More men taking time to adjust their makeup to improve appearance

Wearing makeup is second nature to women, but Chinese men are also now investing more on their looks.

Cedric Cai, 25, a marketing account executive with auditors and consultants KPMG in Beijing, said he wears makeup two to three days a week, with the aim of hiding any skin imperfections and improving his look. The cosmetics he uses include foundation, concealer, lipstick and eyebrow powder.

"At least when it comes to job-hunting and on social occasions, good looks and a nice temperament will gain you more opportunities and tolerance," he said.

"Wearing makeup and staying in good shape can give me more confidence and this will help me to perform better in other areas."

A recent report by e-commerce platform Tmall, which is operated by Alibaba Group, said men's attitude toward beauty products has become more positive and many of them have started to try entry-level items, including foundation and lipsticks.

The report said that by last year men's consumption of beauty products had grown by more than 50 percent for two consecutive years.

Sales of aftershave last year rose by 55 percent year-on-year, antiperspirant sales by 78 percent, eyebrow pencils by 214 percent and lipsticks by 278 percent, it said.

Many beauty companies have developed products especially for male users, including facial skin care kits, cleansers, lotions and creams. For example, French fashion house Chanel introduced its makeup line for men, Boy de Chanel, to the Chinese market this year.

Cosmetics brands have also adopted male celebrities as their spokesmen or promotional ambassadors in China.

For example, singer Fan Chengcheng endorses a series of products for Japanese company Shiseido, while fellow singer Wang Yuan and actor Zhu Yilong endorse French brand L'Oreal.

A growing number of Chinese male beauty bloggers have used social media platforms to share with fans the products they use and the process of applying cosmetics, encouraging men to invest more in their appearance.

Li Jiaqi, 27, has applied various lipsticks while livestreaming on the short-video app Douyin, bringing him tens of millions of followers. About 15,000 lipsticks were sold within five minutes of him livestreaming last year in competition with Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

Shanghai resident Wang Hui, 23, said he was troubled by the large number of pockmarks left on his face several years ago, but by following male beauty bloggers he learned about products for men and started to use them.

A report by global marketing research company Mintel said sales of men's beauty products are expected to continue rising steadily, with a compound annual growth rate of 11.6 percent from 2018 to 2023.

However, while men are becoming accustomed to using facial cleansers, brands face the challenge of widening their male skincare products and frequency of use. The Mintel report said 76 percent of men with ages ranging from 20 to 49 are satisfied with their looks. For them, wearing makeup has not become a mainstream trend.

Alice Li, a senior research analyst with Mintel, said the importance of maintaining a good appearance is now widely acknowledged among men, which is good news for the development of the male facial skincare market.

"Given the low usage and simple routines among men, brands need to make more efforts to help males establish regular skincare routines and drive the use of core products before introducing more niche ones for them, such as makeup," she said.