Frontiers in Business, Economics and Management

ISSN: 2766-824X | Vol. 5, No. 1, 2022

Analysis on Consumer Behavior of Domestic Skin Care

Products
Yuanfei Lv
Department of business administration, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Anhui, China

Abstract: With the rapid development of China 's economy and the improvement of people 's living standards, skin care
products have gradually become one of the most frequently used products in daily life. Consumer awareness rising skin care
products market competition has become increasingly fierce, high-end market by foreign brands to seize skin care products
become an indisputable fact. Under the impact of fierce market competition and international brands, how to develop domestic
skin care products sustainably and healthily is a problem that many domestic skin care brands need to pay attention to. By
combing the relevant literature of domestic skin care products, this paper makes a SWOT analysis of the domestic skin care
industry, and analyzes the process of purchasing decisions of domestic skin care products by female consumers aged 18-25, so
as to summarize the marketing strategies of domestic skin care products, retain old customers and attract new customers for
domestic skin care products, and promote domestic skin care products to occupy more shares in the whole skin care market.
Provide advice and inspiration, and provide some reference for the future development of local skin care product companies.
Keywords: Domestic skin care products, Consumers, Consumer demand, Marketing.

purchasing skin care products. Consumers first consider the

1. Reseakground quality of products when purchasing, and give priority to
China has a long history and splendid culture. It is one of comparing the cost performance of skin care products. It can
the earliest nations to understand and use cosmetics. Driven be said that nowadays Chinese people 's consumption choices
by a series of factors such as the continuous improvement of for skin care products are more rational. The quality and
residents ' disposable income, the improvement of Chinese efficacy of products have become the primary criteria for
people 's external image requirements and cognition, and the consumers to buy. Consumers will increasingly choose skin
changes in the structure of core consumer groups, the care products with high cost performance, good quality and
domestic skin care industry has maintained steady growth in suitable for their own skin, rather than blindly follow the trend
recent years. Especially in the past two years, the domestic to buy skin care products according to various advertisements.
skin care market demand has grown rapidly, and the growth Consumers ' consumption of skin care products has also been
rate of the industry market size has been increasing. Even gradually upgraded, the weight of price in consumers '
under the impact of the epidemic in 2020, the market size of purchase of products has decreased, and the sales of high-end
the domestic skin care industry still reached $ 41.23 billion, skin care products are also very optimistic. Another
an increase of 10.1 % year-on-year, accounting for 56.32 % development trend of China 's skin care market is that
of the cosmetics market, showing a high anti-risk ability of consumers ' demand for skin care products is more detailed.
the industry. Euromonitor predicts that the average growth The refinement of consumers ' demand for skin care products
rate of China 's skin care market in the next five years is is not only the refinement of skin care brand, the refinement
12.86 %. The market size is expected to reach USD 76.808 of skin care category and the refinement of skin care effect,
billion in 2025, and the market size of China 's skin care but also the refinement according to consumers ' consumption
products is expected to exceed USD 85 billion in 2026. psychology and consumption habits. Enterprises should pay
But China 's skin care industry is still mainly based on attention to consumers ' consumption psychology and
international brands, especially high-end skin care market, consumption habits and the requirements of personalized
basically monopolized by international brands, international differentiation of products. Enterprises should refine their
brands brand advantage, product quality and marketing means products according to the needs of consumers to meet the
to domestic skin care products caused greater competitive increasingly refined needs of consumers.
pressure. Although China 's skin care market is basically
dominated by overseas brands, domestic skin care brands 2. Literature Review
have continued to exert their strength in recent years by virtue 2.1. Domestic Research on Skin Care Products
of geographical and cultural advantages, and have occupied a
certain position in the domestic skin care market. At present, Since foreign skin care brands entered China in 1982, they
China 's domestic skin care market, Shanghai Shangmei has have occupied high-end and low-end markets with domestic
the highest market share, followed by Baiqueling, Jialan, skin care brands respectively. Until 2002, multinational brand
Shanghai Jiahua and other enterprises. The market share is sales extended to the low-end, domestic brands broke through
between 2 % and 5 %. Domestic skin care enterprises have to the high-end, and the fierce competition between domestic
gradually determined their applicable marketing strategies, skin care products and international skin care products really
determined their appropriate brand positioning, and laid a began. The fierce competition makes it more difficult for
future position. domestic brands to break through the dilemma of low profits.
Consumers are becoming more and more rational when The research on domestic skin care products has gradually

164
become an important topic in academic research, and the mostly focused on two aspects. On the one hand, it is the
research on this has begun to enrich. research on the shortcomings and improvement measures of
Yin Jianzhong and Li Ping ( 2005 ) put forward the idea of skin care products or their sales strategies. The related
shaping the corporate image and establishing the brand strategies are mostly focused on improving brand image,
concept through the study of the skin care market. In view of differentiated marketing, innovative management and
the defects of backward management, low technology and emphasis on services. On the other hand, from the perspective
low price competition in domestic skin care products, they put of customer psychological perception, this paper studies the
forward suggestions such as innovative management, psychological factors that may affect the purchase behavior
developing characteristics and improving product quality. of skin care consumers, such as product attention, quality and
The research of Lv Zhimei ( 2010 ) and Miao Dan ( 2013 ) emotional trust. The attention to the degree of care, customer
affirmed the importance of brand image in skin care industry. loyalty and related factors in the skin care industry is low.
The difference is that Lv Zhimei ' s research also explores the
multiple effects between brand sensitivity and brand 2.2. Foreign Research on Skin Care Products
personality, customer perceived quality and face psychology, Foreign research on skin care products focused on the
and believes that brand sensitivity has a positive impact on purchase behavior and influencing factors of skin care
brand loyalty. Miao Dan 's research shows that brand products.
cognition has a significant positive impact on brand Weber J.M. ( 2002 ) studied the differences in purchase
personality, brand image, brand trust and brand perceived risk. behavior in the cosmetics market between the United States
Brand awareness affects brand preference, and perceived risk and France. The results showed that the differences were due
will affect consumer buying behavior. Enterprises should pay to psychological factors, social influences and purchase status.
attention to the generation of positive attitudes of consumers Due to cultural differences, customers have different
and the maintenance of brand image and service image. Luo motivations and personalities for the purchase of skin care
( 2014 ) concluded that the quality and professionalism of products, and then the purchase behavior is different.
online word-of-mouth have a positive impact on the Rungruangkul ( 2006 ) analyzed the purchase behavior of
emotional trust of skin care products consumers, and Chinese herbal cosmetics in Thailand and its influencing
cognitive trust and emotional trust of consumers have a factors, and believed that the product itself, product price,
significant impact on purchase intention. The number of promotion activities and sales channels had a certain impact
online word-of-mouth also has a significant impact on skin on the purchase behavior of Chinese herbal skin care products.
care consumers due to the mediating effect of consumer Among them, consumers are most concerned about the safety
emotional trust. Du ( 2015 ) emphasized the importance of of products, product quality and ease of purchase. Khan
domestic cosmetics brands in improving customer Taufique et al. ( 2015 ) explored the factors affecting
satisfaction, arguing that customer expectations are difficult consumers ' motivation to purchase herbal skin care products
to predict, and that customer needs vary widely and easily. by establishing structural equations. The study found that
Customer satisfaction can be improved through the following customers ' motivation to purchase herbal skin care products
ways : establish customer first service concept, authorized to is directly affected by consumer values and indirectly affected
front-line staff, pay attention to training and establish an by marketing mix factors ( product, price, channel and
effective platform for customer feedback. This is one of the promotion ). Velly Anatasia et al. ( 2016 ) studied the
few skin care products research emphasis on service and influence of advertising strategy of skin care products on
customer feedback mechanism. Chen Xiaoqin ( 2017 ) consumer trust with the four elements of advertising
conducted a study on the market of infant skin care products, spokesperson, brand, product attribute and third-party
taking into account the characteristics of the purchasing group, certification as the research object. It is concluded that the
and believed that product characteristics, reference groups, four elements have a significant impact on the trust of skin
corporate behavior, and consumers ' age, occupation, and care advertising, among which brand has the greatest impact.
family monthly income have a significant impact on Dawid Szutowski et al. ( 2017 ) believed that the global
consumer purchase behavior, and proposed to implement cosmetics industry is characterized by regular growth and
differentiated marketing, strengthen skin care product high competitiveness. The product innovation of L 'Oreal,
research and development, enhance brand image, improve Estee Lauder and Shiseido was analyzed. It was emphasized
product reputation, and create word-of-mouth strength. Liu that product innovation was a key factor influencing the
Qing et al. ( 2017 ) believe that the understanding of customer competitive advantage of cosmetics. Kelsey M. Vella ( 2017 )
psychology helps to transform the potential market into actual analyzed consumers ' purchasing behavior and concluded that
purchasing power. Skin care products should be packaged the primary reason consumers buy cosmetics is their ' self-
simply and focus on research and development. Marketing image, ' and they want to buy cosmetics that are high-quality,
can use the network platform and pay attention to the star affordable, durable, and safe in composition. Although
effect. The price should be strict, fair and flexible. Yuan consumers prefer to shop in physical stores, a large number
Longteng ( 2018 ) clarified its advantages, disadvantages, of consumers actually choose to shop online because their
opportunities and threats by analyzing the macro environment favorite cosmetic brands cannot be found locally. In addition,
and market competition situation faced by Baicaoji brand. consumers believe that the most credible sources of
Insight into user needs, enhance brand awareness, strengthen information are ' video reviews ', ' social media ' and ' word of
communication and enhance the user experience is the mouth '. Sun-HeeJeong ( 2018 ) conducted a survey in areas
marketing optimization strategy. Based on a female such as Seoul, South Korea and found that respondents prefer
perspective, Li and Chen ( 2018 ) found that appropriate skin to buy cosmetics online, believing that the purchase channel
care packaging can stimulate customers ' desire to buy and is reasonably priced. By age, people in their 20 s prefer to buy
convey the company 's brand culture. cosmetics in stores, while people in their 30 s and 50 s prefer
In summary, China 's research on skin care products is online stores. From the distribution channel preference,

165
reliability, satisfaction and loyalty, the online store is the best mostly male. The arrival of ' other economy ' has brought
choice for preference and reliability, and department store more market opportunities to China 's skin care market.
customers are the most satisfied and most loyal.
In the related research on skin care products abroad, the 3.4. External Threats
research perspectives and methods are different. Many factors With the development of science and technology, the
such as product innovation, brand image, sales activities and understanding of the concept of green environmental
personal preferences have an important impact on the protection, nature and healthy life has been continuously
purchase behavior of skin care products. However, few improved. Various alternative products have emerged in the
studies have been conducted from the perspective of customer skin care industry, such as home beauty instrument, home
satisfaction and loyalty. This paper will carry out relevant beauty instrument, beauty salon, sports beauty and so on.
research from the perspective of customer satisfaction and Most of China 's raw material suppliers can produce basic raw
loyalty. materials for water emulsion, but the process of high-end skin
care raw materials is temporarily backward. Compared with
3. SWOT Analysis of Domestic Skin foreign raw material suppliers, the overall strength is weak,
Care Industry and the level of technology research and development needs
to be improved.
This paper uses SWOT analysis principle to analyze the
four strategic elements of strength, weakness, opportunity and 4. Domestic Skin Care Products
threat of China 's skin care industry. Consumer Decision-Making Process
3.1. Internal Advantages Analysis
The gradual rise of national self-confidence, the rise of the The decision-making process of consumers is actually the
national tide to create opportunities for the development of process of solving problems. Consumer decision-making
local skin care group. While going international, local brands refers to the process in which consumers carefully evaluate
are also tapping the markets of third- and fourth-tier cities and the attributes of a product, brand or service and make rational
rural areas. Local brand enterprises are more capable of choices in order to obtain a product or service that meets a
understanding China 's national conditions and history, the specific need with the least effort. Women pay more and more
Chinese culture into the aesthetic concept of cosmetics, into attention to their skin and external image, so skin care
different regions at different levels of consumer experience. products are essential for women. They use skin care products
The trend of the increasingly strong, 42 % of consumers have on weekdays to evaluate their effects and have a certain
bias on domestic brands, nearly 90 % of consumers said they degree of understanding and selection criteria for products.
will buy domestic skin care products again in the future. Therefore, skin care consumers generally belong to nominal
Chinese local brands are superior in cultural advantages and decision-making and limited decision-making in the purchase
create Chinese aesthetic concepts. process. Consumers ' purchase decision-making process
refers to the process in which consumers carefully evaluate
3.2. Internal Disadvantages
the attributes of a product, brand or service and select and
At present, R & D, management, management personnel purchase products that meet a specific need. In complex
gap is serious, China 's skin care industry is facing the purchases, the consumer purchase decision-making process
problem of attracting talent. In recent years, the rise of the generally consists of the following five stages.
local brand Peraiya cosmetics company, has its own
production line, there are only more than one hundred 4.1. Understanding Needs
researchers. High-grade cosmetics belong to high-level This is the starting point of consumers ' purchase decision-
process, and the key raw materials of high-level process are making process. When consumers feel that their skin has
highly dependent on foreign manufacturers. China 's skin care problems in real life and want to buy skin care products with
products market is huge, early on the market of enterprises is related effects such as water replenishment and whitening,
uneven, product safety accidents continue to appear, such as they have the idea of wanting to buy. In this case, consumers
illegal to add raw materials, packaging and label unqualified will clear up and confirm the needs and desires in their minds
events, fake flood, false advertising, product safety and other to decide whether to take and how to take action. For
issues, cosmetics industry laws and regulations need to be consumer awareness of this stage of the problem, we should
further improved. strengthen the stimulation of consumers to stimulate
consumer motivation and desire. One way is to influence
3.3. External Opportunities
consumers ' understanding of the reality by increasing the
By the end of 2018, China 's Internet users reached 829 advertising or other promotional means of domestic skin care
million, and the Internet penetration rate reached 59.6 %. products, so that they have the idea of purchasing skin care
With the rapid development of the Internet and the vigorous products.
promotion of e-commerce platforms, online sales have
become the mainstream way for consumers to purchase skin 4.2. Information Gathering
care products and increase the penetration rate of the skin care After consumers realize the existence of demand problems,
market. ' Face value economy ' and ' his economy ' the arrival they will seek ways to meet demand, that is, solutions to
of consumer awareness of skin care. The society 's ability to problems. At this time they will begin to collect the required
accept skin care products has improved, the face value information, including the type of goods to meet the demand,
economy has exploded, the audience of skin care products has price, quality, brand and so on. For the stage of consumer
become wider and wider, the male skin care consciousness information collection, the key to marketing is to grasp what
has begun to awaken, and the male customers after 95 are methods consumers will use when collecting information :

166
from the time level of obtaining information, there are 5. Domestic Skin Care Marketing
memory information extraction and external instant Strategy Recommendations
information utilization ; from the perspective of information
sources, there are mainly interpersonal sources, public 5.1. Product Innovation, Focusing on
sources, business sources and experience sources. Among Component Safety
them, interpersonal sources have the greatest impact on
consumers ' purchase decisions. Public sources mainly refer With many skin care companies being exposed to harmful
to television, newspapers, magazines, etc., which are ingredients, the safety of skin care ingredients has become the
objective and authoritative. Commercial sources are focus of current consumers. Safe and non-irritating natural
exhibitions, salesmen, advertisements, etc. This part of the herbal skin care products are increasingly sought after in the
information is very large. The source of experience mainly market. Manufacturers should not use too many chemical
refers to the experience of consumers in purchasing and using drugs that have side effects on the human body in order to
goods. This part of the information plays a decisive role in achieve immediate whitening and anti-wrinkle effects, but
making the final purchase decision. Therefore, we need to should pay more attention to the safety of the product itself,
make domestic skin care products in the information and develop more ingredient-safe herbal skin care products to
activation domain of consumers. benefit customers in long-term use.

4.3. Pre-purchase Evaluation 5.2. Exquisite Packaging, Easy to Carry

After collecting the appropriate information, consumers In the external packaging, manufacturers should be
will evaluate different brands of skin care products. The combined with the product positioning of skin care products
evaluation is mainly carried out from the aspects of customer and the characteristics of the audience to be designed, such as
perceived value and product attributes. Generally, in the for young women 's water whitening products, the packaging
evaluation process, consumers of domestic skin care products can be designed for simple and stylish white, give people a
generally adopt compensatory selection rules, and they often pure and bright visual effects, can also be added to the design
consider many factors. We need to understand the importance of brand-related cultural elements to achieve the effect of
of consumers in the evaluation of factors to consider, optimize promoting corporate culture. In the design of inner packaging,
themselves, so as to gain more favor from consumers. more attention should be paid to practicality and portability.
The design of inner packaging should be easy to use and
4.4. Purchase Process transport, isolate light and ultraviolet rays, and prevent
After consumers evaluate the alternative brand skin care product deterioration.
products, consumers will make the decision of which brand 5.3. Personality Publicity, Differential
to buy and take the purchase action. The process is also often
influenced by others ' attitudes and unexpected factors. For
Marketing
example, consumers will take the initiative to ask their Skin care products have different audience groups, men
neighbors about their attitudes towards domestic skin care and women have different concerns about skin care products,
products. If they all feel that they are good at using them, they and care products. There are also significant differences in the
will actively buy and try to use them. If they go to the store to choice of skin care products among people of different ages.
buy, the service attitude of the service personnel is not good Therefore, the publicity of skin care products and the choice
and not professional enough, then we will have doubts about of spokespersons should be in line with the audience 's
the reliability of the brand and hesitate to buy the domestic cognition and aesthetics of the product. Product introduction
brand skin care products or continue to use the previous brand. should focus on the main efficacy and product characteristics
We should seize these characteristics, to meet customer needs, of the product and highlight the competitive advantage. Each
to ensure customer satisfaction, and thus expand word-of- brand of skin care products should have their own core
mouth marketing efforts, and in the store hire those who are products as the focus of brand promotion, through a product,
better at communicating services, effectively guide drive a brand into the public view and gain customer trust,
consumers to purchase decisions. domestic skin care products at this point to do the relative lack
of positioning core products, personality promotion, is the
4.5. Post-purchase Behavior direction of domestic skin care needs to work hard.
Consumers may be satisfied with the product after purchase,
which also encourages him to repeat purchase or recommend
5.4. Broaden Sales Channels, Improve After-
the brand to relatives and friends in the future ; if you feel sales Service
dissatisfied, there will be many different practices, some may At present, the convenience of domestic skin care products
require return, exchange, some may abandon, some will to buy is still relatively low, many good use of domestic
complain to friends and relatives in private to vent their products because of the lack of channels leading to little
dissatisfaction, and discourage them from buying the brand 's people know. Therefore, the sales channels of domestic skin
products. And dissatisfied consumers have a greater impact care products should develop towards a multi-channel and
on our brand than satisfaction. If not handled properly, it will multi-platform model, increase the promotion of the ' e-
affect the reputation of domestic skin care products. Therefore, commerce + live broadcast ' model, and sell offline in beauty
domestic skin care products companies should strictly control salons and skin care counters. It is necessary to highlight the
the quality of production for consumers of different skin advantages of different brands and products to facilitate
different needs of products. customers ' personalized purchase. In addition, the research
shows that when buying the same product at the same price,
good after-sales service can often make customers have
higher perceived value, which can not only improve customer

167
satisfaction, but also promote customer loyalty and and decision-making, 2019,35 ( 09 ) : 78-80.
repurchase. After the sale of skin care products, counters or [2] Yin Jianzhong, Li Ping. Study on the Countermeasures to
franchised stores can strengthen communication with Enhance the Competitiveness of Chinese Skin Care
customers and increase customer stickiness by providing free Enterprises [ J ]. Technical Economy, 2005 ( 10 ) : 62-64.
skin tests, professional skin care, and teaching skin care [3] Lu Zhimei. An Empirical Study on the Influencing Factors of
knowledge. Brand Sensitivity and Its Impact on Brand Loyalty - A Study
Based on Skin Care Products [ D ]. Nanjing University of
5.5. Training Sales Staff to Improve Finance and Economics, 2010.
Professionalism [4] Miao Dan. A Study on Cosmetic Purchase Behavior
Perceived quality is not only the customer 's perception of Preference - A Case Study of L 'Oreal Skincare [ D ]. Bohai
the product itself, but also its perception of related services. University, 2013.
Professional sales staff can form customer satisfaction and [5] Luo Leilei. The impact of online word-of-mouth on
loyalty by improving the perceived quality of customers, and consumers ' purchase intention of skin care products [ D ].East
it is also more conducive to meeting customers ' personalized China University of Technology, 2014.
needs for skin care products. Therefore, for sales personnel,
[6] Du Hongyan. Importance of Improving Customer Satisfaction
regular or irregular sales knowledge training, skills in Domestic Cosmetics Enterprises [ J ]. Brand Marketing,
assessment, etc., urge sales personnel to learn skin care 2015.06.007.
knowledge, master skin care skills and communication skills,
so that in the sales process, they can use professional [7] Chen Xiaoqin. Study on influencing factors of purchasing
behavior of domestic infant skin care products [ D ].
knowledge and enthusiastic services to enhance the customer Changchun University, 2017.
's shopping experience.
[8] Liu Qing, Chang Kexin. Research on Marketing Strategy of
5.6. Shaping Brand Culture, Establish A Good Skin Care Enterprises Based on Female College Students '
Consumption Psychology [ J ]. Computer Knowledge and
Image Technology ( E-commerce and Government ), 2017 ( 26 ) :
The image of domestic skin care products has different 251-253.
degrees of indirect impact on customer satisfaction and [9] Yuan Longteng. Research on Social Media Marketing
customer loyalty. Establishing a good image plays a vital role Strategy Optimization of Baicaoji [ D ]. Shanghai
in enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. The International Studies University, 2018.
establishment of the image can start with the shaping of the
[10] Li Yichen, Chen Xin. Research on Packaging Design of Skin
brand culture. For example, the Baiqueling brand is a time- Care Products from the Perspective of Female Consumption -
honored brand in China. The skin care products of Pien Tze Taking Zhangzhou Pien Tze Huang Skin Care Product
Huang originated from the court formula in 1955, which is a Packaging as an Example [ J ]. Audiovisual Advertising
national intangible cultural heritage. We can dig out many Forum, 2018 ( 10 ) : 200-201.
moving brand stories from it. With the help of the good
[11] Weber J.M. and de Villebonne, J.C. Differences in purchase
opportunity of the hot broadcast of the current ancient behaviour between France and the USA: the cosmetic
costume drama, we take how to protect the skin of the court industry[J].Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management,
concubines as an entry point, convey the skin care concept of 2002,Vol.6 No. 4:396-407.
domestic skin care, make good publicity for domestic skin [12] Khan Taufique, Muzakkerul Huda, Parves Sultan.Buying
care products, and arouse customers ' attention to domestic motives of herbal skin care products: a study on Dhaka city
skin care brands. In addition, we can also take more social consumers[J]. December 2011.
responsibilities and establish a good image by participating in
[13] Velly Anatasia, Sunitarya Sunitarya, Vinda Adriana. The
public welfare undertakings and charitable activities.
Effects of Advertising Strategies on Consumer Trust: A Case
of Skin Care Products in Taiwan[J].Binus Business
Acknowledgment Review,7(2), August 2016, 125-130.
Anhui University of Finance and Economics Graduate [14] Dawid Szutowski, Julia Szułczynska. Product innovation in
Research Innovation Fund Project “Empirical Study on the cosmetic industry-case study of major cosmetic companies [J].
Influencing Factors of Domestic Female Skin Care January 2017.
Consumption Demand: Based on 18-25 Years Old Sample” [15] Kelsey Vella.A study of the buying behaviour of consumers in
(ACYC2020327). the local cosmetic market[J]. BA (Hons) Business Enterprise
Thesis. June 2017.
References [16] Sun-HeeJeong. Purchasing Behavior for Skin Care Products
[1] Yongshu Villa. Markov prediction of the impact of product by Distribution Channel[J]. Asian J Beauty Cosmetol
promotion on consumers ' purchase intention [ J ].Statistics 2018;16(4):545-554.

168