Adopt tailored strategies for elaborate skincare and minimalist skincare users, upgrade beauty services and experiences, and create an integrated health and beauty approach.
Zoey Song, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This Report covers 2,000 female internet users aged 40-65 and explores potential market opportunities in China’s beauty market for mature skin by analysing the behaviours and attitudes of older female consumers towards beauty and personal care products.
This Report covers the following beauty and personal care products:
- facial skincare
- cosmetics/colour cosmetics
- haircare products
- bodycare products
- edible beauty products
Mintel uses the following household income classification definitions.
- Low-income households have a monthly household income of RMB9,999 or below.
- Middle-income households have a monthly household income of RMB10,000-23,999.
- High-income households have a monthly household income of RMB24,000 or above.
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Executive summary
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- Market factors and product trends
- Drivers and opportunities
- Keys to success
- What we think
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The market
- Market factors
- Generation X is the largest generation in China
- Graph 1: population proportions* by age group (generation), 2023
- Older women have stable incomes and sustained spending power
- Graph 2: source of income, by age, 2025
- Redefine the stages of skin ageing to drive more targeted skincare
- Older women face multiple skin issues, explore comprehensive solutions
- Graph 3: skin issues, by age, 2025
- Skincare for older women needs to respond to menopause-related needs, both physical and mental
- Graph 4: severity of menopausal symptoms, 2024
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Companies and brands
- Preferred brands
- Older consumers prefer international classic brands, but still room for domestic emerging brands to expand
- New product trends
- Products for mature skin are mainly gift sets, potential for greater specialisation and segmentation
- Established international brands continue to iterate products specifically for mature skin
- Overseas niche brands precisely target age segments to create a systematic mature skincare range
- Understand pain points of mature skin, use clinical testing to highlight expertise
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What consumers want and why
- Two kinds of older consumer requiring different approaches: elaborate and minimalist
- Older consumers use fewer skincare products, some over-40s still have elaborate needs, over-50s tend to be minimalist users
- Graph 5: number of skincare products used (excluding colour cosmetics), by age, 2025
- Stable demand for basic skincare, potential for greater penetration in functional skincare
- Graph 6: usage of facial skincare and colour cosmetics products, by age, 2025
- RMB201-300 price band dominates, high acceptance of higher-end serums and moisturisers
- Graph 7: purchase price, 2025
- Older BPC consumers are either elaborate skincare users or minimalist skincare users
- Graph 8: use of facial skincare products/sub-categories, minimalist vs elaborate, 2025
- Natural ingredients, wrinkle reduction and moisturisation are key demands, elaborate users have more diverse demands
- Graph 9: interest in product claims, by number of skincare products used, 2025
- Wrinkle reduction, natural ingredients and moisturisation the key demands of older consumers
- Offer multifunctional comprehensive skincare solutions for elaborate skincare users
- Safety and basic functions are key for minimalist skincare users who want simplified routines
- Graph 10: reasons for low usage of skincare products, 2025
- Create a family-friendly basic product line with low entry barriers
- Streamlined skincare and clean beauty concepts align with the needs of minimalist skincare users
- Multifunctional benefits to satisfy elaborate users, safety and basic care to support minimalist users
- Don’t underestimate value of bricks-and-mortar, expand range of services and experiences
- Short videos appeal to all, differences in information acquisition and choice of information channels
- Differences in choice of information channels between over-40s and over-50s
- Graph 11: information channels, by age, 2025
- Combination of short videos, physical shops and Xiaohongshu can reach majority of older consumers
- Targeting the over-40s: top influencers help to shape the elaborate skincare concept
- Targeting the over-50s: short drama marketing offers new way to reach consumers
- Create a marketing ecosystem to address differences in comprehension among older consumers
- Graph 12: understanding of product information, 2025
- Recommendations from peers are more persuasive for older consumers
- Graph 13: attitudes towards product recommendations, by age and household income, 2025
- Marketing to older groups: industrial tourism and product origin experiences
- Develop gift sets to support gifting and recommendations from younger generations
- Graph 14: attitude towards skincare product sets, 2025
- Purchase conversions among older consumers more likely in brick-and-mortar channels
- Graph 15: facial skincare purchases, by age, 2025
- Graph 16: penetration rates of brick-and-mortar channels, by age, 2025
- Additional beauty services enhance the experience and offer value, helping to reach older consumers
- Graph 17: attitudes towards additional beauty services, 2025
- Offline beauty services diversifying, expansion of scenarios to reshape user experience
- Target online marketing by age group, expand offline services and experiences
- Use cross-category collaborations to create integrated health and beauty offerings
- Diverse advanced beauty habits highlight inside and outside approach to beauty
- Graph 18: advanced beauty care, 2025
- Greater awareness of haircare among older women, focus on pain points to unlock market potential
- Considerable demand for colour cosmetics for mature skin
- Edible beauty collaborations can offer internal nourishment and external protection
- Identify care needs of older women, provide comprehensive support for all stages of menopause
- Focus on early adopters aged 40-49, create an integrated health and beauty offering
- Graph 19: proportion of early adopters*, by age, 2025
- Tailor products to physiological needs, explore integrated health and beauty approach
- Anxiety over skin ageing is commonplace, brands need to play a positive role
- Graph 20: attitudes towards skin ageing, by city tier, 2025
- Forget functional and build resonance with consumers’ values
- Explore category expansion opportunities while considering the needs of older consumers
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Appendix – methodology
- Methodology
- TURF analysis methodology
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