China’s digital commerce is surging ahead of the rest of the world. In 2024, online retail sales surpassed US$3 trillion, driven by over 1.1 billion internet users. Mobile payments have become an integral part of daily life, with more than 600 million consumers now shopping directly through live streams.

This shift has created a “shoppertainment” economy, where discovery, entertainment, and instant purchases blend seamlessly. The social media landscape is evolving into an entertainment–commerce hybrid; 71% of people watching short-video livestreams make purchases, and the audience for micro-dramas (mini-series produced for short-video apps) has reached 662 million viewers.

These figures illustrate why mobile apps are the primary channels for shopping, beauty, and entertainment in China. The following six apps represent the platforms every marketer and consumer should know in 2025-26. 

The Rise of Chinese Beauty Apps & Shopping Platforms

China’s selfie‑obsessed culture and rapid adoption of augmented reality have created a lucrative market for beauty camera apps. A global industry report estimates that the market was valued at about US $2.1 billion in 2023 and could exceed US $4.5 billion by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of about 8 %. 

Asia‑Pacific is the largest contributor because of the region’s high smartphone penetration and obsession with curated social profiles. Chinese developers dominate this space with sophisticated AI algorithms that smooth skin, apply virtual makeup, and even swap outfits. 

These features make beauty apps more than vanity tools; they provide e‑commerce gateways where brands can sell cosmetics and clothing through virtual try‑ons.

Top Chinese Beauty and Shopping Apps

1. BeautyCam and the Meitu app

Overview. BeautyCam (美颜相机) is the flagship selfie editor from Meitu Inc., a publicly listed company that also offers the broader Meitu app. Both apps use deep learning models to detect facial landmarks and apply real-time beautification. 

Their latest versions go beyond simple filters: users can apply digital makeup, reshape facial contours, remove blemishes, and even generate professional headshots or “yearbook” photos with a single tap. 

In 2024, the company launched AI Hairstyle and AI Wardrobe features. AI Hairstyle maps the user’s hair and virtually applies different cuts or colors. AI Wardrobe segments the body and overlays 3D clothing models, turning the app into a virtual fitting room. Meitu’s generative tools also include AI Art (convert photos into stylized portraits) and AI Clothes Colors for designers.

User Base and Monetization

Meitu’s financial reporting offers rare transparency into the scale of beauty camera use. The company’s 2024 annual results (released March 18, 2025) show that Meitu’s ecosystem had 266 million monthly active users (MAUs), up 6.7 % year‑over‑year. 94.51 million of these MAUs were outside mainland China, reflecting a strong international footprint and a year-over-year growth rate of 21.7%.

Paid subscriptions are a significant revenue stream: By December 2024, Meitu recorded 12.61 million paying subscribers, representing a 38% increase from the previous year. 

In the first half of 2025, Meitu reported that its global MAUs reached 280 million, with 98 million outside mainland China, and it had 15.4 million paying subscribers. The company notes that BeautyCam and Meitu have consistently led China’s photo-beautification category.

How the Apps Work

BeautyCam and the Meitu app rely on a proprietary AI imaging engine. After detecting facial landmarks, the software applies real-time smoothing, eye enlargement, teeth whitening, and other retouching techniques. Advanced functions include:

• AI Wardrobe: uses body segmentation and 3D garment mapping to let users try on clothing virtually. In February 2025, this feature propelled BeautyCam to the top spot in the App Store rankings across 12 countries, boosting its global MAU to over 72 million.
• AI Hairstyle: recreates hairlines and applies new haircuts or colors digitally.
• AI Art and AI Headshot: Transform selfies into stylized illustrations, professional headshots, or retro-style portraits. These features gained viral popularity in early 2024.
• Content community: Users can share edited photos, discover helpful tips, and follow their favorite creators. Through this feed, Meitu promotes paid content packs and brand‑sponsored filters.

Subscription packages unlock HD exports, ad‑free usage, exclusive filters, and the full range of AI tools. For brands, Meitu offers beauty industry solutions that enable cosmetics companies to host virtual makeup counters within the app.

Why BeautyCam Matters in 2025

Meitu’s results demonstrate how AI-driven imaging can serve both as a consumer service and a profitable business. In 2024, the company’s imaging and design products segment generated 2.09 billion CNY, accounting for 62.4 % of total revenue. 

The explosion of AI Wardrobe demonstrates that digital fashion has transitioned from novelty to mainstream; top Google and Baidu search queries include “BeautyCam AI Wardrobe” and “Meitu AI Hairstyle,” as users seek to preview looks before purchasing clothes or visiting a salon. 

For marketers, collaborating on branded filters or virtual garments can expose their work to millions of beauty enthusiasts.

2. Taobao: Localization, Short-video Shopping, and Instant Retail

Overview. Taobao is Alibaba’s flagship shopping app built around content-led discovery, live shopping, and increasingly, short-form drama that links directly to product pages. The app has leaned hard into “watch, chat, buy” journeys and faster fulfillment, while rolling out AI to improve search, pricing, and merchant content.

Key Features Beauty Brands Should Know

• Micro-dramas and Guangguang Theater: Taobao invests in serialized short dramas that feature shoppable scenes. Viewers can tap products in-story, bridging entertainment and shopping.
• Livestream commerce: Influencers and brands broadcast in real time, demonstrating products, running flash sales, and answering questions live to drive conversions.
• AI-powered merchant tools: Built-in AI generates listing copy, product titles, and campaign ideas based on trending search terms, helping sellers stay competitive.
• Instant delivery integration: Partnerships with Ele.me and Alibaba’s logistics hubs enable one-hour delivery in select cities, giving Taobao a competitive edge over traditional platforms.
• Cross-platform discovery: Through its partnership with Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Taobao connects inspiration-driven content to in-app checkout, streamlining the journey from discovery to purchase.

Monetization & Market Performance

• Livestreaming e-commerce: In 2024, livestream shopping in China reached ¥5.86 trillion. Within this booming sector, Taobao Live remains the dominant force, with daily sales exceeding $3 billion and a network of over 10,000 livestream celebrities (weblebrities) engaging shoppers.
• Micro‑drama market: The short‑form “micro‑drama” content ecosystem is growing rapidly. In 2024, the market was valued at ¥50.44 billion, outpacing China’s box office that year—and it’s expected to reach ¥100 billion by 2027. These dramas, often shoppable, are becoming a regular part of Taobao’s content stack.

How Beauty Brands Can Win on Taobao

• Partner with micro-drama creators: Collaborate with short-form teams to integrate your products into storylines that encourage taps and conversions.
• Use livestreams strategically: Whether via KOLs or brand-hosted streams, focus on live demos, Q&A, bundling, and limited-time offers to drive urgency and credibility.
• Leverage AI tools, humanize the output: Draft listings with AI—but tailor them with your unique voice, routine tips, and texture or shade descriptions for emotional resonance.
• Enable instant gratification: Where eligible, push “arrives in one hour” SKUs, such as skincare staples. Use speed as a selling point.
• Experiment with virtual avatars: For consistent, round-the-clock presence, test AI streamers alongside human hosts—especially for beauty demos that require stamina.
• Tap into rural economies: If your brand can collaborate with rural sellers or create regionally specific campaigns (e.g., “Taobao village favorites”), you can access new growth segments.

Why it Matters in 2025

Alibaba has more closely tied Taobao to creator content and instant retail. Two key moves stand out: a formal content partnership with RedNote (Xiaohongshu) that directs “inspiration-to-purchase” traffic to Taobao, and a push into one-hour delivery via Ele.me and “instant retail” channels for everyday categories. Both are aimed at winning low-price and speed-of-delivery battles without sacrificing engagement.

3. CapCut: AI-Enhanced Editing, Global Expansion, and Legal Developments

Overview. CapCut is ByteDance’s AI-powered video and graphic editing platform, available on mobile devices, desktops, and browsers. First released in China as JianYing (剪映) in 2019 and rebranded internationally in 2020, CapCut has expanded to include iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and web browsers.

Updated versions launched after 2024 feature smart tools such as script-to-video, auto captions, video upscaling, and interactive long-to-short conversions, making creation both fast and polished. It caters to creators of all levels, offering seamless export to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and more.

User Scale and Growth

In January 2025, CapCut crossed 1 billion downloads on the Google Play Store. The app ranked among the most popular on both Google Play and the App Store in 2025. Tech media ranks CapCut as the best free video editing app for social media creators in 2025, praising its AI-powered features, such as background removal and auto-captioning.

How CapCut Works for Beauty Creators

Since 2024, CapCut’s AI toolkit has expanded significantly:

• Script-to-video: Paste a script, and the platform automatically generates a styled and voiced video.
• Core editing tools: Trim, split, merge, keyframe animation, slow-motion, chroma key, and stabilization
• Long-to‑short converter: Automatically extracts highlights and creates engaging short clips.
• Video and image upscaling, background removal, noise reduction, portrait generator, auto captions, and text-to-speech, including multilingual support
• The desktop version features advanced tools, including color grading, intelligent search of local media, ratio adjustments, and one-click sharing to TikTok or YouTube.

Why CapCut Matters in 2025

For creators and marketers, CapCut is a one-stop content creation powerhouse that combines ease of use with sophistication. Its AI tools save time and deliver high-impact visuals, while built-in platform compatibility streamlines the workflow from editing to social posting. This makes it not just a tool but a launchpad for viral storytelling.

4. Douyin – China’s Viral Beauty Mall

Douyin, known internationally as TikTok’s Chinese counterpart, has rapidly evolved from a short-video app into an integrated e-commerce ecosystem. The platform launched in September 2016 and quickly filled a market gap. 

The demographics skew young: approximately 65% of Douyin users are under 35, and 54%are male. Douyin’s reach is also expanding beyond China’s biggest cities; the app now attracts users from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, diversifying the types of content and influencers on the platform. 

These users are not just browsing; they are shopping. The same report states that approximately 480 million Chinese consumers actively purchased through Douyin’s e‑commerce features during the Double 11 shopping festival. 

This purchasing base helped Douyin’s gross merchandise value (GMV) surge 33.5% in 2024 to US$509 billion, making it the third-largest marketplace worldwide after Amazon and Pinduoduo. Douyin’s success contrasts with the slowing growth of traditional platforms—Taobao, JD.com, and Tmall saw less than 1 % GMV growth in 2024

Notably, it’s not just the youth; senior influencers are gaining millions of followers, demonstrating the app’s broad cultural appeal.

Why Douyin Is Crucial for Beauty E-Commerce

Beauty brands can no longer ignore Douyin. It alone hosts around 600 million daily active users who watch livestreams and short videos featuring product demonstrations and tutorials. Many global beauty brands run livestream events and maintain in‑app flagship stores to tap into this massive user base.

Douyin has become central to beauty marketing because it makes shopping entertaining and friction‑free. 

Key features include:

• In-app stores: Brands can set up official Douyin shops with product pages and a checkout feature. Native checkout keeps users inside the app, improving conversion rates.
• Product tagging: Creators tag products in videos or live streams, allowing viewers to tap a tag and make a purchase instantly.
• Livestream commerce: Influencers host real-time shows where they demonstrate makeup or skincare products, and viewers make purchases during the live stream. Live shows often feature limited‑time discounts, encouraging impulse buys.
• Algorithm‑driven discovery: Douyin’s AI recommends videos based on watch time, likes, and comments, turning every piece of content into a potential sales engine. Viral hashtags and challenges (e.g., #MyMakeupRoutine) amplify reach.
• Cross-border e-commerce: Douyin enables foreign companies to sell through its cross-border programs, allowing users to purchase imported beauty products directly within the app.

These features create a seamless “watch, want, buy” loop. Instead of actively searching for a product, users discover it while watching short videos. This content-driven shopping model is particularly effective for beauty items, as consumers can view real-time demonstrations and read honest reviews before making a purchase.

How to Shop for Beauty Products on Douyin

For beauty consumers, shopping on Douyin is intuitive:

1. Browse Short Videos or Live Streams: The “For You” feed features a mix of short videos and live streams. Beauty influencers demonstrate makeup techniques, review products, or share skincare routines.
2. Tap Product Tags: If a product appears in a video, tapping the tag reveals a mini product page with photos, price, and seller information.
3. Add to Cart and Checkout: Users can add items to the in‑app cart and pay using Alipay, WeChat Pay, or Douyin’s own payment gateway. For imported products, bonded warehouses handle customs clearance, ensuring fast shipping.
4. Join Flash Sales: Livestreams often feature time‑limited deals or bundle offers, such as “Buy 1 Get 1 Free,” which encourage impulse purchases.
5. Leave Reviews or Share: After receiving the product, users can post their own videos or join hashtag challenges, completing the cycle of content and commerce.

Why Douyin Should Be on Your Radar

• Viral Potential: Engaging videos can go viral, bringing sudden attention to new beauty products.
• Seamless Shopping: In‑app stores and native checkout simplify the purchase experience.
• Influencer Power: Creator Marketing Drives Authenticity and Trust.
• Cross-Border Access: International beauty brands can sell directly to Chinese consumers through Douyin’s cross-border programs.

However, brands should budget carefully because high ad costs can erode profits. For shoppers, this means that deals and promotions are abundant, but they should still compare prices across platforms before making a purchase.

Why Douyin Matters

Douyin demonstrates how a content platform can evolve into an e-commerce titan. Its short‑video format keeps users engaged (average daily usage exceeds 2 hours), while the recommendation engine ensures product promotions reach relevant audiences. 

5. Pinduoduo (拼多多): Social Group Buying and Farm‑to‑Table Commerce

Overview. Launched in 2015 by former Google engineer Colin Huang, Pinduoduo pioneered social group buying in China. Users form teams with friends or other shoppers to buy products at discounted prices, with deeper discounts unlocked as more participants join. 

The platform also operates a C2M (consumer‑to‑manufacturer) model, connecting factories directly with consumers to reduce middleman costs. Another distinctive feature is its focus on agricultural products; Pinduoduo invests heavily in connecting farmers with urban buyers.

User Numbers and Market Position 

Data shows that Pinduoduo’s monthly active users reached about 720 million in November 2024. Pinduoduo’s user base skews toward price‑sensitive consumers in lower‑tier cities. 

Although precise spending numbers for 2024‑2025 are scarce, Pinduoduo’s GMV is large enough to place it among the top two marketplaces globally, and it remains the largest platform for agricultural products.

Key Features for Beauty and FMCG Brands

• Group buying (拼团): shoppers share product links in WeChat or QQ groups; when enough people join, everyone receives the lower “team price.”
• Interactive games: Pinduoduo gamifies shopping with features such as “Duoduo Orchard,” where users cultivate virtual fruit trees to win real fruit, boosting daily engagement.
• C2M manufacturing: manufacturers list products directly, guided by user demand; this model reduces inventory risk and allows buyers to influence designs.
• Pinduoduo’s mini‑app ecosystem: the platform offers mini programs within WeChat and its own app for quick purchases, customer service, and coupons.

Why Pinduoduo Matters

Pinduoduo challenges the assumption that e‑commerce growth must come from big cities. By tapping into social networks and group psychology, it attracts price‑sensitive consumers who might otherwise shop offline. 

6. RedNote: Social Community Meets Shopping Mall

Overview. RedNote—literally “Little Red Book,” often branded internationally as RED—is a hybrid of Instagram, Pinterest, and Amazon. Users (called “notes writers”) post pictures, videos, and product reviews in categories like beauty, fashion, travel, and food. 

Each post can include product tags that lead directly to purchase pages. The platform positions itself as a lifestyle community first and a marketplace second, curating high‑quality brands and user‑generated advice.

User Statistics and Demographics 

A January report notes that RedNote had roughly 300 million monthly active users, with about 79 % of the user base being women. The same report states that the company raised approximately US $917 million in venture funding and was valued at around US $17 billion following a secondary share sale in 2024. Xiaohongshu is profitable, with the article projecting over US$1 billion in profit for 2024. 

TMO Group’s 2025 e‑commerce ranking adds that as of mid‑2024, RedNote’s MAU reached 320 million, and daily active users were around 120 million, indicating rapid growth.

How RedNote Works

• Notes and reviews: Users post “notes” with photos or videos accompanied by extended captions. Other users can like, bookmark, comment on, and save the notes for reference. The algorithm surfaces posts based on interests rather than follower counts.
• Product tagging and shopping: sellers (often brand ambassadors or ordinary users) can tag products in their notes. When readers click the tag, they are taken to an in‑app store to complete the purchase. RedNote handles payment and logistics, ensuring a consistent experience across all platforms.
• Live-streaming and KOLs: Similar to Douyin, RedNote offers live-broadcast shopping with a focus on beauty and fashion. Influencers often provide tutorials and product comparisons.
• Community curation: the platform vets merchants and product listings, aiming to prevent counterfeit goods and maintain a “quality” image. Notes that violate community guidelines are removed, reinforcing trust.

Why RedNote Matters for Beauty and Lifestyle Brands

The platform appeals to Chinese millennials and Gen Z who seek authentic recommendations over hard sells. Its predominantly female user base gives it disproportionate influence in the beauty and fashion sectors. 

Recommendations for Marketers and Content Creators

1. Leverage AI‑powered virtual try‑ons: Integrate with platforms such as BeautyCam and YouCam to offer customers interactive experiences. 
2. Invest in live commerce: Douyin live streams and RedNote tutorials are major traffic drivers. Work with local key opinion leaders (KOLs) who resonate with target demographics and schedule broadcasts around major shopping festivals.
3. Tailor offerings to lower‑tier cities: Pinduoduo’s growth shows that consumers outside China’s major metros are a force to reckon with. To capture this audience, create budget‑friendly bundles and gamified promotions.
4. Prioritize authenticity and community: On RedNote, success comes from storytelling and genuine reviews. Encourage user‑generated content, respond to comments, and avoid aggressive sales tactics.
5. Track regulatory changes: China’s authorities frequently update policies around data privacy, livestreaming, and advertising. Ensure compliance and be prepared to adapt strategies swiftly.

Partner with ChoZan to Master China’s Beauty & Shopping Apps

China’s app ecosystem is where AI try-ons, livestream commerce, and social group-buying set global benchmarks. To capture growth on platforms like BeautyCam, YouCam, Douyin, Pinduoduo, and RedNote, you need more than translations—you need strategic, data-backed execution.

ChoZan provides exactly that:

• Research & Brand Audits: We benchmark how beauty brands utilize BeautyCam’s AI Wardrobe or YouCam’s AR skin analytics to drive sales and identify areas where your brand needs to adapt.
• Trend Foresight Programs: We decode Douyin’s US$509B GMV surge and Pinduoduo’s 720M MAUs into practical playbooks—whether that means livestream partnerships, group-buy mechanics, or RED’s community-driven content.
• China Learning Expeditions: We take executives inside Meitu’s AI labs, Douyin’s commerce studios, and RED’s content teams. Hence, you learn directly from the product managers and strategists building the features you want to leverage.

If your goal is to turn AI-powered beauty apps and shoppertainment platforms into growth channels, ChoZan is the partner that can provide you with insights, foresight, and access to the people shaping these apps today.

FAQs on Chinese Beauty & Shopping Apps

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