Emerging Clean Beauty Brands in China, from Emphasis on Safety to Environmental Considerations
Clean beauty, a global trend in the beauty industry, is beginning to catch on in China, especially among younger users. In addition to foreign brands, a number of clean beauty brands originating from China have also emerged, and some brands are taking the initiative in establishing industry standards.
Clean Beauty Brands from China Spring Up One After Another
Currently, there are about 15 major Chinese brands that claim to offer clean beauty products. Most of them are new brands that have been in business for only a few years or less.
Among these, LAN is attracting the most attention. Launched in 2018 by Hangzhou Yige Cosmetics, the brand is based on the concept of focusing on oil, and its main products are cleansing oil and essence oil, which have sold more than 1 million units in total. Prices range from 100–300 yuan (US$15–45), and the Tmall flagship store claims to use natural ingredients for more than 95% of its ingredients.
In 2021, Double Eleven, the big sale event, ranked LAN’s cleansing oil 6th in repeat purchases in the cleansing category on Tmall. The company is focusing on promotion through RED and Douyin, and its official RED account has over 50,000 followers; as of November 2021, the company had conducted 33 live commerce sessions on Douyin in the last 30 days, selling RMB 2.36 million (US$352,000); and raised RMB 200 million (US$30 million) in October 2020 and April 2021, according to the company.
Clean Beauty is said to have a high affinity with RED among Chinese e-commerce platforms. When Clean Beauty is introduced in China, the emphasis is often on the safety of not using ingredients that are harmful to the human body, with little mention of sustainability aspects such as environmental friendliness.
However, on RED, which has many “90 hou” (born after 1990) and “95 hou” (born after 1995) users, many posts are mentioning clean beauty brands’ efforts to reduce environmental impact through formulations and packaging. Such posts are not common on Weibo, China’s largest social networking site, and RED seems to attract users who are sensitive to global trends and highly aware of environmental issues.
Dewy Lab, a clean beauty brand funded by RED
Another hot stock is “Dewy Lab,” operated by Shanghai Da Wirling Science and Technology Development, which just launched in January 2021, but in less than six months, monthly sales exceeded RMB 5 million (US$745,000), and sales in November of the same year were over RMB 10 million (US$1.5 million). The company raised about US$10 million in a pre-series A round in February 2022, led by RED, the first time RED has invested in a cosmetics brand, showing how focused it is on clean beauty.
Dewy Lab targets 25–35 year olds and focuses on foundations, concealers, and loose powders. The price range is around 200 yuan (US$30), and the flagship stores, including RED, emphasize the safety of their products, as no harmful substances are used in their raw materials. In addition to emphasizing that the products can be used without problems by people with sensitive skin and pregnant women, they also clearly state that they do not conduct animal testing during product development.
Another example of an existing brand reorienting itself toward clean beauty is MyClorisLand (MCL), a skincare brand launched in 2011. The brand, operated by Guangzhou Arifson Trading, offers a lineup of products such as facial cleansing cream and toner and is sold online as well as in retail stores such as Watsons.
The founder, an ex-P&G staff, told local media that MCL originally focused on “purity (without additives or preservatives),” but after 10 years in business, the company has launched an updated clean beauty strategy to further strengthen the brand for the next 10 years.
MCL’s Tmall flagship store has a page called “Clean Beauty” that states that 90% of the substances in its products are naturally derived ingredients, as well as being cruelty-free and using recyclable materials for packaging. The company uses glass extensively for containers and FSC-certified paper.
In addition, the company has created a “hazardous ingredient list” covering more than 2,000 raw materials with potential risks, such as carcinogens and environmentally harmful substances, and states that it does not use any of them. According to the flagship store, the number of substances banned in China and the EU is 1,200 and 1,600, respectively, and it has imposed on itself a ban on a greater number of substances than those banned in China and the EU.
Brand-led Move to Establish Industry Standards
In order for clean beauty to penetrate China in the future, it will be necessary to encourage a change in consumers’ awareness of environmental issues and ethics. Although there is no clear definition of “clean beauty,” there has been a strong tendency in China to emphasize the safety aspects of ingredients and formulations, such as the elimination of substances considered harmful.
Currently, not many Chinese users select brands by paying attention to ethical measures, such as initiatives to achieve sustainability like those in Europe and the U.S., and transparency in the manufacturing process, from how raw materials are extracted to CO2 emissions.
In response to this trend, there is a movement within China to establish industry standards for what constitutes clean beauty. The initiative is being led by the aforementioned MCL. In January 2022, the brand, in cooperation with the Guangdong Cosmetics Association and 12 research institutes, formulated the “China Clean Beauty Collective Standard” and published it as a white paper called the “Pure Green Book” that provides guidelines. The company will continue to recommend specific initiatives in all processes, from raw materials to formulation, manufacturing, packaging, and recycling.
China is the world’s largest emitter of CO2, but the government has been quick to make decisions and implement measures to address environmental issues. Examples include the introduction of a mandatory charge for plastic bags in 2008 and the world’s first widespread use of EV cars in one fell swoop. In September 2021, President Xi Jinping declared at the UN General Assembly that “China aims to peak out CO2 emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060”. This declaration has pointed to the possibility of clean beauty, including sustainability and other factors, spreading in a short period of time.
Text: Ching Li Tor
Original text (Japanese): Team Roboteer
