Dupe economy under fire as C-beauty brands fight back

What happened China’s beauty industry has had enough of the dupe economy. On April 26, Chinese cosmetics group Joy Group (Shanghai Juyi Cosmetics Co) secured a landmark intellectual property victory. Its sister brands Judydoll and Joocyee were awarded a combined 2.58 million RMB ($357,000) in damages after a court ruled that low-cost rivals Kekemood and Sweet Mint had copied bestselling products, packaging, and branding elements. The ruling reflects a broader shift underway across China’s cosmetics landscape: domestic brands are no longer simply defending themselves against accusations of imitation. They have become the ones being copied. Inside China’s beauty clone machine At the center of the case were Joocyee’s viral “crystal jelly lipstick” line and Judydoll’s bestselling contour palette, both replicated by budget brands selling products for under 10 RMB ($1.40) on platforms including Pinduoduo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote). The court found that some copycat products went beyond aesthetic similarity, directly lifting shade names, visual layouts, and structural packaging designs in ways it deemed deliberately intended to mislead consumers. This case is not an outlier. Chinese beauty labels including Perfect Diary, Carslan, Florasis, and Kato-Kato have all pursued legal action against imitators in recent years. Some are now locked in near-constant enforcement cycles as copycat products multiply across bargain-price platforms. From ‘Made in China’ copies to copied by others The shift is particularly striking given China beauty’s long-standing reputation as a “dupe factory.” For years, domestic cosmetics brands were frequently accused of mimicking Western luxury labels. Today, imitation disputes increasingly run in both directions — Chinese brands copying one another, and in some cases, international brands accused of copying from them. The trend runs deeper than domestic disputes. In January, Lancôme faced online backlash in China after consumers claimed one of its campaign visuals closely resembled an earlier advertisement from local beauty label Fan Beauty Diary. And in November 2021, Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. beauty was accused by Chinese consumers of copying packaging designs from local makeup brand Colour Zone — including components that had won the Pentawards Gold Prize in 2019. The Jing Take China’s beauty market is moving into territory where originality, not imitation, is a competitive asset. For years, the country’s cosmetics ecosystem tolerated, and in many ways rewarded, the race to copy. A viral lipstick or palette could appear in knockoff form within weeks, powered by China’s highly efficient supply chain and amplified by algorithm-driven platforms built to prioritize low prices and fast sales. But as domestic brands have matured, packaging and visual identity have evolved from superficial add-ons into core brand equity. Florasis and Flower Knows built their global followings on the strength of distinctive aesthetics alone — and that design investment is now intellectual property worth defending in court. The law catches up with C-beauty Regulators are showing a growing willingness to intervene. Earlier cases often failed because brands could not demonstrate sufficient market influence. Now, as Chinese beauty brands build larger and more enduring hit products, courts have grown more willing to recognize packaging, visual language, and even campaign concepts as intellectual property deserving protection. Chinese beauty brands are no longer defining themselves against international benchmarks alone. They are becoming the benchmark. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media

Dupe economy under fire as C-beauty brands fight back

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag

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Dupe economy under fire as C-beauty brands fight back

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag