Sensory design enhances efficacy, occasion-based texture can meet diverse needs, and emotional expression can create social value.
Zoey Song, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This Report focuses on consumer attitudes towards format and texture trends in the beauty and personal care market. The main categories covered include:
- Facial skincare products
- Bodycare products
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Executive summary
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Market factors and new product trends
- Texture has become an important link to efficacy, scenarios and emotions
- The consumer
- Keys to success
- What we think
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The market
- Market factors
- Texture is an important consideration for consumers when purchasing beauty and personal care products
- Graph 1: important factors for purchasing BPC products, 2024
- New texture options added to classic products to precisely meet segmented needs
- Oil-based skincare continues to gain popularity; personalised skincare routines give rise to immersive, healing experiences
- Graph 2: mentions of ‘oil-based skincare’ (以油养肤), 2023-25
- New product trends
- In facial skincare, NPD in essences are the most active, and the proportion of new creams is gradually climbing
- Graph 3: new facial/neck and eyecare products, by format and texture, 2022-25
- Cream-like texture combined with tactile variations creates layers in sensory experience
- Facial serum oils upgrades in lightness, enhancing skin feel while increasing the fun of skincare
- The proportion of oil texture in new eye products is rapidly increasing
- Graph 4: proportion of oil textures in new eye products, 2022-25
- New single-use essences boom, the perfect format for cutting-edge technologies
- Texture fusion/transformation enriches experiences and blurs the boundaries between categories
- The dual-chamber/dual-core design balances freshness sealing with multifunctionality, creating a value-for-money advantage
- Promote process innovation and enhance the persuasiveness of good skin sensation
- In the new bodycare products, lotion is the mainstream format, and the essence texture sees impressive performance
- Graph 5: new bodycare products, by mainstream formats and textures, 2022-25
- Sensory experience levels up to enhance the emotional value of bodycare
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The consumer
- Texture influences sensory experience and benefit performance, with attention paid to the practicality and portability of packaging
- Consumers generally believe that texture affects sensory experience and benefit performance
- Graph 6: the impact of texture on the user experience, 2025
- Lightweight textures are more popular, with no significant differences across different ages and skin types
- Graph 7: attitude towards texture thickness, 2025
- Fast absorption is the primary pursuit of consumers, and preferences for texture thickness vary across different categories
- Graph 8: texture preferences (summer), 2025
- Packaging portability and functionality are core concerns for consumers
- Graph 9: packaging aspects that matter, 2025
- Upgrade precise dosage control to optimise user experience
- Portability and sealing win consumer favour by far, while the disposable design is popular
- Graph 10: usage and potential interest of facial ampoule/single-use vial , 2025
- Single-use design gradually expands into suncare and bodycare
- Skincare sticks stand out with their advantage in portability; explore the specific needs of potential users for market expansion
- Graph 11: usage and potential interest in facial stick-type skincare balms, 2025
- Small/medium samples have become a regular choice for daily skincare
- Graph 12: attitude towards small/medium samples, 2025
- Scenario-based demand leads innovation in texture
- Most consumers choose product texture based on usage scenarios
- Innovative texture fits usage scenarios, enhances product scenario-adaptability and elevates product memorability
- When consumers purchase products with special textures, the contextual need is the key consideration, second only to the product’s efficacy
- Graph 13: potential factors influencing the purchase of specially textured products, 2025
- Innovative texture expands multi-scenario adaptation, leading the direction of portable skincare
- Focus on real-life scenarios to expand the usage applications and segmentation of oil products
- Emotional skincare drives the expansion of the oil product user base
- Most consumers are keen on trying new textures, particularly younger women and those with oily skin
- Graph 14: profile of users keen on trying new textures, by gender, age and skin type, 2025
- Graph 15: attitude towards trying new textures, 2025
- Purchase decisions for novel textured products rely on sensory experiences
- Graph 16: attitude towards novel textures (a), 2025
- The user base for facial oils is well established, while the potential for body and shower oils remains to be explored
- Graph 17: usage and interest in oil-type products, 2025
- For facial oils, novelty seekers value the premium feel, novelty and sense of ritual more
- Graph 18: potential purchasing factors for facial oils, by attitude towards texture innovation, 2025
- The need for a sense of ritual in body oils and shower oils is more prominent
- Graph 19: potential purchasing factors for body oils, by attitude towards texture innovation, 2025
- Graph 20: potential purchasing factors for bath oils, by attitude towards trying new textures, 2025
- Using tools alongside BPC products is popular and helps enhance the experience and emotional value
- Graph 21: attitude towards complementary tools, by attitude towards trying new textures, 2025
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Issues and insights
- Leverage texture innovation to amplify efficacy expression
- Texture can strengthen effectiveness perception, breaking through the dilemma of efficacy involution
- Aesthetic medicine-like textures with light stimulation reinforce the association of high efficacy
- Hot and cold sensory experience explains the mechanism of action
- Link texture with benefits for greater customisation
- Segmented texture design for precise response to diverse skincare scenarios
- Scenario-based texture innovation that precisely meets usage demands
- Target the post-cosmetic surgery care scenario in aesthetic medicine and upgrade benefits using innovative textures
- Texture shapes the healing experience for periods of skin fragility and sensitivity
- Increased participation in outdoor activities drives the upgrade of skincare scenarios
- Graph 22: outdoor activity participation, 2022-24
- New products for outdoor occasions: focus on portability and refreshing skin feel
- Target finer segments of outdoor scenarios to drive texture innovation in precision skincare
- Emotion-driven texture communication and packaging design empower emotional skincare upgrades
- Emotion-driven texture communication and packaging design propel the upgrade of emotional skincare
- Interesting texture nicknames enhance emotional experiences
- Integrate fun with practical design to expand emotional value and shareability
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Appendix – methodology and abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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