From sneakers to serums: Poizon’s beauty breakthrough

Poizon, China’s top sneaker resale platform, is rewriting the e-commerce playbook with an aggressive push into beauty. Known as a haven for streetwear collectors and sneakerheads, the platform has quietly become a force in China’s $10 billion beauty market, leveraging its authentication model and community-driven shopping experience to carve out a lucrative niche. The numbers tell a compelling story. In 2024, Poizon’s beauty category posted a staggering 150% increase in gross merchandise (GMV), with the number of merchants growing by over 100% year-over-year. During last year’s 520 shopping festival — China’s Valentine’s Day — beauty orders on the platform jumped 70%, with one in five merchants doubling their sales. The platform, now home to over 500 million registered users, remains largely untapped by beauty brands, presenting significant potential for early movers. Arnold Ma, CEO and founder of digital creative agency Qumin, sees Poizon’s success as a natural extension of its origins. “First, Poizon’s existing positioning has already established it as a trustworthy platform for fashionable young consumers, thanks to its authentication program and community driven ‘seeding’ (种草) via reviews. These approaches, initially developed for fashion and sneakers, apply equally to beauty,” Ma says. He also points to the platform’s merchant-friendly environment, which offers brands access to trend insights and boasts lower return rates compared to traditional e-commerce sites. Can Poizon replicate Douyin’s retail dominance? With social commerce platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) reshaping China’s retail landscape, Poizon’s rise in beauty begs the question: can it follow a similar trajectory? While Poizon and Douyin both leverage content-driven commerce and target Gen Z shoppers, their strategies diverge in key ways. “Douyin has mostly relied on star streamers to drive sales, though it has recently shifted to merchant-led livestreaming,” says Ma. “Poizon, on the other hand, is more community-driven, with reviews and unboxing content that appeal to consumers who are genuinely curious about the products, rather than just the influencer selling them.” Unlike Douyin, which has set the standard for livestream-driven e-commerce, Poizon is unlikely to redefine the broader market. “Douyin is a full-fledged social commerce ecosystem covering multiple categories, while Poizon remains fashion-centric with higher entry barriers for merchants,” notes Ma. However, with Xiaohongshu (RedNote) also blending lifestyle-driven ‘seeding’ content with e-commerce, the emergence of more community-based platforms like Poizon could mark a shift in consumer engagement strategies. The trust dilemma: Can Poizon overcome user concerns? Despite its rapid growth, Poizon’s beauty expansion faces a major hurdle: consumer trust. While its authentication model has been a selling point in sneakers and streetwear, beauty shoppers remain skeptical. Many online users indicate that Poizon’s authentication process for cosmetics is even less stringent than for luxury sneakers as they can’t open the products, leading to concerns over counterfeit or expired goods. Discussions on Chinese social media show that some consumers hesitate to buy high-end beauty items on the platform, fearing they might not receive the same level of quality assurance. Regulatory scrutiny in China’s e-commerce sector has also intensified, potentially putting pressure on Poizon to enhance its verification standards. “There are potential concerns for Poizon’s growth,” Ma acknowledges. “It lacks the scale and logistics infrastructure of giants like Tmall and JD.com, and it also doesn’t have the content volume of social media-driven platforms like Douyin and Bilibili. Without a robust supply chain and deeper brand partnerships, it may struggle to maintain momentum.” Moreover, Poizon’s premium positioning could limit its reach beyond China’s top-tier cities. “Trends come and go. If demand for sneakers and street fashion declines, it might spell trouble for the platform and force it to diversify further,” Ma warned. Who is buying beauty on Poizon? Interestingly, Poizon’s beauty category has attracted a new demographic. While its core user base skews male, beauty sales have been driven by young female professionals — a shift that has opened new opportunities for brands. Still, Poizon’s large male customer base presents a clear avenue for growth. Men’s grooming, skincare, and fragrances remain underpenetrated in China’s beauty market, and Poizon’s credibility in streetwear could position it as a strong contender in this space. Kans, one of China’s fastest-growing domestic beauty labels, was an early entrant on the platform. The company joined Poizon in May 2023, targeting younger, high spending Gen Z consumers. Within a month, its GMV surpassed 1 million RMB ($137,000). By Valentine’s Day 2024, its sales had increased by 80-90% YoY, with male-focused gift boxes exceeding expectations by over 50%. Kans now generates tens of millions of yuan annually from Poizon and expects continued growth in 2025. “Poizon’s male consumer potential is strong, especially for gifting scenarios,” says a Kans spokesperson to Chinese media outlet Cosmetics Newspaper. “During last year’s 520 shopping festival, demand for ‘women gifting men’ beauty boxes surged, helping us double our sales.” Poizon’s impact is already being felt across the beauty sector. In the past year alone, its beauty and personal care GMV surged by 154%, while the number of newly onboarded merchants rose by 161%. During the Qixi Festival, homegrown beauty brands like Florasis and Kans posted year-over-year sales growth of 850% and 450%, respectively. What’s next for Poizon? Poizon’s next challenge will be maintaining its momentum in an increasingly crowded e-commerce landscape. While its early success in beauty suggests strong consumer demand, sustaining growth will require deeper brand partnerships, stronger regulatory compliance, and continued innovation in its authentication services. As Chinese consumers become more discerning, trust will remain Poizon’s biggest asset — and its greatest risk. The platform’s ability to maintain credibility while scaling its beauty business could determine whether it becomes the next major e-commerce powerhouse or just another fleeting trend in China’s fast-moving retail landscape.

From sneakers to serums: Poizon’s beauty breakthrough

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Published April 04, 2025

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From sneakers to serums: Poizon’s beauty breakthrough