In Europe, pharmacies are where skincare credibility is built. In China, they remain largely outside the beauty conversation. This piece unpacks why the same channel plays such different roles across markets, why Chinese pharmacies are beginning to matter for functional skincare, and how beauty brands must rethink product, channel, and talent strategies to compete in a trust-driven retail environment.

L’Oréal’s minority investment in LAN marks a strategic shift from acquisition to partnership in China’s beauty market. Beyond the brand itself, the deal reveals how global beauty giants are rethinking risk, localisation, and long-term growth in an increasingly fragmented and culturally specific consumer landscape.

VIVAIA is a China-born DTC footwear brand that quickly scaled globally through product innovation, flexible manufacturing, and a focused global strategy. Learn how it outpaced Allbirds and became a leading sustainable fashion brand.

China has yet to produce a retailer with the authority, bargaining power, and brand aggregation capabilities of Sephora, Space NK, or Ulta Beauty. The reasons are structural, historical, and deeply linked to how China’s beauty economy developed.

The absence of subscription models in China is not due to technological limitations or lack of platform capability. Instead, it is rooted in deep structural differences: ● China skipped credit cards ● Consumers distrust auto-pay ● Brand loyalty is low ● Promotions dominate shopping behavior ● Consumers prefer high control and flexibility

Since China’s annual shopping festival Double Eleven (11.11) started in late October, one thing is clear: AI is playing a far more prominent role than ever before.

The AI platform Doubao (豆包), developed by ByteDance, has begun seamlessly connecting user queries with direct shopping links on its parent short-video platform Douyin (抖音, the Chinese Tik Tok), delivering a new model for beauty-commerce integration.

Known as a “club for China’s middle class,” Sam's Club, one the most successful foreign retailers in China, sparked controversy by introducing more mass-market domestic snack brands - products that consumers noted were already widely available in regular supermarkets or even roadside convenience stores.

China’s largest trading card company, Kayou (卡游), holds the licenses for hits like Ultraman and My Little Pony. According to its IPO prospectus, the company generated 10 billion RMB (≈1.4B USD) in revenue in 2024, with a staggering net margin exceeding 40%.

Founded in 2007, Chinese DIY toy group Robotime has grown into a creative powerhouse with over 200 designers, a 200,000 m² factory, and exports to 100+ countries.