Hainan in April is the season of welcoming guests, with verdant coconut groves, blue sea and blue sky.
From April 13th to 18th, the 4th China International Consumer Goods Expo (hereinafter referred to as the "Consumer Expo") with the theme of "Sharing Open Opportunities and Creating a Better Life" was held in Hainan as scheduled.
As the first national-level exhibition to be held this year, this year's CICG will continue to adhere to the positioning of "high-quality products and new products", carefully plan a series of offline supply and demand docking and online matching activities, and bring together high-quality consumer goods resources at home and abroad, as well as global buyers and sellers.
The "Secret" of Beauty
In the era of "beauty economy", consumers' demand for beauty, skin care, and slimming is increasing, and product requirements are getting higher and higher.
As one of the world's largest skincare, cosmetics and fragrance companies, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Estée Lauder's entry into China's travel retail market. As an old friend of the Expo, it has participated in the Expo for the third consecutive year. This year, Estee Lauder also has a huge lineup, with 15 brands including Aveda, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Clinique, Darphin Paris, Estée Lauder, Jo Malone London, La Mer and TOM FORD.
The Estée Lauder Companies Pavilion skillfully blends the charm of nature with the power of beauty, and the pale pink gradient petal-shaped external structure is intertwined and elegantly blooms. The overall structure of the exhibition hall follows the architectural structure of the 6th China International Import Expo in 2023, and uses sustainable and recyclable materials such as eco-friendly paper and eco-friendly white yarn. Visitors walk through the space along the petal-shaped tour and discover Estée Lauder's heritage and brand story.
Founded in 1904, Coty also has a say in beauty, and over the past 100 years, Coty has grown from a small perfume house in Paris, France, to a world-renowned beauty group with its fearless exploration of beauty and scientific innovation.
2024 marks Coty's 120th anniversary and its third participation in the Expo. This time, Coty will exhibit "Garden of the Future II", and the 432-square-meter booth will include a corporate culture display area and eight brand display areas represented by Chloé, Hugo Boss and Lancaster.
In recent years, Lancasterine has been working on the development of more streamlined formulations, hoping that the products can meet the needs of different skin on the basis of respecting the sea and the environment. The newly launched Lancaster Sunshine Moisturizer Lotion in China uses an optimized sunscreen system to minimize the impact on marine life, "reducing the use of sunscreen while ensuring a high level of protection".
Opposite Coty is the French Pavilion, which is modeled after the bustling French shopping streets and Haussmann-style department stores, allowing visitors to experience the authentic "French" style.
Shanghai Fucheng International FIT Group is located in this commercial street. In this Consumer Expo, Shanghai Fucheng International brought a variety of products from D-lab, a leading brand of internal beauty and Lysedia, a high-end anti-aging skin care brand, to participate in the exhibition. During the fair, D-lab launched the PRO version of the collagen series, expanding the product line of activating, nourishing and internal circulation of "Beauty from the Inside Out", while Lysedia launched the upgraded Cellular Renewal Quintet Essence series, Radiance Essence Ampoule and Radiance Essence Sunscreen.
Galenic, France Coranley and EVE LOM are the "new faces" of the Expo. At the Expo, Kelanli made the world premiere of "Snow Algae Peptide" essence water, while Evelong launched its new product "Qianjin" cream on the "Global New Product Release Plan" platform of the Expo, and also exhibited a product matrix of "purifying, dressing, healing and nourishing" inspired by SPA healing steps, including EVE LOM Legend Cleansing Cream and other products.
2AM Zaoxun, a French pioneering scientific anti-aging brand, also made its real debut in the Chinese market through the Consumer Expo, and the Black Diamond Double Serum is its main product. In addition, there are also cocktail series, P0 skin essence and other products. ACCORDING TO REPORTS, THE FOUNDER OF 2AM EARLY SEARCH IS THE FORMER R&D PRESIDENT OF CLARINS GROUP, LIONEL DE BENETTI, WHO LED THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INNOVATION OF CLARINS' "DOUBLE ESSENCE", AND 2AM EARLY SEARCH IS HIS CONTINUOUS BREAKTHROUGH AND CHALLENGE TO HIMSELF AGAIN IN HIS ANCIENT YEARS.
Beauty devices are also a core "member" in the field of anti-aging. It is understood that this year's Consumer Expo is the first exhibition after the promulgation of the new regulations and policies for beauty equipment, as the only selected beauty equipment brand in the French Pavilion, French LPG® has brought a new generation of plastic beauty, new LPG® beauty alliance body beauty instrument and the main product of the 10th generation beauty alliance beauty instrument. The product uses the brand's core patented technology, Endermologie® (Connective Tissue Rejuvenation Technology), which physically promotes endogenous circulation to achieve firming and shaping, beautifying and anti-aging, and physical soothing.
Liu Cunhui, CEO of LPG® China, told the International Financial News that with the implementation of the new regulations on optoelectronic and radio frequency beauty instruments, many products that have not obtained the national Class III medical device certificate are about to become history, and the full range of French LPG® products are adapted to the new regulations and policies (RF optoelectronic instruments are included in the third class of supervision). "We hope to create a benchmark for innovation in the field of life beauty."
Experience the products of the French LPG®
With the rise of domestic products, the voice of domestic brands in the beauty and skin care industry is also increasing.
This year, Bloomage Biotech, which participated in the Consumer Expo for the fourth time, expanded its booth space to 300 square meters, the largest in four years, and brought nearly 30 brands and more than 230 products to the show.
Among them, 200 consumer terminal products of nearly 20 terminal brands are eye-catching, and the four major brands "Runbaiyan, Quadi, Mirepair, and BM Muscle Active" have brought 16 single products with sales of more than 100 million yuan. At the same time, at this year's Consumer Expo, Bloomage Biotech's "Bio-MESO Muscle Active Brown Rice Water 2.0" launched its global new product debut, and the product formula and efficacy were comprehensively upgraded.
Jewels shine
In addition to beauty, it is also important to have a pair of eyes that find beauty. The jewelry exhibition area in Hall 2 gathers a number of old jewelry companies such as Kimberlite Diamond, Lukfook Jewelry, and Lao Fengxiang. They fuse oriental aesthetics, traditional culture and jewellery products to create a glamorous and radiant blend.
Exhibiting for four consecutive times, Kimberlite Diamonds is an "old friend" of the Expo. This time, it brought high jewelry "like a song of fire" and made its debut at the Expo. This work won the championship of the 2023 Hong Kong JMA International Jewelry Design Competition.
In addition, the "Adventure in Dunhuang" series launched by Kimberlite Diamond in cooperation with the Dunhuang Academy of Fine Arts, and the "Full of Blessing" series launched in cooperation with the national first-class museum "Chinese Character Museum" were both launched at the Expo. Among them, the "Adventure Dunhuang" series adopts diamond color enamel technology, which has achieved a breakthrough in technological innovation and perfectly restored the color of Dunhuang.
Opposite the booth of Kimberlite Diamond is the century-old national brand Lao Fengxiang, a modern and elegant, and an ancient charm. Lao Fengxiang used the theme display of "Hidden Treasure Gold", "Fengxiang Happy Event", and "Fengshang" to bring the popular "Phoenix Dance Nine Days" golden phoenix crown displayed with a gravity-free suspension device, showing the meticulous process details of the work in 3D, bringing a new visual experience, becoming a hot spot for on-site check-in, showing the charm of the combination of national tide and modern technology.
At the same time, a series of national intangible cultural heritage gold and silver craftsmanship products designed and produced by Shen Guoxing, a master of Chinese arts and crafts, - "Great Auspicious Eight Treasures Ruyi" and "Auspicious Eight Treasure Vase", etc., reflect the ultimate ingenuity of Lao Fengxiang's century-old brand, attracting visitors to stop and appreciate.
Luk Fook Jewellery's booth from Hong Kong, China, was decorated in the simple and elegant style of the "Fu Man Heirloom" series, and launched a new "Fu Man Tang Chao" series, which reproduced the style of the Tang Dynasty with brilliant culture and craftsmanship, and conveyed the culture and good wishes of the national tide. It also brought a series of solid gold ornaments that won national invention patents, such as the "Lucky Unicorn", a symbol of the divine beast of sending children, and the "Six Lions Blessing" that is full of blessings for people.
Natural diamonds are also a key focus of Luk Fook Jewellery, including the "Love is Beautiful" series, which features 18K gold and natural diamonds, the "DiaPure" series, which uses slightly fluorescent pure diamonds, a variety of rare coloured diamonds such as yellow diamonds, pink diamond jewellery, and precious emerald jewellery.
Luk Fook Jewellery's four exhibitions at the CICGF and the launch of a number of new products are behind Luk Fook Jewellery's optimism and importance to the mainland market. Luk Fook Jewellery said that as the largest consumer goods fair in the Asia-Pacific region, the CICG is not only an important showcase for the Hainan Free Trade Port, but also one of the most important exhibition and trading platforms for global consumer goods. "To capitalise on this opportunity, we are showcasing a wide range of exquisite jewellery products and further promoting the continuous high-quality innovation and development of Lukfook Jewellery by showcasing our brand image."
This is in line with Luk Fook Jewellery's strategy to expand into the mainland market, which the Group hopes to drive business growth. It is understood that in 2024, Lukfook Jewellery plans to add 300 new stores in Chinese mainland, mainly focusing on opening brand stores in fourth- and fifth-tier cities.
In addition to gold and diamonds, many exhibitors also brought pearl products, such as Hairun pearls, which have been deeply cultivated in Hainan for nearly 30 years. Founded in 1997, Hairun Pearl is a pearl product supplier for many well-known gold jewelry listed companies in China. In this exhibition, it brought more than 1,000 products and a variety of new spring and summer-themed pearl products, such as the Spring Awakening series and the Star Sea series, all of which were launched at the Consumer Expo.
Relevant sources told the "International Financial News" reporter that Hairun Pearl Gold and Jewelry Industrial Park (hereinafter referred to as the "Industrial Park") will open in 2024, and the project is an important strategic layout for Hairun Pearl to participate in the development and construction of Hainan Free Trade Port. With a total construction area of about 50,000 square meters, the industrial park is the first large-scale gold jewelry industrial park in Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, and is also one of the important carriers for Sanya to build a "100 billion-level" gold jewelry cultural tourism creativity, industrial development and exhibition business center in Hainan Free Trade Port.
Beauty in the future
While these companies bring consumers the ultimate and multi-dimensional aesthetic experience, the Expo, as a bridge connecting buyers and sellers, will also provide more possibilities for their development and bring a better future.
Over the past year, Coty has continued to upgrade its travel retail business in Hainan, accelerating the entry of its premium beauty brands into the Hainan market. In 2023, the group will open five new high-end boutiques in the Hainan market, and will use Hainan as the first launch of new products in the duty-free market, such as the Hugo Boss Boss Collection in CDF Sanya International Duty Free Mall, and its fragrance counter is currently the only store in China's duty-free channel where you can experience the Bogo Haute Couture selection fragrance collection offline.
Benefiting from these footprints, Coty Hainan Travel Retail continued to climb with 70% growth for the full year 2023. Caroline Andreotti, Chief Commercial Officer, Coty Beauty, said that the Group will continue to expand and strengthen its presence in China, accelerate the growth of its travel retail business in Hainan and its overall business in China, and join hands with Chinese consumers to enter the next 100 years of Coty.
There are also French brands that are "newcomers" to the Chinese market, and they hope to get closer to consumers through the Expo, understand more needs of Chinese consumers, and then further increase their influence and popularity in the Chinese market.
Rachel, general manager of 2AM Zaoxun China, told the International Financial News reporter that 2024 is equivalent to the first year of 2AM Zaoxun entering China, and as a "newcomer" to contact the Chinese market, it is first necessary to contact consumers in Chinese mainland. With the substantial construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port and the promotion of favorable policies such as duty-free and customs closure on outlying islands, it is believed that Hainan will become a global destination for tourism consumption. It's also a great consumer-facing platform for brands.
Sun Lei, General Manager of EVE LOM Asia Pacific, said that Evelong attaches great importance to the layout of China's retail market, and the sales of its products in Hainan continue to rise, which has brought a strong impetus to the development of the brand. "We look forward to learning more about the skincare needs of Chinese consumers and facilitating the brand's long-term development in the Chinese market."
SSarah Michel-Stevens, General Manager of Galenic's European brand, also expressed optimism about the Chinese market. It said that in recent years, Hainan has been accelerating the construction of a free trade port and an international tourism consumption center, which has brought new opportunities for business development to many brands, and demonstrated China's firm confidence in expanding its opening up.
Shanghai Fucheng International bluntly said that it hopes to have in-depth exchanges with more Chinese consumers and partners through the Consumer Expo, and increase the influence and awareness of the Chinese market. Executive Director Bai Jin Jocelyn said that the group is in the process of selecting a site for the brand's first physical store in China, and the two brands participating in the exhibition are expected to land their first store in Beijing. "In the past few years, we have felt that the CICGF has paid more and more attention to internationalization and specialization, attracting more high-quality exhibiting brands and professional visitors, and providing a better platform for brand promotion and business negotiation."
Hainan Free Trade Port is also an important strategic layout of Bloomage Biotech. In 2020, Bloomage Biotech officially laid out in Hainan and invested in the construction of Bloomage Biotech (Hainan) Science and Technology Industrial Park, and in the four years since the project was settled, Bloomage Biotech has fully felt the high-quality business environment in Hainan, as well as the advantages and convenience of policies, resources, taxes, talents, services and other aspects provided by the local government for enterprises. "This attracts us to further accelerate the development and construction in Hainan."
Among the jewellery brands, Luk Fook Jewellery has been in the Hainan market since 2004. Since the start of the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port in 2018, various favorable policies have been issued frequently, and the Group has continuously adjusted its market strategy, increased its development efforts in Hainan and expanded its business territory. Luk Fook Jewellery said that it expects Hainan to introduce more preferential policies to create a more dynamic business environment, and the Group will actively cooperate with various measures to continue to consolidate and develop the Hainan market with the help of the construction and development of the free trade port.
Kimberlite Diamond also laid out stores in Hainan as early as ten years ago, deeply rooted in Qiongdao. Wei Qinglin, vice president of the group, told the International Financial News that the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port has brought market expansion opportunities to the jewelry industry, and in its unique tax policy and open market environment, Kimberlite Diamond expects to set up more retail outlets here to reach consumers in China and other parts of Asia in a more direct way, which will also help Kimberlite Diamond enhance its international influence.
"We look forward to working with local enterprises and innovation platforms in Hainan to jointly develop new product lines and market strategies. Hainan's international background and policy support provide a good environment for innovation and experimentation for the jewelry industry. Wei Qinglin said.
Coconut palms sway, sea breeze. Although the five-day expo is more than halfway through, the story of beauty, consumption and growth continues......
(The pictures in the article are all taken by Wu Dian)