Q4 2023 Pre-Sales Report: China's Men's Personal Care Market Analysis

Key Finding 1

China's men's personal care market reveals a two-speed structure: skincare dominates market share but faces contraction, while body care and hair styling segments demonstrate resilient growth driven by demand rigidity and emerging grooming consciousness.

Our analysis of September 2022 to August 2023 sales data across Tmall (天猫), JD.com (京东), and Douyin (抖音) reveals a market undergoing structural realignment. On traditional e-commerce platforms, the skincare segment commands 54.6% of men's personal care sales, yet multiple categories within it recorded double-digit year-on-year declines -- facial cleanser sales fell -26.85% YoY, sheet masks dropped -45.40% YoY, and serums declined -11.15% YoY. Meanwhile, body care categories with stronger demand rigidity led growth over the five-year period, and the hair and styling segment posted a notable uptick in the most recent rolling year. On Douyin, all categories remain in explosive growth fueled by the platform's low-base, high-DAU dividend, with men's hair color/gray coverage surging +689% YoY and intimate care rocketing +2,729% YoY. This divergence signals that the market's next growth frontier lies not in saturated facial skincare, but in specialized body grooming and styling solutions that align with evolving male self-care habits.

Key Finding 2

The men's depilatory cream segment, growing at 35.49% CAGR (2019-2023), represents a high-growth opportunity where the competitive landscape remains fragmented and brand positioning is yet to be established.

The Tmall/JD.com men's depilatory cream market reached CN¥ 79.9 million in MAT2023, posting a five-year CAGR of 35.49% despite a -25.61% YoY dip in the most recent period caused by macroeconomic headwinds and competition from hair removal devices. Critically, market concentration remains low -- CR5 stands at just 45.94%, top brand rankings shift dramatically year over year, and no single brand has established a dominant position. Veet (薇婷) entered the top five immediately after launching its first men's product in 2022, capturing 13% market share, while Pozitilan (泊紫汀兰) achieved +114.52% YoY sales growth through Douyin livestream commerce and "rustic comedy" short-drama content marketing. On Douyin, the segment grew +92.2% YoY with CR5 rising from 42.9% to 88.3%, signaling rapid brand consolidation on content-driven platforms. The combination of structural market growth, low brand loyalty, and evolving consumer awareness of zone-specific grooming creates a window for new entrants with differentiated products and targeted marketing.

Key Finding 3

Men's hair color and gray coverage constitutes a stable, brand-loyal segment where international heritage brands dominate but product innovation gaps -- particularly single-use packaging and limited color options -- create opportunity for challengers.

The Tmall/JD.com men's hair color/gray coverage market recorded CN¥ 139 million in MAT2023 (-3.95% YoY), reflecting a mature segment where CR5 rose to 45.68% and Bigen (美源) maintained its leading 28.6% market share through decades of reputation accumulation rather than active social media marketing. Schwarzkopf (施华蔻) achieved +10.65% YoY counter-trend growth. Consumer pain points are remarkably consistent across all three leading brands: single-use-only packaging generates dissatisfaction, small product quantity is perceived as poor value, and male consumers increasingly seek trendy brown-toned "skin-brightening" hair colors beyond basic gray coverage. On Douyin, the segment surged +689% YoY as sales correlate strongly with topic popularity, while CR5 rose to 68% and average prices declined to ~CN¥ 40 under intense competition from small and medium brands. Brands that solve the multi-use packaging challenge and expand color ranges to serve "refined trendy men" -- Post-95s and Post-00s in Tier 1 and new Tier 1 cities -- stand to capture meaningful share in this segment.

Key Finding 4

Douyin's "entertaining content" marketing model -- rustic comedy short dramas, KOL collaborations, and platform-native storytelling -- dramatically outperforms conventional product promotion for reaching male personal care consumers, redefining the go-to-market playbook.

Across both depilatory cream and hair color segments, brands that adopted Douyin-native content strategies achieved disproportionate engagement and sales conversion. Pozitilan's (泊紫汀兰) multi-account Douyin strategy, led by accounts combining product messaging with "rustic comedy short drama" formats, generated follower counts exceeding all other brand accounts combined -- 68,000 followers with 264,000 likes. Veet (薇婷) deployed a "precision reach" approach, partnering with top male influencers such as @Shihuang Kaidai and @Tang Shiye for entertaining content that destigmatizes male grooming while conveying product benefits. Social media engagement on Douyin exceeded 97% for multiple brands, dwarfing Weibo (微博) and Xiaohongshu (小红书) contributions. The data demonstrates that men's personal care marketing must move beyond conventional beauty-category tactics, instead leveraging humor, relatability, and male-oriented storytelling to penetrate a consumer base that remains highly receptive but under-educated about grooming products.