Currently, China has become the world’s second-largest cosmetics consumption market, and the overall skincare industry in China is experiencing rapid growth.
With the popularization of skincare education, facial masks—as a vital category within skincare products—have been accepted by an increasing number of consumers. For many “straightforward male” consumers, applying a facial mask has even become a primary symbol of skincare.
Furthermore, over the past decade, alongside the continuous investment and cultivation of the domestic market by international cosmetics brands, domestic Chinese brands have also been continuously strengthening their presence. Facial masks have gradually evolved into a fast-replenishing facial nourishment and maintenance product for consumers.
According to data from Taobao and Tmall, the facial mask market has maintained continuous growth since 2017. Although growth slowed somewhat in 2019, the market experienced a major boom in 2020 due to the pandemic. The annual transaction volume of the facial mask category reached 24.6 billion RMB, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9%, a momentum that continues to this day.
Within the facial mask category, products can be divided into two sub-categories: sheet masks and wash-off masks. Although sheet masks have long occupied the major market share, the market share of wash-off masks has been increasing year by year. Driven by consumers’ growing demands and exploration, wash-off masks are also growing and advancing alongside market development.
Upgraded Consumer Demands and Increased Average Order Value (AOV)
As the market penetration rate of facial mask products in China rises year by year and the consumer base continues to expand, wash-off masks—as a traditional category within facial masks—have never faded from the market, though they remained relatively lukewarm for a long time.
In the post-pandemic era, as consumers develop the habit of meticulous skincare while staying at home, wash-off masks, which feature “customization attributes” and a “sense of ritual,” have regained favor, welcoming new development for this traditional category. Advantages such as being more contour-fitting to the face than sheet masks, allowing zoned skincare, and offering sub-categories like leave-on types for greater convenience have enabled wash-off masks to be rediscovered by consumers.
According to data from Xinzhuang Commercial Express, by the first quarter of 2021, the transaction volume of wash-off masks reached 469 million RMB, accounting for 32.1% of the facial mask market with a year-on-year growth of 8.84%—surpassing the overall growth rate of the facial mask category. The market share of wash-off masks is steadily rising.
According to MAT2021 (Moving Annual Trend) data, the number of buyers and purchase frequencies increased by about 50%. Amidst this highly favorable situation, more and more brands are entering the wash-off mask market. Aside from brands that focus primarily on masks such as UNIFON and Mefur/MG, brands like PMPM, Hautian (Kato/Proya groups), and Proya have also achieved very impressive sales figures for their wash-off masks.
From the perspective of consumer demand, Chinese consumers’ focus on facial masks is also continuously diversifying. Efficacy, pain points, product design, usage scenarios, target demographics, and places of origin have all become factors in their considerations, with efficacy and pain points being the primary focus for consumers.
Taking Xiaohongshu (China’s largest cosmetics sharing social platform) users’ shared facial mask notes as an example, 36% of the notes focus on efficacy, while 27% focus on pain points.
Among efficacy attributes, hydration received the highest attention, reaching 30%; for pain points, sensitive skin accounted for the highest proportion at 36%.
As consumers become increasingly “professional,” an obvious trend is the rise of “ingredient-conscious consumers” (“成分党”). The search volume proportion for keywords related to ingredients in the wash-off mask category has even surpassed that of the overall facial mask market.
Regarding consumer profiling, according to the 2021 Tmall Wash-off Facial Mask Consumption Insight White Paper, the consumer demographic for wash-off masks is similar to that of the overall facial mask market, dominated by Gen Z and females in Tier 2 cities. The number of post-2000 consumers is growing rapidly and will become the backbone of future consumption.
Under the dual reinforcement of consumer rejuvenation and the “ingredient-conscious” trend, “splurging” on high-end ingredient masks is no longer difficult, causing the average order value (AOV) of wash-off masks to soar.
According to Taobao and Tmall data, using the AOV of wash-off masks in April 2021 at 124.3 RMB as a benchmark, it increased by 36.3% year-on-year. In the same period of 2020, the AOV of wash-off masks was 91.2 RMB, which was 2 RMB higher than general facial masks. By April 2021, the AOV of wash-off masks had surpassed the general facial mask category by nearly 30 RMB, showing a continuous upward trend in the AOV of wash-off masks.
The current elevation of consumer mindset and upgrading of demands have provided a blue ocean for the development of the wash-off mask market.
Rise of Domestic Brands and Rapid Category Growth
China’s beauty market has long been deeply influenced by international brands. From Western luxury brands dominating the landscape to Japanese and Korean brands sweeping the market, domestic Chinese brands held no advantage on their home turf. Over the past two years, driven by continuous domestic technological development and generational shifts among consumers, domestic brands have begun to awaken, expanding their brand voice—and the facial mask category is no exception.
Taking the Taobao and Tmall sales rankings for wash-off masks in April and May 2021 as examples, UNIFON and Mefur, which ranked at the top, are both domestic Chinese brands.
Among the various attributes of wash-off masks, cream-clay wash-off masks—a veteran sub-category—hold the highest market share, primarily centered around cleansing efficacy. Since April 2021, the sub-category market share of cleansing clay masks has risen from 24.30% to over half of the total market, reflecting an increase in consumers’ skincare demand for deep cleansing.
The main ingredients of clay-cream cleansing masks generally include kaolin, bentonite, natural mud, magnesium carbonate, and calcium carbonate, utilizing the adsorption properties of these substances to cleanse pores. Additionally, powders ground from mung beans and soybeans can also be formulated into clay-cream cleansing masks.
Representative products of this type include Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque, which is a classic foundational product in cleansing masks. Meanwhile, domestic brand Mefur’s Mung Bean Mud Mask also ranks among the top in sales, featuring selenium-rich mung beans as its core and accumulating cumulative sales of over 4.52 million bottles.
Secondly, as staying up late has become a daily routine for modern youth, various skin problems follow closely behind, and consumer demand for repairing efficacy is steadily climbing. Nighttime is a crucial scenario for skin repair; hence, wash-off masks with repairing efficacy tailored for nighttime and sleeping use account for a relatively high proportion. These products also select more easily absorbed ingredients such as Centella asiatica, resurrection plant, and thermal spring water.
At the same time, apart from efficacy demands, consumers have put forward higher requirements for skincare efficiency, making keywords like “rapid hydration” and “5-minute emergency rescue” easier to capture.
Among emergency repair products, FAB (First Aid Beauty) Ultra Repair Cream serves as a representative, having won over 35 awards and focusing on rapid repair and overnight clearance of skin crises. Domestic brand Proya’s Thirst-Quenching Mask has also accumulated a stellar market reputation due to its hydrating, emergency-rescue, and soothing-repair efficacy, with sales exceeding 1.68 million pieces.
In addition, some niche skincare trends have begun to gain popularity, such as “acid exfoliation” (chemical exfoliation) and “Early C, Late A” (Vitamin C in the morning, Retinol at night).
“Acid exfoliation” skincare is mostly carried out using wash-off masks, which add pore-cleansing efficacy on top of nourishing the base, such as adding surfactants, alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), or beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs) to soften cutatin, alongside gel-type cleansing masks focused purely on “acid exfoliation.” Bota Lab’s Nourishing Conditioning Mask is a must-have product for “acid-exfoliating enthusiasts” and secured the TOP 1 spot on the best-selling wash-off mask list during the 618 shopping festival, with sales exceeding 570,000 pieces.
In summary, domestic brands can be seen across all sub-categories of wash-off masks. Having perceived upgrading market demands and grasped consumer pain points, various brands have continuously enriched their product categories upon entering the wash-off mask market, achieving the effect of “whatever you want, we have prepared it.”
Summary
From the perspective of consumers, the pursuit of efficacy and usage scenarios for wash-off masks has become more refined. When product efficacy and ingredients are compelling enough to touch consumers, they do not hesitate to increase investment and are willing to pay for usage quality.
From the perspective of brands, basic hydration and moisturization can no longer meet consumers’ continuously upgrading skincare demands. Brands need to further manufacture and develop products with broader efficacies. Wash-off masks will head toward high-end and high-quality enhancement to gradually shape a “high-quality human” skincare market.