The brand representing C (China·Chinese) beauty, "Flower Knows," is set to compete with K (Korean) beauty brands as it launches at Ulta Beauty, the largest U.S. beauty specialty retailer. Flower Knows has also been expanding its footprint by opening its first popup store (temporary shop) in Korea recently and launching its official online mall.
Flower Knows is a color cosmetics brand established in China in 2016. It has gained popularity by targeting the global MZ generation (born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s) with lavish packaging and pastel tones known as the so-called "princess style" aesthetic. This year's estimated sales are projected to exceed 1 billion yuan (about 200 billion won).
According to the beauty industry on the 19th, Flower Knows launched sales by entering Ulta Beauty's U.S. online mall on the 7th of this month (local time). It sells a total of 62 products, including lipsticks, eye shadows, blushers, and palettes. Prices range from $8 to $45.
Ulta Beauty is a beauty specialty chain that operates more than 1,400 offline stores across the United States as well as an online mall. Last year, it recorded $11.3 billion (about 16.7 trillion won) in sales. Ulta Beauty selectively onboards only brands that have a solid consumer base or strong potential.
Flower Knows has been increasing its visibility centered on social networking services (SNS), with millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok. Prior to Ulta Beauty, Flower Knows expanded its reach by entering various distribution channels, including the U.S. lifestyle retail corporations Urban Outfitters and Amazon. At Urban Outfitters, it ranked among the top five brands in the beauty category just three months after launch.
Up to now, Ulta Beauty's Asian brands have expanded mainly around K-beauty focused on skincare, such as Laneige and Beauty of Joseon. This year, Ulta Beauty also signed exclusive distribution contracts with new K-beauty brands including Anua, Medicube, TirTir, Fue, and Unleashia. In Jul., it partnered with the K-beauty specialty curation platform "K-Beauty World" to install dedicated K-beauty sections in about 1,400 stores across the United States.
K-beauty has contributed to Ulta Beauty's sales and established itself as a key growth pillar. Ulta Beauty's third-quarter sales this year were $2.9 billion (about 4.28 trillion won), up 13% from a year earlier. In a conference call after the earnings announcement, Ulta Beauty said, "The K-beauty lineup is driving sales growth in skincare (basic cosmetics)," and noted, "We also confirmed the potential for expansion of K-beauty trends in the makeup (color cosmetics) category."
In this context, Flower Knows' entry is seen as evidence that the status of C-beauty is changing within mainstream U.S. distribution channels. Flower Knows is also signaling an active expansion in the U.S. market. Gong Fang, chief marketing officer (CMO) of Flower Knows, said, "Entering Ulta is an important milestone in overseas expansion and a key step in evolving the brand to meet the needs and preferences of U.S. consumers."
The competitive landscape between K-beauty and C-beauty is also taking shape in Korea. From Oct. 18 for about two weeks, Flower Knows opened its first domestic popup store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, drawing more than 27,000 visitors—far exceeding initial expectations. Flower Knows also recently opened its official online store in Korea and began selling products.
According to tariff import-export trade statistics, imports of Chinese cosmetics totaled a provisional $50,176,000 (about 74 billion won) in the first to third quarters this year. This is the highest since tariff statistics were released in 2000. The import amount has been increasing every quarter.
In the industry, the prevailing view is that C-beauty has not yet overcome the wall of K-beauty in skincare, where efficacy and ingredients lead. However, some analysis says C-beauty is building a different kind of competitiveness from K-beauty in color cosmetics through glamorous packaging and rapid, trend-responsive product planning.
A beauty industry official said, "C-beauty is rapidly building awareness through SNS in a way that triggers a desire to collect through distinctive branding and packaging," adding, "In particular, Korean brands specializing in color cosmetics should build their own sensibility and worldview to compete with C-beauty."