TikTok surpassed Tmall in terms of beauty-related online shopping revenue within China during 2025.
Cosmetic brands throughout the Asia-Pacific area are adjusting their sales strategies as TikTok and its Chinese equivalent, Douyin, transform the way products are discovered and promoted. online purchasing .
The change is most noticeable in China where Douyin surpassed Tmall to become the leading cosmetics e-commerce platform, achieving sales of $39.8 billion (RMB270 billion) in 2025 compared to Tmall's $32.6 billion (RMB221 billion). Sherri He a senior partner at Kearney, Inc., stated Retail Asia.
She noted that most of Douyin's growth was achieved at Tmall's cost, while JD.com stayed largely unchanged.
Douyin operates on livestream commerce powered by influencers and everyday content producers, a framework focused on discovering products through content instead of traditional product searches.
"As a social e-commerce platform, live streams featuring influential consumers and top opinion leaders were crucial," he stated.
This has helped boost local beauty brands like Maogeping and Caitang, which make up roughly 35% of Douyin's high-end beauty sales compared to 15% on Tmall, she noted.
A leading luxury brand typically achieves an ROI of 2.5 to 3 on Douyin, whereas it reaches 5 to 6 on Tmall, according to him, noting that expenses related to influencers impact these figures.
Companies are boosting their own live streaming efforts to account for over half of their content creation, although collaborations with influencers continue to play a key role in initial growth phases.
The influence of the platform varies throughout the Asia-Pacific area. In Hong Kong where TikTok is not officially accessible, Xiaohongshu and Douyin take over the social e-commerce function, stated Kathy Lee - Executive Director of Colliers Hong Kong. - Head of Colliers Hong Kong as an executive director. - The executive director based in Colliers Hong Kong. - Colliers Hong Kong's executive director. - In charge of Colliers Hong Kong as an executive director.
In Southeast Asia, TikTok Shop has "transformed the retail model from conventional product exploration into instant, seamless buying," she said during an interview with Retail Asia.
Global brands now consider transitioning to content-driven e-commerce crucial for expansion. Although artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting buying choices, it still holds a less significant role in the cosmetics industry.
In Asia and Australasia, consumers are more inclined than the global average to follow AI suggestions, with 43% compared to 38%, according to reports. Ahmad Khan a senior analyst with GlobalData Plc.
Nevertheless, live stream creators and social media celebrities continue to dominate with 49% and 53%, respectively, whereas AI accounts for 42%. "Consumers still place greater importance on the human aspect within this category than on AI," Khan stated.
Raymond Tsui , Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group, stated that brands must initially clarify TikTok's position within their strategic approach.
" Beauty brands He stated to Retail Asia: "First, one should inquire about the role they wish TikTok to have in their strategy—whether it's for branding, driving traffic, generating gross merchandise value (GMV), or all aspects—and determine the extent of investment they're prepared to make relative to expected returns."
Local businesses have progressed more quickly because of reduced expenses and flexible implementation, whereas global corporations are still improving their strategies, he mentioned.