Cosmetics giant L'Oréal beautifies China International Import Expo again this year

Creating individualistic beauty products and collaborating with local and international institutions have been the themes of this year's exhibition by worldwide beauty titan L'Oréal Group, which is also the largest exhibitor in the beauty exhibition zone at the fourth China International Import Expo.

L'Oréal Group's new sense of purpose entitled "Create the beauty that moves the world," which is also the theme at the L'Oréal booth during this year's expo, is bringing to the platform various dimensions of beauty and the latest results of local collaboration.

For the second year in a row, L'Oréal Group is serving as the chair of both the Council of the Enterprise Alliance as well as the Daily Chemical and Consumer Goods Specialized Committee.

The exhibition space is partitioned into four areas, entitled "Beauty for You," "Beauty Tech," "Beauty for Tomorrow," and "Beauty from Asia," and five brands owned by L'Oréal Group are being debuted at the CIIE as the beauty and personal care giant comes back for the expo's fourth edition.

Fabrice Megarbane, president of L'Oréal for the North Asia Zone and chief executive officer of L'Oréal China, said, "The annual CIIE is an important moment to share opportunities and the future, as well as to inject new momentum into all walks of life through the dialogue between China and the world."

"We hope to utilize the role of both the chairman of the Council of the Enterprise Alliance and the Daily Chemical and Consumer Goods Specialized Committee to build a 'Consumption for Good' ecosystem, transform more 'exhibits' into 'commodities,' more 'exhibitors' into 'investors,' and make CIIE become better and better," he added.

In its four exhibition sections, the company is displaying a number of new products and beauty technology innovations, showcasing its practice in sustainable development and corporate social responsibility.

Over the past three editions of the CIIE, it had launched 10 plus new brands, and many of those exhibited at the expo have hit shelves and are readily available for domestic shoppers.

L'Oréal Group's Valentino Beauty, which also came to China for the first time through the CIIE, unveiled its first China freestanding store in Shanghai's Xintiandi area in October with a full selection of make-up and perfume.

Shanghai's foothold is further strengthened as the city embarked on an ambitious action plan to accelerate the development of the international consumption hub, a significant part of the city's efforts to transform the economic growth pattern and answer people's aspirations for a better life.

The physical store was established after the opening of its online flagship store on Tmall in July this year to showcase its couture makeup products.

L'Oréal earlier this year also elevated its Shanghai office to become its North Asia headquarters as it oversees businesses in Japan and South Korea as well.

CIIE has proved to be an ideal platform through which consumer goods companies can build technology connections with consumers and other companies.

By showcasing its diversified global brand portfolio and at the same time conveying the concept of "Consumption for Good" through beauty, it seeks to lead the trend of beauty technology and to create an immersive experience space for visitors.

It's been actively working with other exhibitors and CIIE authorities, aiming to build up a complete ecosystem that can be built to advance quality consumption, which in the long run will also boost innovation, said Megarbane.

L'Oréal's new brands – CARITA, MUGLER, THAYERS, and IT COSMETICS – will make their debut at the "Beauty for You" exhibition area, with a focus on individuality, encouraging everyone to be confident and courageous in understanding themselves, being true to themselves, and pursuing their ideal life. TAKAMI will also make its China debut at the "Beauty from Asia" exhibition area.

MUGLER is the first haute couture and perfume brand of L'Oréal Group.

Perfume and home fragrance is a fast-growing sector of the personal beauty market in China.

Euromonitor International expects China's perfume and fragrance retail market to reach 30 billion yuan (US$4.69 billion) by 2025, with a 22.5 percent annual compound growth rate in the next five years, tripling the growth pace of the general global market.

Premium fragrance accounted for over 90 percent of retail sales in 2020, climbing from around 70 percent in 2015.

According to a joint study from beauty brand management firm Eternal Group and market consultancy firm Kantar, overseas fragrance brands dominate the most popular products on social media and online shopping sites in China. The top 10 brands account for 42 percent of the market share, and consumers are also eager to embrace newcomers from home and abroad.

As many as 90 percent said they're willing to purchase fragrances online thanks to the convenience and the online reviews help them make purchasing decisions.

Meanwhile, L'Oréal has witnessed the evolution and upgrading of the Chinese market, which has at the same time generated room for L'Oréal's growth.

Chinese consumers are now seeking higher quality products and this has provided a fresh incentive for multinational companies to enhance product innovation.

The outstanding business performance of the China market has also propelled the company to make further investments here.

L'Oréal China continued to post double-digit growth and significantly increased its strong position in the third quarter, with dynamic growth in all categories, especially haircare and skincare, and with selective makeup making a good recovery as well.

Third-quarter sales in China surged 42.8 percent compared to 2019 thanks to increased sales of premium and high-quality products and the strength of the group's omnichannel model.

The "Beauty Tech" exhibition area is focusing on the latest achievements of L'Oréal Group's beauty-tech, including the YSL ROUGE SUR MESURE "intelligent lipstick printer."

The device, which allows consumers to "print" personalized lip colors, is of easily portable size and will soon be available in China as the first market in Asia.

Co-developing with local institutions is also an important part of the company's commitment to building an ecosystem.

The L'Oréal Academic Working Station jointly established with the Shanghai Association of Science and Technology was unveiled in October to help gather wisdom and expertise and bring new possibilities to push the boundaries of science for beauty and human health through open collaboration.

The L'Oréal Water Saver, an innovative sustainable hair washing device jointly developed by L'Oréal and the environmental innovation company Gjosa, is making its first public appearance in Asia at the exhibition.

L'Oréal is an active participant in not only bringing the latest exhibits to the expo but also promoting high professionalism and high-quality development of the industry.

It's working closely with the CIIE Bureau and has helped to mobilize the power of all exhibitors to drive professional visitors from all walks of life to pay attention to and participate in CIIE, by exploring development opportunities and fully leveraging functions at the CIIE ranging from international procurement and investment promotion to cultural exchange and open cooperation.

It has always stayed committed to deepening ties and forming new relationships with more partners at this significant event.