Hourglass Cosmetics Unveils the First Counter in China

Hourglass, a high-end makeup brand owned by Unilever, opened its first counter in Hangzhou, China. In 2017, the brand officially entered the Chinese market and now covers both online and offline channels. Hourglass has official flagship stores in Tmall, Xiaohongshu, and Tik Tok China. It is worth noting that the brand entered Sephora, Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, and Intime Department Store in 2022. In fact, the frequent moves of Hourglass also highlight Unilever's ambitions

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The recent data shows that the size of the Chinese makeup market reached $8.64 billion in 2020, an increase of nearly 61% compared to 2014. Such an impressive growth rate makes China an incremental market for many beauty giants to focus on makeup.

CHAILEEDO notes that in recent years, multinational cosmetic groups such as L'Orea group, Shiseido, Estee Lauder, and Unilever have successfully introduced their makeup brands into China one after another, including 3CE, IT Cosmetics, Too Faced, Hourglass, and so on.

On June 16, China Standard Time, Hourglass, the high-end makeup brand of Unilever, opened its first offline counter at Wulin Intime Department Store in Hangzhou, China. At the same time, to celebrate the launch of the store, Hourglass also joined hands with Intime Department Store to initiate promotional campaigns.

According to the observation from Qeyes, the store's design is in line with the brand's product design. The store is designed in black and gold and decorated with simple line shapes.

Besides, consumers can try on makeup in the store to make better purchasing decisions.

Otherwise, Hourglass focuses on promoting five products, namely Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer, Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder, Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Primer, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, and Hourglass Volumizing Glossy Stick.

To attract more consumers, the brand joined hands with Intime Department Store, which is well-known in China, to launch a special promotion. Specifically, for the first four days of the opening, consumers will receive a RMB200 Beauty and Apparel Voucher for every RMB1,000 of Hourglass products purchased.

In fact, the brand has been making a series of moves in the Chinese market since this year. At the end of January, Hourglass officially announced its exclusive presence in Sephora. In mid-April, the brand officially announced its exclusive presence in Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex.

In addition to the above offline channels, Hourglass has also opened official flagship stores on three e-commerce platforms, namely Tmall, Xiaohongshu, and Tik Tok China. On the Tmall platform, for example, the brand's best-selling product Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer (priced at $38.7) sells more than 4,000 units per month.

CHAILEEDO found that Hourglass officially entered the Chinese market in 2017, shortly after it was acquired by Unilever. It was reported that this was Unilever's first attempt to enter the high-end makeup market.

However, it is only in the last two years that the brand has gained popularity and considerable sales in China with its hero product, Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer. This is mainly due to the cooperation with many Chinese KOLs, including the head anchor Li Jiaqi.

Furthermore, Hourglass has also reached many young consumers by collaborating with well-known celebrities. And Qeyes learned that in April this year, the brand officially announced the Chinese star Bai Lu as its brand ambassador, who is one of the young actresses who have been gaining popularity in recent years.

It is worth mentioning that in the first quarter of this year, Unilever Prestige saw double-digit growth, with Hourglass and Living Proof performing particularly well. Both brands were exclusively launched in Sephora in January this year.

There are 9 brands attached to the division, including the British skincare brand REN, the U.S. skincare brand Dermalogica, the high-end skincare brand Kate Somerville, the U.S. skincare brand Murad, the hair care brand Living Proof, the high-end makeup brand Hourglass, the French skincare brand Garancia, the skincare brand Tatcha and the skincare brand Paula's Choice.

Last December, Unilever publicly stated that Unilever Prestige would build a business worth at least €3 billion over the next few years through digital channels, innovation, acquisitions and expansion, as one of the fastest growing divisions in the group's business.

And China, Unilever's most important market for global growth, will also see the rise and fall of the premium beauty brands in the coming years.