands and CS channels, lip makeup is still as depressed as before. China’s the vast majority of consumers demands for makeup is practical daily use, one or two lipsticks are enough to modify lip color, without buying a new color for a new suite.

We know that medium-high-end makeup and the color bar code field is blank in China, but marketing is still star product concept hype + advertising pull +channel interest stimulation. Without fashion innovation to guide consumer groups, the makeup market will not grow, and we need new ideas.

We step out of the makeup industry, to one industry that made a new realm in China—the mobile phone industry. It’s known that China has overtaken the United States as the world’s largest mobile consumer. The consumption of mobile phones isn’t replacing a broken one, and it’s not just technological innovation for new consumption. Not long ago, Apple’s mobile phone only added a new color—red, causing many customers to repeat the purchase. According to our sayings, this is the development of a new color number.

Therefore, in order to develop high-end makeup,including the color bar code, we must pay attention to an important requirement—social demand.

The popularity of YSL’s star lipstick is also based on this demand, and the core reason for a customer to buy lipstick is she has no lipstick, or really understands the aesthetics. No, they buy for social needs—acquaintances and friends had it, and I will have it, too. And they take every opportunity to show it.

In this regard, local cosmetics are far behind.Although some cosmetics brands advertise on social media, using online celebrities to do live broadcasts or rewards for sharing on Moments, etc. The essence of social intercourse is to show off, and it won’t succeed if we fail to make the customer boast. Therefore, we must achieve three things before we perform well in marketing:

Perfection—perfect in terms of product efficacy,technology, or process, the consumer has a clear product functional benefit experience, for example, the embossing process of the Lansur silk stick on the package, and the grinding gold process of the YSL star lipstick.

Simplicity—product or brand characteristics are simple and clear, easy to spread and share, such as the silk grafting concept of Lansur silk stick.

Level—Bring brand and product fashion endorsements.In this regard, Mariedalgar performs well, and many masters become endorsors of the brand.

It can be said that China’s domestic cosmetics are really far away from social needs. Many makeup practitioners may not be able to imagine how the cosmetics of social needs should be. Because the research and development orientation of China cosmetics brand is not end consumers, but channel merchants—to satisfy the category requirements and profit demand of the channel merchant. The priority of domestic makeup in 2017, is almost all on channel expansion, and develop through channel expansion. For example, CS channel cosmetics want to enter a shopping mall, while shopping mall brands want to enter a retail store; the physical stores opens online shops on Tmall, and online shops open the physical stores.

It is hard to get more consumers through crossborder channels because the online market has already been saturated. It is said that online makeup grows fast. According to the author, besides Mariedalgar and Carslan which have brand effect and a small amount of foreign brands, other successful brands primarily sell low price products. In fact, it is those which already decayed in physical stores who transferred to online to survive by low cost.

Therefore, the online market has already been saturated. Makeup enterprises not only stock competition,but also must drive market growth with a deeper consumption drive.

The excavation of social needs is still blank in Chinas domestic makeup. It doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. The hot movie “Tiny Times”shows that most consumption is for social need and particular cosmetics consumption. Especially, the scarcity of medium and high-end makeup, must met customer’s social needs.Developing high-end makeup, and color bar code, can make makeup become the real “l(fā)ipstick” economy.