Despite pressure on the cosmetics retail market, the age management sector has demonstrated resilient growth due to consumers’ improved understanding of age management, evolved demands and supply-side technology iteration. In the increasingly fierce market competition, leading brands need to build moats through developing core ingredients and technologies, while small and medium-sized brands should seek growth by relying on differentiated product positioning or focusing on niche segments. Future market competition will revolve around precise anti-ageing and diversified solutions. Brands can focus on age-specific product supply, promote emerging anti-ageing concepts and science communication, strengthen the connection between core ingredients and efficacy and enhance category expansion and linkage.
Lucy Yang, Senior Analyst, BPC Client Advisory, China Insights
Market Definitions
This report primarily examines consumer attitudes toward ageing and the usage of the following products with anti-ageing claims:
- Skincare (including facial and bodycare)
- Colour cosmetics (including facial, lip and eye products)
- Hair care products (including shampoo, conditioner and scalp care products)
- In-home facial beauty devices (such as facial steamer, infusion and exfoliation device, etc).
- Cosmetic surgery products (after-surgery facial repair paste, etc).
- Beauty supplements
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Executive summary
- Definition
- What you need to know
- Segments in the anti-ageing BPC and supplement market continue to expand in size
- Graph 1: market size and growth rate of anti-ageing product categories on major ecommerce platforms, 2024
- Market factors
- Anti-ageing skincare has evolved from a single benefit to multi-pathway/precision age management
- The iteration of leading anti-ageing skincare brand products and the extension of anti-ageing concepts show a trend towards multi-channel and precise solutions
- Consumer trends
- Keys to success
- What we think
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The market
- Anti-ageing BPC market achieves growth despite macroenvironmental pressure, with various segments continually expanding in size
- Graph 2: market size and growth rate of anti-ageing product categories on major ecommerce platforms, 2024
- Market factors
- Moderate ageing in society accelerates, unleashing market potential
- Graph 3: population aged over 60 and proportion, 2020-24
- The market continues to expand, driven by the delayed retirement policy and the reinterpretation of old age
- Consumers address both internal and external signs of ageing, and anti-ageing solutions are becoming more diverse
- Graph 4: signs of ageing perceived by consumers aged 40-59, 2025
- Breakthroughs in basic research provide theoretical support for anti-ageing mechanisms, and brand technology iterations drive innovation in anti-ageing ingredients/products
- Policies to support the anti-ageing cosmetics industry in the silver economy
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Companies and brands
- Brand landscape
- Anti-ageing skincare product pathways and ingredient upgrade trends
- The iteration of leading anti-ageing skincare brand products and the extension of anti-ageing concepts show a trend towards multi-channel and precise solutions
- Bulk up core components to effectively seize mindshare and build a competitive moat
- Transform towards premium positioning by extending concepts and expanding and upgrading the product lines
- Emerging anti-ageing skincare brands enter the market with proprietary ingredients/conceptual trends
- New product trends
- Proportion of anti-ageing claims in new facial care products increases year by year, with firming and fine lines/wrinkles reduction in the spotlight
- Graph 5: change in proportion of anti-ageing related claims in new facial care products, 2020-24
- Line/wrinkle reduction claims are the most prevalent in South Korea, while the US and UK see more antioxidant claims than Asian markets
- Graph 6: proportion of new facial skincare products with anti-ageing claims, 2024
- Example of US and UK antioxidant products: provide antioxidant protection by minimising exogenous damage
- Skincare products have always been the main front for anti-ageing, and ‘internal adjustment and external nourishment’ drives innovation in anti-ageing supplements
- Graph 7: proportion of new anti-ageing products in BPC and supplements, 2020-24
- The launch of new cosmetics and supplements in South Korea is more active than in other markets, with the UK and US having high proportion of new haircare products
- Graph 8: proportion of new anti-ageing products in BPC and supplements, by category, 2024
- Examples of South Korean colour cosmetics and oral supplements: collagen, vitamin C and a variety of added ingredients
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The consumer
- Age management demands differ by age group
- Skin ageing is a natural phenomenon, but lifestyle and environmental factors are key influences
- Graph 9: factors that you believe would contribute to skin ageing, 2025
- Three in five consumers are troubled by loose skin and wrinkles
- Graph 10: self-assessment of skin issues, 2024 vs 2025
- Consumer concern about looseness, contours and skintone increases with age
- Graph 11: self-assessment of other skin issues, by age groups, 2025
- Graph 12: self-assessment of skin ageing issues, by age groups, 2025
- Anti-ageing demands show significant age-specific characteristics
- Graph 13: TGI of anti-ageing facial skincare product claims deemed important by consumers, by age group, 2025
- Dark eye circles shadowed all age groups, and loose skin and contours for a major concern for mature skin types
- Graph 14: issues consumers would like anti-ageing eyecare products to solve, by age, 2025
- Understanding of anti-ageing pathways and changes in expectations
- Consumers’ understanding and expectations of anti-ageing pathways are becoming more advanced
- Graph 15: anti-ageing pathways that female consumers believe are effective, 2025
- Age-range differences in awareness of anti-ageing pathways suggests the feasibility of promoting targeted multi-pathway anti-ageing concepts
- Consumer demand is segmented, and both basic and advanced needs must be considered
- Graph 16: anti-ageing pathways that female consumers believe are effective, by age, 2025
- Understanding of anti-ageing pathways differ by city tiers
- Graph 17: anti-ageing pathways that female consumers believe are effective, by city tier, 2025
- Ingredients related to advanced anti-ageing pathways have high awareness and high conversion potential
- Anti-ageing solutions evolve towards diversification
- Facial skincare has the highest penetration, with haircare and cosmetic surgery being high-potential anti-ageing products/services
- Graph 18: consumer usage of anti-ageing products or services – using now, 2024 vs 2025
- Graph 19: consumer usage of anti-ageing products or services, 2025
- Tier 1 cities, high-income groups and consumers aged 30-39 seek full-chain anti-ageing
- Graph 20: user profiles of combinations of age management products/services – using now, by TGI index, 2025
- Consumers have different focuses on the understanding of anti-ageing pathways when it comes to combinations of anti-ageing solutions
- Graph 21: TGI of anti-ageing pathways that consumers believe are effective, by anti-ageing product/service combinations they use, 2025
- Edible beauty ingredients are more favoured by oral supplements consumers
- Graph 22: conversion rates of major anti-ageing ingredients, by usage of facial skincare products/beauty supplements, 2025
- Diverse ingredient narratives in oral supplements
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Issues and insights
- Meet age-specific anti-ageing needs: differentiate supply with scientific narratives and emotional connection
- Skin issues and efficacy demands of consumers by age group
- Early defence for consumers aged 18-24 and the 40+ group as potential segments
- Approach from lifestyle and emotional aspects to discuss the causes of early skin ageing
- Collagen banking encourages younger people to take preventive measures against ageing
- Gain insight into the physiological changes in menopausal skin and develop precise care solutions for mature skin
- Explore the upgrade of age management concepts: communicate cutting-edge ideas through pathway education/cross-category ingredient introduction
- Current mainstream anti-ageing pathways/concepts
- Discuss cellular anti-ageing through cell energy activation
- Construct a cellular anti-ageing narrative by borrowing cosmetic surgery ingredients
- Taking defence against chronic/low-grade inflammation as the starting point for anti-ageing benefits
- Strengthen category expansion synergy: use haircare as an opportunity to mobilise multi-category synergy to compound benefits
- Anti-ageing haircare products present an opportunity, with the core customer group being primarily high-income women aged 30-39, but there is potential to expand into lower-tier markets and broader age groups
- Graph 23: consumer profiles of women who plan to use anti-ageing haircare products, 2025
- Graph 24: consumer profiles of women who are using anti-ageing haircare products, 2025
- The hair and scalp age management market can enhance consumer awareness through skincare ingredients/concepts
- Strengthen multi-category linkage to compound anti-ageing benefits
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Appendix – methodology and abbreviations
- More women aged 18-49 believe that lack of sleep and unhealthy diet are associated with ageing
- Graph 25: perceptions of the causes of skin ageing among women aged 18-49, 2021 vs 2025
- A higher proportion of women have reported skin issues than men, especially regarding skin aging and skin tone
- Graph 26: consumer self-assessment of skin issues, by gender, 2025
- Women pursue multidimensional age management, while men pay less attention to anti-ageing
- Graph 27: the most important claims about anti-ageing facial skincare products as perceived by consumers of different genders, 2025
- Women show a stronger awareness of age management than men
- Graph 28: anti-ageing pathways that consumers believe are effective, by gender, 2025
- Women prefer diverse anti-ageing solutions, with great potential in hair and scalp care
- Graph 29: female consumers’ usage of products/services with anti-ageing benefits, 2023
- Graph 30: female consumers’ usage of products/services with anti-ageing benefits – using now, 2024 vs 2025
- Age management for men primarily focuses on basic facial skincare but men show a high willingness to try beauty supplements, beauty devices and cosmetic surgery
- Graph 31: male consumers’ usage of products/services with anti-ageing benefits, 2023
- Graph 32: male consumers’ usage of products/services with anti-ageing benefits – using now, 2024 vs 2025
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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