How to Crack the Vietnamese Beauty and Personal Care Market? Deepseek Offers Online Solutions!

During the Spring Festival,

Deepseek emerged as a new force.

Known as the rising "little expert",

Teacher D has gained widespread popularity for his unique insights.

The message "Server is busy, please try again later"

shows just how popular it has been.

But don't worry!

This time, there's no need to wait in line!

Teacher D has transformed into a cosmetics company

to share with everyone the exclusive secrets and practical experience

of breaking into the Vietnamese beauty and personal care market and carving out a new niche there.

Let's take a look together!
(*^▽^*)

Ques.1

Teacher D:The Vietnamese market is now the "golden track" in Southeast Asia, especially the beauty and personal care market. Driven by its young population and the purchasing power of the middle class, it is showing strong growth momentum and development potential!

According to data released by Statista, Vietnam's cosmetics retail market revenue was $2.2 billion in 2022. The market size is projected to reach $2.45 billion by 2025 and is expected to exceed a market scale of $2.7 billion by 2027. It will become one of the fastest-growing and most potential markets in the Southeast Asian region.

Image source: Statista

Vietnam is a country with a relatively high proportion of young people. In 2024, its population exceeded 100 million, with 70% of the population under 35 years old. The high proportion of young people, who have a high acceptance of beauty products and a strong willingness to consume, has driven the development of the beauty and personal care market. The usage rate of cosmetics among Vietnamese women has already reached close to 90%. The average monthly expenditure on skincare products is $30 per person. (*In a low voice:* This is a real investment!)

In Vietnam, 90% of cosmetics companies are distributors and agents of foreign brands. Foreign cosmetics dominate the Vietnamese market with a large import demand. However, influenced by the Korean Wave, Korean cosmetics account for the largest share of foreign cosmetics sales in Vietnam, with a market share of 30%.

Image source: U.S. Department of Commerce

Although foreign brands dominate the Vietnamese beauty and personal care market, Chinese domestic beauty products still have many impressive achievements. According to the latest statistics from Vietnam Customs, the total import and export value between Vietnam and China reached $205.2 billion, with cosmetics being one of the important categories.

According to statistics from e-commerce platforms, from January 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024, the total revenue of Chinese cosmetics on Vietnam's three major e-commerce platforms—Shopee, Lazada, and Tiki—reached 10.05 trillion VND (equivalent to approximately 289 million RMB), a nearly threefold increase year-on-year.

In January 2024, the sales of Chinese cosmetics in the Vietnamese market peaked at nearly 1 trillion VND. Chinese brands such as Colorkey, Focallure, and Perfect Diary have reaped substantial profits. Colorkey quickly penetrated the market with a lip gloss product on TikTok and became the best-selling product across all categories. During the period from September 2023 to August 2024, these five major brands sold a total of 5.2 million products, generating over 625.5 billion VND in revenue.

Sales Trend Chart , Image source: Znews

Ques.2

Teacher D: Let me tell you, the Vietnamese beauty market is like a "treasure trove waiting to be unearthed"!

Vietnamese consumers' demand for beauty and personal care products is becoming increasingly diverse, ranging from basic skincare to high-end cosmetics, and from natural ingredients to tech-driven beauty. The market demand is rich and varied. In particular, consumers are placing higher and higher demands on the professionalism and safety of products in areas such as sensitive skin care, sun protection, and hydration.

Chinese cosmetics are renowned for their high cost-performance ratio, with prices typically ranging from 200,000 to 350,000 Vietnamese dong. This price segment holds the largest share in Vietnam's overall cosmetics market, accounting for 34%. Among Vietnamese women, the demand for beauty and personal care products is not limited to low-priced items, but rather focuses more on product quality and brand value.

Here, Teacher D shares with everyone the latest data. These categories are not only selling like hotcakes but also hold plenty of opportunities—you can't go wrong by diving in!

01 Skincare

Vietnam has a hot and humid climate, so skincare products emphasize functionalities such as refreshing, breathable, oil-control, and sun protection to meet consumers' skincare needs under different climatic conditions. According to Mintel's "ingredient study" of global consumers' skincare purchases, 49% of Vietnamese women have faced acne or blackheads in the past year. Therefore, ingredients like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and rose petal extracts, which help regulate facial oil secretion, protect the skin from sun exposure, and reduce blackheads, are highly sought after by Vietnamese consumers. Many skincare products highlight natural ingredients and scientific skincare.

Data Source: Mintel Global Consumer

02 Makeup

False eyelashes and lip products have become the key to high traffic.

The demand for false eyelashes in the Vietnamese market has seen significant growth, especially for natural styles. Among the top 10 beauty products on Vietnam's TikTok beauty chart, two are false eyelash categories. What's more, the global affordable false eyelash market is almost entirely dominated by Chinese supply chains, with Pingdu, Shandong, accounting for 70% of the global share in false eyelashes.

Top 10 Beauty and Personal Care Products on Vietnam TikTok in January 2025 ，Data Source: FastMoss

Lipsticks and lip balms are the classic best-sellers in the Vietnamese market. With increasing product development and beauty demands, other lip products such as lip mud, lip gloss, lip liner, lip balm, and lip essence are also performing well in the market.

For example, the monthly GMV of COLORKEY's Vietnam store reached 27 million RMB, with its flagship product "Long-Lasting Hydrating Lip Balm" topping the TikTok Vietnam beauty chart at a unit price of 396,000 Vietnamese dong (about 120 RMB).

Monthly Sales of COLORKEY's Vietnam Store

03 Fragrance and Personal Care (This category is also a top seller)

Both male and female Vietnamese consumers are willing to choose fragrance and personal care products that suit their preferences. In 2019, the Vietnamese fragrance market was worth approximately $130 million, and it is projected to reach $480 million by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of over 30%.

Body sprays, perfumes, and fragranced shampoos frequently top the TikTok best-seller lists, with Vietnamese consumers willing to pay a 30% premium for the "therapeutic feeling" these products offer. Additionally, over 80% of Vietnamese consumers prefer that the fragrance of these products does not last longer than a day, as changing scents daily aligns better with their usage habits.

Image source: Shopee

04 Men's Grooming (You might be surprised)

Men's grooming is a lucrative blue ocean market that is quietly booming.

Vietnamese young men are the main consumer group for men's grooming products. Influenced by fashion trends and social media, they pay more attention to their personal image and health and are willing to try new products and technologies. In big cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam, where the pace of life is fast and social activities are frequent, the demand for men's grooming products is even stronger.

Although the demand for men's grooming is not as high-profile as that for women, with only 35% of Vietnamese men using skincare products, the supply of high-end men's grooming products in the market is relatively insufficient. As their skincare awareness improves, men's interest in advanced products such as skincare sets and serums is also increasing. On Shopee, the growth rate of men's cologne, oil-control facial cleanser, and "3-in-1" (cleansing + oil control + moisturizing) men's sets exceeds 200%.

Image source: Shopee

Ques.3

Teacher D:

It's time to bring out my "Vietnam Beauty Market Access Manual"!

Complete Procedures and Compliant Sales:
According to Vietnamese regulations, all personal care and beauty products imported into Vietnam must be registered and certified by the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV), which is under the Ministry of Health (MOH). Only after obtaining a Cosmetic Notification Receipt Number (valid for 5 years) can they be legally sold.

Product Strategy: 
Adjust product formulations and packaging designs based on Vietnamese consumers' preferences and needs. For example, in response to Vietnam's humid climate, introduce skincare products with refreshing, moisturizing, and post-sunburn repair functions, focusing on natural ingredients combined with functional products (such as whitening and sun protection, oil control and volume). Products should be "developed specifically for Asian skin"—high-quality products are more effective than a hundred advertising slogans!

Pricing Magic:  
Implement tiered pricing to cover both the low-end necessities and mid-to-high-end luxury segments. The low-end line should be priced around 100,000 Vietnamese dong (about 30 RMB), while the mid-range should not exceed 300,000 dong, targeting the middle-class group precisely.

Channel Combination:
Online:Vietnamese consumers are highly dependent on social media, spending an average of 2.5 hours per day on these platforms and having an average of 10.8 social media accounts each. Chinese brands can fully leverage this characteristic by promoting and selling products through platforms like TikTok and Facebook, establishing a close connection with Vietnamese consumers.  

Offline:

Partner with local Vietnamese beauty stores, drugstores, and department stores to distribute products through offline channels.

Exhibition Networking and Brand Exposure:
In the increasingly competitive Vietnamese beauty market, actively participate in industry exhibitions, seminars, and other events related to beauty and personal care in Vietnam. For example, the 4th HOMELIFE Vietnam International Home & Gift Fair will be grandly held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center from May 14 to 16. For Chinese cosmetics companies, this is a great opportunity to expand their presence in the Vietnamese beauty and personal care market.

Previous HOMELIFE Vietnam Fair - Beauty and Personal Care Zone

Through the exhibition platform, companies can obtain potential customer resources and establish connections and communication with peer companies, industry experts, and media. This helps in understanding industry dynamics and trends, enhancing brand visibility and influence within the industry, and quickly laying out a presence in the Southeast Asian market.

In conclusion,  
Teacher D has some final words:  
The Vietnamese cosmetics market is highly competitive,  
But with their own strengths and effective marketing strategies,  
Chinese brands have the potential to succeed in Vietnam.  
Don't let hesitation hold back your brand's journey overseas.  
The Vietnamese market is on the verge of a boom.  
It's better to dominate one market than to sell globally.  
The "smallness" of Vietnam  
Is actually your "big" opportunity to quickly become a market leader!

Seize the opportunity to go global in 2025—scan the QR code to consult now!