How beauty brands are scaling intimacy for China’s VICs

For the latest on skincare, cosmetics, fragrances, wellness, emerging Chinese and APAC beauty brands, subscribe to our weekly Jing Beauty Newsletter. On a recent weekday morning in Shanghai’s Zhangyuan, Xiaohongshu blogger Wendy Ling (known online as @香菱鼓瑟) checked into Sisley’s first Maison in Asia-Pacific. Rather than entering a bustling shop floor, she was ushered through a garden courtyard into a quiet townhouse. There, cosmetics were displayed like art objects, spa treatments stretched over 90 minutes, and even the café served coffee beneath original works by Chinese painter Ni Youyu. “It was a dual indulgence of art and skincare,” Ling wrote on Xiaohongshu after her visit, calling it a place she planned to return to after her honeymoon. Her experience is emblematic of beauty’s new frontier: courting China’s ultra-high-net-worth individuals with the “very important client,” or VIC, strategy. It’s a playbook long perfected by luxury fashion and jewelry houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermès, now being adapted by skincare and cosmetics brands facing slowing growth in the mass market. China is home to 4.53 million individuals with assets above 10 million RMB ($1.37 million), according to the Yaoke Research Institute. These VICs account for 83% of luxury spending, pouring 800 billion RMB ($112 billion) annually into high-end goods. Yet despite their influence, more than 70% remain invisible to brands’ CRM systems. For beauty, capturing their loyalty is both the next frontier and an existential test as the market growth slows. “Beauty has always lent itself naturally to VIC strategies because it’s such a personal category,” said Elisa Harca, co-founder of China marketing agency Red Ant Asia. “The real task is to build a ritual of intimacy around these services, so that every interaction feels not just exclusive, but also deeply attuned to the client’s sense of self.” The age of ultra-luxury shoppers A recent “Luxury Insights” report from Global Blue and Agility Research christened the current era the “age of the ultra-luxury shopper.” These clients, who increasingly prize “quiet luxury” over ostentation, expect private salons, discreet experiences, and flawless service as standard. In fashion, they are courted with dinners alongside CEOs, or access to ateliers. Beauty must now adapt. The push toward VIC strategies comes at a time when China’s beauty sector is undergoing structural change. In H1 2025, online beauty and skincare sales rose 10.1% year-on-year to 235 billion RMB ($32.9 billion), while unit volume grew just 5.5% to 2.6 billion items, according to industry data from Magic Mirror and China Beauty. The widening gap between revenue and volume signals a shift away from price-driven consumption toward value reconstruction, with consumers prioritizing efficacy, exclusivity, and brand heritage. For high-net-worth clients, this shift is even more pronounced. These shoppers are less sensitive to pricing, but are more discerning about experience, personalization, and brand prestige. As the mass beauty market becomes increasingly crowded with domestic labels and value-driven offerings, global luxury houses are repositioning their beauty arms to capture the ultra-rich — often borrowing tactics from their couture divisions. In 2023, La Prairie opened its second-ever “Maison” in Shanghai, while Orveda unveiled a Chinese-style house blending spa rooms with art programming. Sisley launched its Asia-Pacific “Maison” in Shanghai’s Zhangyuan. Each goes beyond traditional flagship stores: they are cultural salons designed to make clients feel like insiders in a rarefied world. “Clients place greater emphasis on product experience and personalised results,” says The Harvest’s founder and principal marketing consultant Moqian Sun. “Brands can draw inspiration from luxury’s model of ‘private exclusivity’ — whether through one-to-one skincare consultations, exclusive R&D experiences, or immersive beauty spaces that blend lifestyle with beauty.” La Mer, the Estée Lauder-owned skincare brand, has piloted “Crème de la Mer Cabins” in select Asian cities, offering bespoke facials that incorporate proprietary massage techniques and access to spa-only formulations. While not all treatments are available for purchase, the allure lies in creating an ecosystem of exclusivity that deepens loyalty among its wealthiest clients. 70% of VICs are invisible to brands’ CRM systems One of the biggest hurdles is identification. While consumer brands lean on CRM, VICs resist leaving digital footprints. Both Harca and Sun argue that human networks remain the most effective filter. “Traditional CRM systems often fall short with this audience. They’re simply too fluid, too discreet to be captured in a database,” Harca says. Instead, she points to introductions through private clubs, luxury travel firms, or referral-based access. “It’s less about mass outreach and more about discreet, trusted pathways that feel authentic to how these clients live. Human-to-human connection is key: It’s the ultimate luxury.” Sun agrees, describing this as “human-powered CRM.” She says that engagement works best in high-end environments — golf clubs, art exhibitions, charity galas — where community interactions naturally occur. “To avoid appearing intrusive, brands could acquire new clients through referral programs led by existing VICs, preserving confidentiality,” she adds. The paradox is that even as AI tools become more sophisticated, their role is largely supportive, providing insights to empower human advisors. The premium tier, experts argue, will always remain personal. Dual narratives: Social media vs. private storytelling For mass audiences, beauty brands thrive on visibility. But for VICs, the rules flip. Excess exposure erodes rarity. “The most effective VIC storytelling happens quietly, often behind closed doors,” Harca says. She has seen brands employ private WeChat groups, encrypted livestreams, and invitation-only previews. The goal: two parallel narratives. A broad one that builds aspiration, and a private one that reinforces exclusivity. Sun echoes the “dual-track” approach. “On social platforms, brands can amplify broad concepts — like artistic collaborations or sustainability commitments — while VICs receive deeper, more intimate content through private communities or bespoke films,” she says. The model recalls fashion houses that run mass marketing campaigns while hosting secret dinners for VICs in historic venues. Beauty is beginning to replicate that cadence, threading cultural capital with intimacy. Sales advisors as anchors No VIC strategy succeeds without trusted advisors, or KOS (key opinion salespeople). Their influence is disproportionate. According to a BCG x Altagamma study in 2024, 64% of VICs cite relationships with sales consultants as the reason they return to a brand, while 68% would follow them if they moved to a competitor. “Sales advisors are much more than just salespeople. The best ones become confidantes — they understand not just a client’s skin but their routines, their travels, even their moods,” Harca says. “The challenge is keeping them, especially when turnover is high.” Her solution is to elevate status: position advisors as luxury professionals with career progression, not just frontline staff. Sun agrees, stressing both recognition and incentives. “Brands should involve KOS in planning client events, provide career development, and ensure their voices are heard,” she says. “That helps them feel valued as recognised contributors, not merely executors.” The race to retain talent has intensified as younger recruits show less interest in long-term advisory careers. But for VIC retention, these human anchors remain irreplaceable. Tailoring by region and generation China’s VIC market is not monolithic. Tier-one city clients lean toward cultural capital, while those in emerging cities often prize status display. Generational divides are just as stark. “Older clients prioritise heritage, luxury and brand legacy,” Sun says. “Younger clients favor personalization and digital interaction.” That means modular programs are essential: engraved packaging for one segment, AI-driven concierge apps for another. Harca has seen brands succeed with a “hierarchy of experiences” that remain consistent in DNA but flexible in execution. “Bespoke formulas for one audience, heritage collections for another; big-city cultural events in tier-one hubs, slower, wellness-led activations elsewhere,” she says. This flexibility is crucial as global wealth expands east and south. Agility Research estimates the number of global millionaires will increase 38% by 2027, with new centers emerging in India, Indonesia, and Thailand. Beauty brands must prepare for not just China’s elite, but a wider map of ultra-wealthy consumers with different expectations. Beauty’s new growth engine The appeal of VIC strategies is not just about loyalty, it is also insulation. In downturns, luxury houses rely on VIC spending to steady revenues. Beauty brands are beginning to build similar buffers. In Shanghai’s Zhangyuan, EviDenS de Beauté opened its largest spa in China, offering 120-minute treatments priced up to 9,721 RMB ($1365). Sisley’s “Maison” blends cultural programming with spa services, while Orveda designed a Franco-Chinese hybrid house for skincare and art. Each embodies a pivot: from selling products to building cultural and experiential ecosystems. With the age of the ultra-luxury shopper now firmly underway, the question is less whether beauty brands can master the VIC playbook, and more how quickly they can scale intimacy without losing exclusivity. As Harca says: “The most premium and personal of service will still be human. Technology can support it, but the essence will always be trust, discretion, and intimacy.”

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How beauty brands are scaling intimacy for China’s VICs