How Men’s Beauty Is Evolving Across Asia

Published on July 6, 2026

Men’s beauty is no longer a niche category in Asia.

In Japan, South Korea, and China, consumers are buying more products, building more sophisticated routines, and exploring categories that extend well beyond basic grooming.

At first glance, the trend looks remarkably similar across all 3 markets. Look closer and the differences start to emerge.

Men’s beauty plays a different role in each market, shaped by different expectations, habits, and cultural norms. Understanding those differences is key to understanding where the category is heading next.

Overview:

What Men's Beauty Represents in Each Market

One of Japan’s most unexpected beauty personalities isn’t a model or influencer. It’s top-division sumo wrestler Ichiyamamoto Daiki.

Professional sumo remains one of Japan’s last major male-only institutions. Women are still prohibited from entering the ring, making it one of the country’s most tradition-bound expressions of masculinity. Yet Ichiyamamoto has become known almost as much for his skincare routine as his performances in the ring. His skincare collection includes more than 30 products, and he was recently featured by Biteki, one of Japan’s leading beauty magazines.

That contrast says as much about men’s beauty in Asia as any market report.

In Japan, skincare is closely tied to personal presentation. Looking clean, well-groomed, and put together carries clear social expectations, making skincare part of everyday appearance rather than a separate beauty ritual.

South Korea arrives at beauty from a different direction. Appearance management carries social and professional weight, and many men develop skincare habits during mandatory military service, where long days outdoors, sweat, skin irritation, and harsh camouflage creams make looking after their skin a practical necessity. Add a culture increasingly comfortable discussing cosmetic procedures, and beauty becomes another form of everyday self-management.

China’s story is different again. More than half of male skincare consumers are under 30, and many entered the category through creator content, livestreams, social commerce, and AI-powered discovery. Beauty is often approached through experimentation, with consumers building routines as they search for solutions to specific concerns.

Men Are Moving Beyond Basic Grooming

The shift isn’t simply that more men are buying skincare. It’s that they’re doing more with it.

In Japan, the men’s cosmetics market reached ¥49.7 billion (US$340 million) in 2024, up 14.8% year-on-year and nearly 1.8 times its 2019 size. Basic skincare still accounts for the largest share of spending, but the strongest growth is increasingly coming from products designed to address specific concerns. Consumers are spending more, adding more steps, and becoming more selective about what they buy.

South Korea is already further along that journey. Around 30% of Korean men use tinted complexion products, while roughly 20% use tinted lip products. Categories that once sat firmly outside traditional men’s grooming have become part of everyday routines for a growing number of consumers.

China is evolving just as quickly, although the pattern looks different. Facial cleansers remain the foundation of the category, but some of the fastest growth is happening elsewhere. WPIC’s Discripto® marketplace data shows men’s sunscreen sales grew 22.1% year-on-year between January and November 2025, while face serum sales increased 17.0%.

Across all 3 markets, men are no longer stopping at the basics. The routine is becoming just as important as the first product.

The Routine Doesn't Stop at Skincare

Building a skincare routine often changes what consumers are willing to try next.

In South Korea, that increasingly includes tinted beauty products. What was once considered outside the boundaries of men’s grooming has quietly become part of everyday routines for many consumers.

China is seeing the same expansion across different categories. WPIC’s Discripto® marketplace data shows men’s body care grew 363% year-on-year in 2025, while hair care and styling increased 259%. Men’s makeup also grew 176%, reflecting growing confidence in categories that would have attracted far less attention only a few years ago.

Japan remains the most conservative of the 3 markets, but the direction is familiar. As spending on men’s cosmetics continues to rise, consumers are increasingly adding specialised products designed to address specific concerns rather than relying on simple, all-purpose routines.

That doesn’t mean every market is becoming the same.

It means the definition of men’s beauty is becoming much broader than cleanser and moisturiser.

What Men's Beauty Means Across Asia

Men’s beauty across Asia is becoming easier to recognise, but not because every market is becoming the same.

Japanese consumers are investing more deeply in skincare. Korean men are becoming increasingly comfortable with products that once sat outside traditional grooming. Chinese consumers are rapidly expanding into new beauty categories through digital-first discovery.

Different journeys. Similar direction.

The opportunity for brands lies in understanding where those journeys begin. A skincare routine built around presentation, appearance management, or digital discovery may end up looking remarkably similar, but the consumer behind it is often making very different decisions along the way.

WPIC helps global beauty and personal care brands understand the consumers, platforms, and marketplaces shaping demand across Asia. Whether you’re entering China, Japan, South Korea, or expanding across the region, we help consumer brands turn local consumer insight into market strategy.

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