C-Beauty Brands Expand Globally as Proya Enters US Ulta Stores
Chinese beauty brands are expanding into international markets by securing shelf space in global retail stores and opening overseas research centers, driven by rapid growth at home and a slump in domestic consumer spending, reuters.com reported.
Proya Expands into US Stores and Paris
Proya Cosmetics, the largest C-beauty brand by revenue, plans to sell its Advanced Firming and Original Repair skincare lines in 400 Ulta stores and on Ulta.com across the United States starting in November. The company also opened a research and development center in Paris this October.
Other Chinese brands are shifting from online sales to physical storefronts abroad. Florasis opened its first overseas flagship shop in Tokyo’s Ginza district last year, featuring ornate cosmetics inspired by traditional Chinese aesthetics. In Singapore, Joocyee and Judydoll opened physical shops last year, and both brands are now stocked by the British retailer Skin Cupid. Flower Knows, a colour cosmetics brand 51%-owned by Proya, launched with British pharmacy and beauty retailer Boots in March and entered Ulta stores for a limited run in September.
Domestic Brands Capture Majority of China Market
Domestic brands overtook international names in China in 2022, capturing 57.4% of the country’s $159 billion cosmetics market last year, according to the China Association of Fragrance, Flavor and Cosmetic Industries. This domestic success follows a broader push abroad by Chinese businesses seeking new revenue during a prolonged slowdown in domestic consumer spending.
Industry executives attribute the growing global confidence of Chinese products to a halo effect from domestic innovations in electric vehicles, smartphones, and artificial intelligence. Yatsen Group CEO David Huang noted that this shift is visible across multiple industries. Meanwhile, C-beauty brands draw inspiration from South Korean cosmetics. K-beauty exports surged 50% over five years to reach $11.4 billion in 2025, and South Korea surpassed France in 2024 to become the top source of cosmetics imports in the United States.
Chinese Companies Face Low Global Brand Awareness
Despite rapid growth, Chinese companies face significant hurdles in establishing overseas brand recognition. Proya founder and CEO Hou Juncheng stated at the Paris R&D center opening that the company’s brand awareness in Europe and the United States is currently zero. Proya aims to break into the global top 10 and is exploring acquisitions of smaller foreign portfolios.
In the United States, brands must also manage trade and geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing. Gabby Chen, president of global markets at Florasis, noted that last year, China-US tensions prompted the brand to shift its international expansion away from the United States. Chen stated that her current focus is on building a sustainable global business regardless of the political backdrop, emphasizing that the brand aims to share cultural heritage rather than engage in politics.
At the same time, mid-market price points offer a competitive advantage for brands looking to attract global consumers who are fatigued by premium pricing on topical skincare, according to Red Ant Asia co-founder Elisa Harca.