Asia’s Beauty landscape is
re-shaping

Asia’s beauty landscape is being reshaped by shifting consumer demands.
Beauty shoppers across the region are seeking more diverse options to precisely address their specific needs – and this is boosting the growth of emerging brands.

Smaller local and indie brands are now driving growth in the Asian beauty market, especially in South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand. They’re winning market share from the multinationals by meeting new consumer needs and delivering tangible results.

These brands are growing furiously, outpacing the Top 20 beauty brands in Asia’s Brand Footprint ranking in terms of the rate at which their Consumer Reach Points (CRPs) are increasing.

In this report we take a deep dive into the performance of Asia’s Emerging 30 – the rapidly rising brands that are defying the stagnation trend.

Covering 10 markets, we show exactly why they’re winning, providing actionable insights into:

How consumers’ evolving choices are fuelling emerging brands’ ascent
How to identify and leverage new demand spaces
The latest trends in ingredients and technologies
What consumers are responding to now.

All brands can learn from the Emerging 30’s growth strategies, and be inspired by their energy.

Beautifully resilient

Similar to the rest of the world, Asia is dealing with political and economic disruption, and consumers are tightening their belts. As a result, growth in FMCG spend is either falling or stagnant in most markets – often dipping below 5%.Despite this backdrop, the beauty sector continues to outperform FMCG in most Asian markets, except Mainland China, which is experiencing a slowdown across all FMCG categories.

Lens on Northeast Asia

In Northeast Asia’s mature markets, consumers are seeking value for money, while adopting more complex, layered beauty routines. Growth is slowing – but price drops are making beauty products more accessible and affordable, so people are maintaining or even increasing the volume they buy. Consumers are reallocating their spending to stay engaged in the beauty sector, rather than cutting back.

Lens on Southeast Asia

In fast-growing Southeast Asian markets like Indonesia and Thailand, both price and purchase volume are rising. Beauty is aspirational, with growth driven by increased disposable income and broader consumer engagement across all socioeconomic classes. Beauty is fun, fresh, and something people want to spend money on. More channels and greater reach are increasing access to a broad range of products.