Why 22+ beauty brands have retreated in China this year

What happened More than 22 international beauty brands have closed stores, withdrawn counters or exited China so far in 2026, according to Chinese media outlet Cosmetics Observer, putting some of the industry’s most familiar names on the retreat. Amorepacific’s Mamonde (梦妆) stopped operating its mainland social-media accounts in March before closing its official online channels in June; Colgate-Palmolive-owned Filorga (菲洛嘉) shuttered its Tmall flagship despite having accumulated more than 3 million followers; and last month (September 15), Australian skincare brand Lanolips closed its Xiaohongshu store and paused official mainland operations. The closures come despite improving consumer demand. China’s cosmetics retail sales reached 36.8 billion RMB ($5.2 billion) in August, up 4.9% year-on-year, while sales during the first eight months rose 6.1% YoY to 309.4 billion RMB ($43.5 billion), according to National Bureau of Statistics. The traffic is moving in both directions. Pañpuri and Serge Lutens (芦丹氏) expanded through physical retail, and German beauty retailer Müller is preparing to enter Shanghai. Even among brands closing stores, retrenchment does not always comprise an exit. The Jing Take The pressure is particularly acute in skincare and makeup, which account for more than 80% of international beauty brands withdrawing or downsizing this year. Domestic competitors have eroded many of the advantages foreign labels once enjoyed: Proya (珀莱雅) competes in the 200 to 500 RMB ($28 to $70) skincare bracket with increasingly sophisticated R&D and efficacy claims, while makeup brands such as Judydoll (橘朵) and Joocyee (酵色) combine rapid product development with accessible pricing. International brands caught between value-driven domestic competitors and established luxury names consequently have less room to coast on provenance or heritage. Maintaining visibility across Tmall, Douyin, Xiaohongshu and physical retail is expensive, making a distinctive product proposition and a clear understanding of where consumers actually shop increasingly important. Aesop (伊索) closed four Greater China locations over the past year, but opened five mainland stores in 2026, including new doors in Guangzhou, Chongqing, Shanghai and Wuhan. Santa Maria Novella closed its Shanghai Plaza 66 store in May before returning to the same mall in September with its first directly operated China boutique, while Hince and Etude (伊蒂之屋) temporarily closed major e-commerce stores before reopening. Rather than pursuing distribution for its own sake, brands are becoming more surgical about where and how they show up. Newcomers are taking a similarly targeted approach: Fenty Beauty combined Tmall and Xiaohongshu flagships with an offline Shanghai activation, while Pañpuri and Serge Lutens are betting on premium fragrance, where lower penetration leaves more room to recruit new consumers than in crowded skincare and makeup. Foreign beauty remains capable of capturing substantial growth when the proposition resonates. Thirteen of the top 20 brands across Taobao, Tmall, Douyin and JD.com during the first half were international, while SkinCeuticals (修丽可), Estée Lauder (雅诗兰黛), La Mer (海蓝之谜), SK-II, Helena Rubinstein (赫莲娜) and YSL Beauty (圣罗兰) each recorded growth above 20%. The dividing line in China is therefore becoming less about domestic versus foreign brands than about which companies can justify their place in an increasingly crowded market. 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.

Why 22-plus beauty brands have retreated in China this year

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Why 22-plus beauty brands have retreated in China this year

How 2026 welcomed ‘Too Cool’ back