Changes in the Recent Beauty Tools Industry
By 2027, the market size is projected to exceed 27.5 billion yuan, with makeup tools emerging as a "dark horse" in the niche segment.
A Hermès lipstick brush sells for 675 yuan, a Chanel blush brush for 500 yuan, and a Shu Uemura No. 55 foundation brush for 495 yuan... In recent years, makeup tools have actively carved out a blue ocean market in the industry as a "small category." Journalists have observed that while the high-end market is still dominated by international luxury brands, domestic brands are also capturing the mid-to-high-end market with high-cost-performance products. For example, Maogeping's 280-yuan eyeshadow brush and Caitang's 139-yuan seamless foundation brush have both made it to the top ten on Tmall's makeup brush V-list.
According to data from Qianzhan Economist, the average annual compound growth rate of China's makeup tools industry from 2017 to 2020 was 22.21%. Based on this, it is projected that by 2027, the market size of the makeup tools industry will exceed 27.5 billion yuan. Industry insiders reveal that in the multi-billion-yuan beauty market, as domestic consumer demand for makeup tools increases, products are also evolving towards diversification and refinement. Compared to the mature skincare market, makeup tools may become the "dark horse" in the makeup segment.
Market Trends: Significant Growth in Makeup Tools Category, Domestic Brands Seize Mid-to-High-End Market.
In recent years, with the growing demand for makeup in China and the development of beauty social platforms, makeup tools as a "small category" have seen rapid growth.
According to data from Quanto, from March 2021 to February 2022, the annual sales of beauty tools reached 10.43 billion yuan. Among them, Tmall's sales in the past year amounted to 5.07 billion yuan, accounting for 49% of the total, making it the top online sales platform for beauty tools. Taobao followed with sales of 4.009 billion yuan in the past year, accounting for 38%.
On social media platforms, makeup tools are also highly popular. As of September, discussions about makeup tools on Xiaohongshu garnered around 190 million reads, with approximately 170,000 notes published and 300,000 product categories. On Douyin, the topic "makeup tools" accumulated 4.54 billion views. Business analysts reveal that even a "small category" can become a "big business" due to consumer demand.
The industry believes that, given the rapid development of China's beauty industry, consumers have greater demands for the delicacy of makeup, the convenience of the makeup process, and the satisfaction of the application experience. This has led to higher requirements for the use and selection of makeup tools. Currently, the high-end market for makeup tools is still dominated by foreign brands. However, domestic beauty brands are accelerating their expansion into the small-category segment, capturing the domestic mid-range market. The logic behind enhancing competitiveness is similar to that of major beauty categories: first, strive to secure a stable "second place," and then actively aim for "first place."
Local Breakthrough: Creating "Premium Sets" and "Portable Kits" for Multi-Functional and Multi-Scenario Use。
Makeup tools refer to auxiliary instruments used to apply cosmetics for the purpose of enhancing facial and other features, as opposed to beauty devices that alter body shape or skin properties through technological means. Generally, makeup tools achieve overall effects such as enhancing facial three-dimensionality, adjusting makeup, and highlighting strengths while compensating for weaknesses through methods like blending, drawing, and grooming. In the current market, makeup tools are broadly categorized into foundation tools, lip tools, eye tools, and makeup removal tools.
As domestic beauty brands "overtake on the curve" in the beauty market, the competitiveness of local brands in the makeup tools market is also increasing. According to a report by Qianzhan Industry Research Institute, by the end of 2022, many emerging brands such as Perfect Diary, Maogeping, Carslan, ZUKIMM, Marie Dalgar, and Judydoll have rapidly captured the low-to-mid-range and parts of the mid-to-high-end market of China's makeup tools industry. Industry insiders state that under the influence of the "guochao" (national trend) trend, domestic makeup tool brands still have significant room for market development.
In the early stages, transaction prices in China's beauty tools market were relatively low. However, in recent years, representative domestic beauty companies have successfully leveraged brand effects to launch mid-to-high-end products. Perfect Diary's Master Series makeup tool set (5 pieces) is priced at 425 yuan, and ZUKIMM's beginner tool set (8 products) is priced at 328 yuan, both demonstrating strength in the mid-to-high-end segment. Xiao Tang, a Guangzhou-based business analyst, stated that emerging domestic beauty leaders capturing the mid-to-high-end market is of positive significance for driving the industry towards high-quality development.
Journalists found that compared to international brands' strategy of strongly promoting "hero products," domestic beauty brands tend to focus on creating "premium sets" with more innovative, multi-functional, and user-friendly designs, reflecting high cost-effectiveness. For example, a unique "triangular-to-round" design ensures a comfortable grip for brush handles; a spherical blush brush can also be used for setting powder; and a foundation brush with strong pigment pickup also has blending capabilities. "When buying luxury makeup tools, consumers often pay for the brand's premium value, but with local brands, they prioritize functionality," said Xiao Fang, a consumer born in the 1990s. As auxiliary products, the efficacy of makeup tools is more important than their appearance.
In addition to functionality and packaging design, journalists also noted that domestic beauty brands excel at creating "multi-scenario" tool products, such as launching "portable kits" and "full sets." Industry veterans reveal that this approach serves both as bundled marketing and content marketing. During the "product seeding" process, information about the product's functionality is conveyed, enhancing consumer loyalty.
Industry Analysis: Strengthening Supply Chains to Enhance Productivity and Competitiveness。
Although emerging domestic products are actively capturing the mid-to-high-end market, high cost-effectiveness remains the biggest advantage of domestic brands. It is worth noting that the overall upgrading of the makeup tools supply chain is crucial for product pricing power. Journalists learned that the upstream raw materials for makeup tools mainly include various plastic products, synthetic bristles, and animal hair. With numerous participants among upstream enterprises, makeup tools have strong bargaining power over upstream suppliers. A technician with over ten years of experience in the supply chain revealed that in recent years, the upstream supply chain has focused on raw material innovation, striving to achieve excellence under the premise of high cost-effectiveness. Taking makeup brushes as an example, high density reduces the likelihood of product buildup but may result in a harder texture and less skin-friendly softness. Achieving both density and softness is a challenge, and developing higher-quality raw materials is one of the directions.
The industry reminds that regardless of category size, strengthening a company's supply chain to enhance productivity and competitiveness is key to continuously improving bargaining power and gaining market pricing authority.
As the market size for makeup tools continues to grow, more players are entering the market, which means competition will become increasingly fierce.
Currently, most makeup tools in China are sold through online channels, but no highly representative brands have yet emerged in this niche segment. In the future, marketing methods in the beauty industry will continue to diversify to cope with the growing market size and expanding e-commerce sales channels. Therefore, auxiliary beauty products should further strengthen brand building, create unique images, capture the youth market, and develop long-term brand strategies.
Consumer Advice: Domestic Brands Focus More on Asian Facial Features
"There’s no need to overly obsess over brand effects for makeup tools. At the same price point, many domestic products perform better than international luxury brands," said Peter, founder of ZUKIMM. International luxury brands tend to design products for European and American facial features, while domestic brands focus more on Asian facial structures, creating products that align better with Eastern aesthetics.
Peter told journalists that there are many "three-no products" (no production date, no quality certificate, no manufacturer) in the market, which are extremely cheap but can cause skin allergies with long-term use. "The advantage of domestic brands lies not in being cheap but in offering high cost-effectiveness, with safety being a mandatory inclusion. Consumers are advised to choose products from reputable manufacturers," he said.
"Is this a case of paying for the brand?" On social media, the most frequently asked question by consumers focuses on the functionality of makeup tool products.
Peter told journalists that good makeup tools can make the makeup application process smoother and improve results with less effort. Professionals may indeed have better skills in using makeup tools compared to average consumers. However, for daily makeup scenarios, suitable makeup tools can help achieve better results while saving time and effort.
