L’Oréal Sets Its Sights on 150 Million Chinese Consumers by 2030

At its 2024/2025 China Strategy Conference held on March 31, L’Oréal Group made one thing clear: its ambitions in China are growing—fast.

The company announced a bold new target: to grow its Chinese consumer base from 100 million to 150 million by 2030. Adding 50 million new users in five years would be a stretch for any business—even for a powerhouse like L’Oréal.

With 32 brands currently active in China, and many more in its global portfolio yet to enter the market, L’Oréal sees plenty of room to grow—whether by bringing in new names or unlocking potential from existing ones.

Speaking at the event, Laurence Ma, Deputy Chief Executive Officer in Charge of Divisions – L’Oréal China, laid out a detailed roadmap. L’Oréal is pivoting from traditional ideas of affordability toward emotional value and local pride. Future growth will be driven by: Gen Z, 45+ consumers, and men.

L’Oréal’s approach? Spot small trends early and act fast. Expect more action from brands like Maybelline, Kiehl’s, Yue Sai, Biotherm, and CeraVe as they gear up for new launches and campaigns.

The group will also double down on offline expansion, especially in lower-tier cities. Though online presence already spans 2,200 cities, the next phase is to build deeper physical retail networks and scale clinical and salon partnerships.

To ensure each brand connects meaningfully with its audience, L’Oréal is assigning 32 brands distinct personalities: Maybelline is the confident, edgy “street queen”, 3CE is the effortlessly cool “aesthetic girl”, Helena Rubinstein is the poised “leading lady”, YSL Beauty is the bold, rule-breaking “glam rebel”, and so on.

Backing this strategy is real money. L’Oréal launched two new investment funds in China—one with Cathay Capital, one with Tiantu Capital—targeting local beauty innovation and entrepreneurship.

As Fabrice Megarbane, North Asia President and China CEO at L'Oréal, said: “Investing in China is investing in the future. Success here equips us to compete anywhere in the world.”

Finally, L’Oréal confirmed it will return to CIIE this November, marking its eighth consecutive appearance. If history is any indication, new tech, new brands, and bold ideas are likely to be on display. Stay tuned.