CBN Friday Special丨Is C-beauty brands getting a facelift amid consumer backlash of Japanese imports?
Chinese consumer sentiment towards Japanese products, notably cosmetics, is undergoing a dramatic shift recently due to rising safety concerns.
One of the main triggers for this change is Japan’s decision to release nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima power station into the Pacific Ocean, 12 years after it was wrecked by an earthquake and tsunami, triggering fears about the safety of consumer products and foodstuffs from the country.
Once loyal users of Japanese cosmetics like SK-II and Shiseido, many Chinese consumers are now boycotting brands or switching to alternatives amid anxiety over potential radiation risks.
Hesitant in Japanese cosmetics purchase
Social media is a powerful barometer of public sentiment, and in China, platforms like Sina Weibo and Xiaohongshu have become hotbeds of discussion and debate about Japanese cosmetics. Numerous users have taken to these platforms to share “blacklists” of Japanese cosmetic brands, cautioning others to steer clear. Some even claimed that they had returned Japanese cosmetics they purchased.
A widely circulated list on Sina Weibo, for instance, flagged 31 major brands, including industry giants such as SK-II, Shiseido, and Muji, while opting for alternative brands. The volume of interaction on such topics runs into hundreds of millions of views, indicative of the depth of sentiment and the scale of participation.
Some consumers have asked customs authorities whether more inspections will be carried out on Japanese cosmetics. In response, the Shanghai Customs District said in June that authorities will step up nuclear radiation detection on products from Japan and take measures to prevent the import of products with levels of nuclear radiation that fail to meet standards.
The backlash has led many vendors and representatives of Japanese cosmetics and skincare brands, including Muji, Kao, and SK-II, to respond and address the concerns raised.
An employee at a high-end shopping mall, SKP, in Beijing remarked on the increasing number of clients raising product safety queries. They emphasized that while the cosmetics are made in Japan, they adhere to China’s stringent safety standards for imported goods.
Similarly, a representative from Shiseido, a renowned Japanese beauty brand, stressed the brand’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of product safety and quality.
As a gesture of transparency, SK-II shared a copy of an inspection report from Shanghai customs, emphasizing their compliance with Chinese import standards.
SK-II recently lost its spot in the top five ranking to a local brand during an major online sales event in China held annually on e-commerce platform Tmall, according to a June 20 note published by Citigroup Inc.
To put the significance of these developments into perspective, Japan, between 2019 and 2022, held the most substantial market share for cosmetics in China.
In 2022 alone, China’s imports of Japanese cosmetics stood at an impressive $4.16 billion, only second in terms of market share.
However, the cracks have started to show. Since May 2022, there has been a steady decline in Chinese imports of Japanese cosmetics. Imports sank 30% last month from a year earlier, after dropping 8.4% in June, data from China's customs authority showed.
Meanwhile, major cosmetics firm Shiseido saw its largest weekly stock plunge in nearly 10 months, with its shares down 6.8%. Its revenue from China accounts for 30% of the total. Shiseido’s local competitors including Pola Orbis and Kose also declined over 3%.
The boycott could be a “trigger for Chinese consumers to switch away from Japanese premium cosmetics brands,” an analyst for Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities said.
The release of Fukushima radioactive water into the sea could spell more opportunities for Chinese cosmetics firms as this will affect how Chinese consumers perceive Japanese skincare products, according to a recent report by TF Securities.
Opportunity for C-Beauty?
Chinese homegrown cosmetics brands are sending shockwaves through the domestic beauty industry as they begin to steal share from the foreign players – like Estée Lauder and Lancôme – that dominate the market.
Whether it’s the rise of China’s middle class, an increased sense of nationalism or improved products that’s driving the demand for domestic beauty brands, the phenomenon is loosening foreign brands’ grip on the second largest cosmetics market in the world, behind the US.
China’s beauty industry has undergone years of rapid growth and even managed to rebound strongly from the pandemic.
In recent years, Chinese beauty or C-beauty has attracted more attention. The signature C-beauty look – sharp eyebrows, lined eyes, royal red lips and a porcelain complexion – is more power woman than J-beauty and K-beauty’s doll-like looks – and has been gaining traction across social media.
Younger and savvier Chinese consumers are pushing beauty brands to innovate and show a willingness to embrace domestic brands over foreign competitors.
For one thing, Gen Z Chinese consumers are increasingly interested in traditional Chinese culture and style. This is sometimes referred to as guochao or China chic. They are often looking for ways to identify with their Chinese roots in a world dominated by Western aesthetics.
As a large spending group in China, Gen Zs are helping to drive the rise of C-beauty. According to one recent Tencent survey, 45% of “post-95” Chinese consumers regularly chose to purchase products infused with guochao elements. This outpaced “post-90s” consumers (38%) as well as “post-80s” shoppers (27%), indicating that the popularity of Chinese brands over the past couple of years is no flash in the pan.
Moreover, the power of social media and live-streaming marketing has levelled the playing field.
Chinese beauty influencers often build a community by sharing their daily beauty routines on Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and via live-streaming broadcasts on various social platforms. Opinion leaders are usually paid to promote certain products and are influential among younger people.
Online channels have also allowed upcoming homegrown brands – which can lack the financial resources to secure shelf space in traditional outlets – to sell beauty products directly to customers across the country. Around 73% of Chinese consumers buy cosmetic and skincare products on major e-commerce platforms, while sales through traditional brick-and-mortar channels have continued to decline, according to a research by iimedia.
Chinese skincare giants logged substantial profit growth in the first six months from the same time last year. Jahwa posted a 90.9% surge in first-half net profit to 301 million yuan, and Proya’s net profit surged 65% to 490 million yuan.
Sales of cosmetics in China climbed 4.8% in June from a year earlier to 45.1 billion yuan, halting a three-month slide, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. And from January to June, cosmetics sales advanced 9.8% year on year to 207.1 billion yuan.
Despite C-beauty brands’ rapid product development and mastery of digitalization, China’s beauty market is still dominated by foreign brands, since Chinese consumer behavior has traditionally been heavily influenced by Western, Japanese and Korean cultures. This is especially true in the larger Chinese cities.
And unlike Japanese or Korean brands that have a distinctive lure, C-beauty brands need to find a long-term branding model to connect with consumers.
Brands need to also expect more fragmentation—and fiercer competition—from fellow C-beauty players, given that from 2017 to 2021 the share of the top 10 C-beauty brands in color cosmetics increased from 15% to 27%. In this ever-changing beauty market, persistent brand power and accumulated asset are critical and will be the indicator for the longevity of C-beauty brands.
The beauty market is dynamic, and homegrown Chinese brands – which have an edge over foreign brands in understanding consumer needs and local nuances – are increasing their market share day by day. It is still anybody’s guess if C-beauty brands can seize the opportunity and outstrip their foreign counterparts.
8月24日，日本福岛第一核电站正式启动核污染水排海，引发全球热议。
虽然日本坚持说排放的核污水已经经过处理，不会对人类健康和环境产生负面影响，但这套单方面的说辞显然不足以服众。人们对日本进口产品的安全顾虑，从食品波及到化妆品。
化妆品虽然不像食品一样直接入口，但因为直接接触皮肤，所以安全性也很受关注。每次日本核污染水一有风吹草动，社交媒体上就会出现很多日本护肤品的“避雷”帖。
相比讨论“日本化妆品到底还能不能用”的问题，消费者似乎已经把更多精力投入充实“国货替代盘点”名单中。浊流入海，风浪骤起，国产化妆品能否把握住机会进击市场?
日妆品牌安全性受质疑
核污染水正式排海后，“多家日妆品牌遭遇退货”话题登上热搜，在社交媒体平台上搜索“日本化妆品”关键词，目前最热的几条帖子均与核辐射相关。“日本核辐射产品避雷”一贴点赞量达3.3万，收藏量达2万。而关键词分类中，排名靠前的也是“辐射”、“排雷”、“退货”、“国货替代盘点”。
在社交平台上，多位消费者将购买的日本化妆品退货，涉及植村秀、芙丽芳丝等品牌。核污染水的排放已经让他们“不敢继续使用日妆”。
据不完全统计，被卷入此次风波的日本化妆品品牌包括资生堂、安热沙(ANESSA)、SK-II、珂润(Curel)、芙丽芳丝(freeplus)等多个知名品牌，均在国内市场长期热销。
8月24日，在记者就当前的核污水事件咨询时，珂润（花王）品牌客服回应称，“通过官方途径从日本进口到中国的花王集团各品牌产品，会接受放射性物质相关检测，确保产品可以安全使用。”
SK-II方面则回应称，“目前我们在具有检验检测机构资质（CMA）及中国合格评定国家认可委员会（CNAS）认可的第三方检测机构按照国家检测标准主动对SK-II产品进行相关检测，您可以放心购买和使用我们的产品。”
另外，资生堂、高丝、FANCL等公司均做出类似回应称产品均符合国家相关标准，消费者可放心购买和使用。
据中国海关总署发布的数据，从2023年6月份开始，从日本进口的化妆品开始出现明显的下滑，其中7月份的进口金额同比大幅下滑了31%。
事实上，这不是日系美妆第一次遭遇消费者的抵制。
今年618期间，日本福岛第一核电站运营方东京电力公司开始为期两周的核污染水排海设备试运行。该消息在消费市场引起波澜，一批消费者退掉了618期间买好的日系化妆品，涉及资生堂、IPSA、安热沙、怡丽丝尔等众多日系品牌。
当时的社交平台上，“护肤品核辐射”“日系护肤品核辐射”等话题讨论火热。此外，宝洁旗下高端化妆品品牌SK-II产地涉嫌遭受核污染的消息疯传，而后品牌方指出相关报道不实，但依旧带来消费者信心的动荡。
然而，消费者的质疑声没有停止。核污染水进入到海洋后，是否会影响到日本化妆品的安全性？虽然目前尚未有统一结论，但毫无疑问，放射性物质令人生畏。
专家认为，此次排放核污染水带来的影响很大，尤其是在消费者心理和情感上。日本方面提供的证据不足以支持其排放的核污染水是安全的，消费者会对日本美妆产品产生不良印象，所以消费者对日本美妆产品不放心、进而拒绝购买，是完全合理的。
国货迎来新风口？
事实上，在排放核污染水事件前，日系美妆在国内已出现式微的迹象。
2019年日本成为中国化妆品第一大进口国，然而在2022年，“第一”的位置让位于法国。此前日系美妆以高级的护肤功效著称，动辄上千元的精华等护肤品曾被国人追捧。近两年，本土品牌正在通过主打功效性护肤崛起。
薇诺娜、珀莱雅和华熙生物等本土品牌，近几年在市场上的增长势头明显。
公开数据显示，去年双11期间，天猫平台美妆总GMV高达420亿，TOP10榜单中出现了珀莱雅和薇诺娜，分别以14.04亿、10.96亿销售额排名第五和第六，这是天猫双11美妆个护TOP10榜单中首次出现2个本土品牌。进入前20的国货品牌还有夸迪和自然堂。
另一边，以资生堂、花王等为代表的日系美妆品牌们正在遭受考验。
以资生堂为例，2022年全年资生堂净利润同比下降6.2%，花王旗下珂润、芙丽芳丝等品牌也未能支撑业务增长。此外，自2021财年开始，宝洁就连续多次在财报中提及SK-II业绩出现下滑的情况。SK-II的神仙水、小灯泡、大红瓶等核心单品的竞争力似乎在减弱。
国货的崛起，越来越成为化妆品市场一股不可忽视的新力量。
2018年至今我国化妆品市场整体环境发生了很大变化。首先是传播环境，KOL们掌控了C端话语权；其次，消费者也在更新迭代，95后、00后消费者逐渐成了化妆品的主流消费者。
根据《2023Q1魔镜消费新潜力白皮书》显示，消费品未来市场趋势一方面是流量红利见顶，提升产品力、塑造品牌为核心，消费者更看重产品的质量和功能，成分+功效营销的功能性护肤品大热就是集中体现；另一方面随着Z世代消费群体的迅速崛起，高性价比的国货受到欢迎。
在一位资深行业人士看来，我国化妆品市场快速变化的过程中，本土新锐品牌的适应是最快的，其次是欧美品牌，日本品牌的转型是最慢的。
基于本土市场，国产品牌具有更多适合国人肤质和更迎合国内消费环境的基因，“国潮”的审美和叙事营销曾取得过不俗的成绩，在政策利好和“支持国货”的情怀加持下也颇具优势。
然而，眼下日妆突遇危机，国货上位就在此时吗？
恐怕言之尚早。比如本次风波中，消费者尤为关注原料产地，而我国在化妆品原料方面恰恰起步较晚，在日本品牌格外擅长的物理防晒剂领域尚无“能打”干将，目前对日系原料有一定的依赖性，加之全球化时代的制作工序复杂难辨，若细究原料产地，恐一样被拖累，面临舆论讨伐。
除原料等短板，国产化妆品品牌还存在太多的升级空间。即使日妆品牌衰落，欧洲的优质品牌也随时可以替代，市场上强者如林，国产品牌难有立足之地。
据此前中研普华研究院发布的《2023-2028年中国化妆品行业深度调研与发展趋势预测研究报告》，近年来，国产化妆品品牌虽然颇有起色，初具同国际大牌相抗衡的实力，但在研发、营销等方面和国际头部品牌尚存在较大差距。同时，随着国际品牌对下沉市场战略的逐步应用，我国国产化妆品品牌的价格优势也在逐渐减弱，市场竞争更为激烈。
基于本土市场，国产品牌具有更多适合国人肤质和更迎合国内消费环境的基因，“国潮”的审美和叙事营销曾取得过不俗的成绩，在政策利好和“支持国货”的情怀加持下也颇具优势。但差距所在，实乃硬伤，不能仅靠市场对竞品的一时抵制取得好成绩，还是要下苦功雕琢自身，勉力精进。
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Editor: LI Yanxia
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