China’s Beauty Retail Enters the Age of Experience Stratification

For years, China’s beauty retail landscape was defined by price, speed, and scale. Today, that logic is beginning to break down. As the market matures and consumer expectations evolve, China enters an era of experience stratification, where success is no longer determined by how affordable a brand is, but by how clearly it defines who it serves and the emotional, sensory, or relational value it creates. 

A walk through China’s beauty retail concepts reveals a market competing on distinct experience architectures designed to attract, engage, and retain increasingly discerning consumers. In our Global Beauty Retail Tour, now available for download, we examine four standout concepts: Harmay, EviDenS de Beauté, Bathfeel, and WOW Colour. Below are the key themes our China-based experts, Qiying Gao and Olivia Dong, observed across store checks. 

1. Physical Retail Has Shifted From Transaction to Experience 

 Stores are now designed to slow consumers down, invite exploration, and embed beauty into broader lifestyle and emotional narratives. 

•  Harmay blends warehouse aesthetics with cafés and lifestyle cues, encouraging longer dwell time and casual discovery. 
• WOW Colour leans into play, testing, and discovery, positioning the store as a space for experimentation rather than commitment. 

• Bathfeel transforms beauty shopping into a self-care ritual, using scent, texture, and calm pacing to evoke emotional well-being. 

• EviDenS de Beauté elevates retail into an art- and service-led environment, emphasizing privacy, craftsmanship, and relationship-building. 

2.  Youth-Driven and Ultra-Premium Retail Follow Different Logics 

Gen Z-focused formats such as WOW Colour and elements of Harmay, prioritize speed, novelty, and social shareability. Product rotation is fast, trial is encouraged, and visual impact is key. In these environments, loyalty is driven less by deep brand attachment and more by freshness and relevance. 

In ultra-premium concepts such as EviDenS de Beauté, scarcity, personalization, and emotional intimacy take precedence. Here, retail is less about discovery and more about long-term relationships built on service consistency.  

Bathfeel sits in between, using emotional wellness, ritualized care, and sensory storytelling to bridge generations. 

3. Long-Term Trust Now Outweighs Short-Term Price Advantage 

As competition intensifies, price-led differentiation is proving increasingly fragile. Harmay continues to face challenges related to authenticity perception and price conditioning, particularly as consumers become more selective about value. Wow Colour’s model, while highly effective at driving traffic, remains heavily dependent on trend velocity, which can limit long-term brand equity accumulation. 

By contrast, Bathfeel and EviDenS de Beauté reinforce perceived value through controlled environments, consistent storytelling, and clearly defined emotional propositions. Their retail spaces are designed to protect brand meaning, not just drive volume. 

These store check in China mark the second chapter of our Global Beauty Retail Tour, featuring profiles of Harmay, EviDenS de Beauté, Bathfeel, and WOW Colour. In the report, we analyze each retailer from product assortment and brand positioning to in-store experience and more, highlighting key opportunities and implications for beauty brands. 

Download the report to explore the full insights.