There is a proclivity amongst China watchers, and, as we’re only human, we’ve been known to fall into this trap at Yaso too, to depict China as some kind of incomprehensible, faraway planet, where bizarre trends get churned out at a rate of knots. We do this to sustain an idea of the country being impenetrable and constantly evolving. That’s not to say it isn’t, but we’re all guilty of over-egging this for our own gains! Whilst XiaohongShu trends such as Asian Baby Girl ( #ABG女孩) and Mixed Raced Beauty (#混血妆) are without question interesting and different, perhaps a consequence is that it desensitizes us to genuinely newsworthy things that represent long-term, strategic opportunities in the market.
That said, one long-term opportunity for the beauty category that is reflected by recent trends has been the recent unlikely tilt of domestic and international beauty brands to see the world of sport in China as their next commercial frontier. In part 1 of this article we will delve into 3 different types of sport and beauty tie-ups that we have observed, and why this was previously unlikely for the beauty category. In the second part of the article we will explore 3 key trends which we see as driving the beauty and sport tilt, and what the opportunities are for brands looking to leverage these.
The first way in which beauty brands have leaned into the world of sport has been through sponsorship. The traditional properties for beauty brands to sponsor have historically been choices confined to the luxury and fashion categories in China. A good example of this has been the historical, deep ties between British department store Harrods and Shanghai fashion week. The Harrods Hive is a networking hub that builds a meaningful association between Harrods and Chinese luxury shoppers.
The tilt of beauty brands towards sport has seen properties outside these traditional confines become fair game. Recent, newsworthy examples of this have been the landmark sponsorship by British beauty brand Charlotte Tilsbury of the F1 Academy, charged with the aim of increasing female involvement in motorsport. This tie-up will likely see significant brand activation in China, where F1 has just returned after a long break. Western brands will have to rival C-Beauty (domestic brands) businesses who are also getting involved at the sponsorship level: Chinese beauty giant Florasis’s sponsorship of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, whereby co-branded products, athlete experience and digital activations were the main promotion tactics to highlight the sponsorship.
The second way in which beauty brands are leaning into sport is via actual above-the-line campaign messaging. This is interesting as it breaks from the typical ways in which brands explore “new” positioning themes in China. Christian Dior bet big on their above-the-line messaging in 2022, with a series of luxury “home-workout” style videos to promote their Dior Vibe athletic-wear and beauty ranges. The videos leveraged a wide range of Chinese KOL talent such as skier Zhang Hong, surfer Darci Liu, fencer Sun Yiwen, and gymnast Zhang Doudou.
Nor is this association at the above-the-line level just limited to female targeted brands. The huge boom in male beauty cosmetics has resulted in a number of campaigns where sport and beauty ties up. The best example of this has been Estée Lauder’s global marketing partnership with Manchester United, leveraging the Red Devil’s talent pool to target the Chinese male beauty market in above-the-line marketing channels.
The third way in which cosmetic or beauty brands have leaned into the growing opportunity in sport has been through product licensing deals in the country that tap into the fashion-athletics crossover trend. Whereas previously a more traditional association between cosmetic and fashion brands, e.g. Puig and Prada or Jean Paul Gaultier, would have been the norm, again sport is becoming a more attractive territory for brands in China to consider. The most notable of these partnerships has been the renewed licensing deal between Coty fragrances and Adidas. The view is to co-create and license an active skin and mind range ahead of the expected entrance of the product range into the Chinese market. Big global sporting properties like the UEFA Champions League, pictured below, sweeten the deal and make the licensing arrangements safer bets, especially within China given it’s millions of football fanatics.
Now that we have explored three types of previously unlikely sporting tie ups that beauty brands are pursuing in China, the natural question is why beauty brands are tapping into this in China? What are some of the trends driving this? We share three reasons below:
One of the primary drivers for the increased synergy between beauty brands and sports in China is the substantial rise in viewership and participation rates among female beauty consumers across China, which has not gone unnoticed by the beauty giants. Sports traditionally held as male dominated, e.g. basketball, football and martial arts in particular, have seen a surge in popularity owing to the increased global appetite amongst female viewers for professional competitions in these sports. Whilst not the only audience segment beauty brands care about, especially given the counter-balance of the growth of male beauty, female viewership is still of crucial value. The FIFA Women’s World Cup, in which China was a participant, is a great example. Excitement globally saw an uplift, according to Nielsen data below, and China was no exception to this uplift.
Another significant trend is the bottom-up increase in Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs) in China who highlight beauty products suitable for an active, athletic lifestyle. These KOLs and KOCs often demonstrate the effectiveness and durability of beauty products under physically demanding conditions, thus fostering a practical and aspirational connection with their audiences.
Prominent examples include fitness influencer Amanda Zhang, who regularly posts about her workout routines along with skincare tips to maintain healthy skin despite rigorous physical activity. Similarly, Yvette King, a popular yoga instructor and lifestyle KOL, often shares her beauty regimen, focusing on products that withstand sweat and support skin health. These KOLs and KOCs often demonstrate the effectiveness and durability of beauty products under physically demanding conditions, fostering a practical and aspirational connection with their audiences. In China this bottom-up trend has reframed the way in which beauty brands view sport as a territory for positioning, hisotircally not not viewed as fair game.
We have already mentioned above that interest and viewership stats in sport, notably amongst the female segment in China, are increasing significantly. This is in and of itself important as eyeballs on sports-related content are valuable to brands looking to tap into China. But the trend of increased interest is also resulting in a projected growth in the segment sub-categories too, with healthy participation and category merchandise and clothing growth projected in Chinese sports with increasingly relevant audiences for beauty brands - popular mainstream sports like yoga, football and running, but also within more niche activities like skiing, hiking and cycling.
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