Beauty and the best: 10 cosmetics brands that dominated China in 2017
Beauty and make-up are a woman’s best friends. In 2017, what were the big hits and launches in the luxury fashion world?
While a Hermès handbag or a pair of Christian Louboutin heels might require some serious saving, a Chanel lipstick lets a woman experience luxury without the expense. Luxury cosmetic lines are lucrative themselves, even without taking into account their power in establishing a relationship with younger consumers.
According to DBNDate, the post-95 generation is becoming the main buying force for cosmetics in China, and premium cosmetic brands are becoming more important to the China market.
What were the big hits in the world of high-end beauty in 2017? We rank the different approaches among the leading players, with European luxury brands still selling conventional anti-ageing products in glamorous packaging, while Asian brands have shifted their focus to younger demographics with a lighter luxury style of natural beauty products.
1. Chanel
The French brand is known for iconic red lipsticks, and at Christmas, Chanel launched a feast of red. The Numeros Rouges collection (225 yuan/HK$270) is highlighted by four limited edition red lipsticks, each placed in a “rare red-lacquered click case”. The all-red theme successfully catered to Chinese customers’ tastes, earning the nickname of “China red” on Chinese social media. In July, 2017, actress Liu Shishi was enlisted to promote Chanel’s make-up lines.
2. Dior
If red is classic Chanel, classic Dior is gold – another colour favoured in China. For its 2017 holiday collection, Dior added five limited edition shades to the Diorific lipstick line (350 yuan), each packaged in what Dior calls a “jewel-like gold case”, which resembles two conjoined light bulbs. In addition to the novel-looking case, the lipstick is an unconventional crayon shape. The Diorific Khol holiday edition features a long-lasting formula, which is marketed as a “powder lipstick.” This year, actress Wang Luodan joined the campaign with adverts set in the south of France.
3. Guerlain
Guerlain released two new shades at Christmas. The 2017 limited edition Rouge G (480 yuan) follows the conventional design of Rouge G de Guerlain, the most luxurious lipstick collection from Guerlain, but with a gold and black case instead of the original silver. Guerlain paid big money in 2017 to have Yang Yang, Wang Ziwen and Fan Bingbing, who have reputations as great beauties and coveted brand ambassadors, represent the brand.