In China, the celebration of Father's Day has become a mainstream phenomenon in recent years. Luxury brands are taking advantage of the opportunity for a new shopping festival, with many releasing marketing campaigns on major social media platforms a few weeks ahead of the holiday.
For brands hoping to capitalize on the potential for consumption, it's important to recognize the changing shopping patterns of China's affluent male buyers. This year, an increasing number of traditionally female-oriented cosmetics and fragrance brands released campaigns, indicating the country's shifting views on gender roles and styles.
High-end skincare brand La Mer published a post on WeChat on Friday in celebration of Father's Day. It listed two of its signature skincare products - "The Eye Concentrate" and "The Moisturizing Motte Lotion" as gift ideas for Chinese fathers. Notably, the two products have also been extremely popular among the country's female skincare consumers.
Also in time for Father's Day, beauty retailer Sephora, offered promotions on a number of male skincare brands such as Biotherm, Lab Series, and DTRT. It also introduced beauty instruments, including the Foreo eye massager, to Chinese fathers. According to the advertisement, "it is equally important for men to care as much about their skin conditions as women."
Fragrance labels, too, were no exception. Atelier Cologne organized offline events for fathers to visit their stores on the holiday, and promoted these offerings on WeChat and Weibo. Similarly, Armani Beauty urged readers to buy its classic male fragrance "Acqua Di Gio" as gifts for their fathers.
Brands and retailers' marketing efforts toward this emerging segment demonstrate a huge, untapped potential in the Chinese male beauty market. According to consulting firm Euromonitor International, the market is projected to reach 1.9 billion yuan by 2019, growing at a rate twice as fast as the forecast for the global men's beauty market.
Data released by China's e-commerce platform VIP.com also confirmed the trend. In 2017, 96 percent of male users on its platform purchased beauty and cosmetics products at least once. For the past three years, the sales volume of male beauty products has almost doubled year-on-year. Facial masks appear to be the most desired beauty product for men, followed by BB creams, lipsticks, and eyebrow liners.
Chinese men's newfound willingness to experiment with different beauty products represents a golden opportunity for luxury brands - suggesting Father's Day beauty offerings are just the beginning.