Southeast Asia as the first stop for C-beauty: Dual variables of policy and market

Southeast Asia as the first stop for C-beauty has been gaining momentum. Data shows that in Q1, market size grew yoy by 2.7x, and industry attention is clearly rising. This piece breaks down dual variables of policy and market using public information and platform data.

Competitively, moves by leaders such as Perfect Diary are a bellwether. Performance in Shenzhen deserves particular attention, as shifts in channel and audience structure are reshaping growth logic.

Two signals stand out from Perfect Diary’s latest moves: resources keep concentrating at the top, while incremental markets like Shenzhen gain bargaining power.

For practitioners, three directions follow: differentiate product and content back to R&D and supply chain; build localisation capability for markets such as Shenzhen; and treat compliance and data capability as the new moat.

Bottom line: southeast asia as the first stop for c-beauty is moving from concept to execution — dual variables of policy and market. Brands should review strategy before Q1 and prioritise channels and segments with higher certainty.

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