Beauty and Personal Care in Qingdao

Key Findings

Geographic proximity leads to the dominance of Japanese and Korean brands

Qingdao, within a 2-hour flight of major Japanese and Korean cities, is deeply influenced by Japanese and Korean cultures, especially in beauty and personal care industry. Korean brands, whether mass or prestige, are largely welcomed by Qingdao locals. Besides, with the popularity of Korean and Japanese cultures in China, local young generations tend to prefer K-Beauty or J-Beauty for being fashionable.

Premium brands are gradually embraced by Qingdao locals

Given the rising disposable income over the past five years, Qingdao locals are gradually shifting to premium brands especially in make-up products. Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Sulwhasoo are highly valued by Qingdao locals.

Convenience stores becomes emerging channel in the BPC industry thanks to extensive presence

Convenience stores (CVS) enjoy rapid development in Qingdao with locals’ rising acceptance. Catering to modern lifestyles orientated to convenience, CVS has become an emerging channel for the BPC industry especially for small-sized products such as chap sticks and one-day masks, which have a very small price gap with other retailing channels.

Qingdao attaches strong importance to hydration products

Located in Northern China and facing the Yellow Sea, Qingdao’s winter is long, cold and dry. To protect skin from the cold weather, hydration comes to the fore in term of skin care. To stay hydrated, applying facial masks frequently even on a daily basis is common among Qingdao female consumers. Ingested beauty products are also popular for their hydration properties.