Why do some Japanese beauty supply brands look like a Chinese beauty supply shop?
New Zealand beauty retailer, Beauty Supplies, has been dubbed the “Chinese beauty supply store” by some online critics.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg Business, Beauty Supply’s CEO, Michelle Smith, was asked if it was fair to compare products to the “big two” Chinese beauty suppliers, L’Oreal and ASOS.
She responded by saying that L’Oréal was an “international leader in cosmetics”.
“We do have brands that we like but they are the same brands in different countries,” she said.
“I’m not saying that all Chinese brands are like the big two, but we are going to focus on one or two or three of the brands that are the most successful in their respective countries and make sure we can offer that to our customers.”
The retailer is currently selling products at stores in New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
The New Zealand-based company, founded in 2010, has since expanded internationally and its products range includes hair care products and body products.
However, the brand’s “Chinese Beauty Supply Store” tag seems to be a reference to China’s dominant beauty supply market, which is worth more than $7 billion, according to market researcher Euromonitor.
The “Chinese” part of the name means “China”.
It was also suggested that the brand may be referring to its Japanese beauty supplier, Beauty Shop, which was set up in 2006.
Smith said the name may have been chosen to attract customers, but she was not aware of the brand being the first to do so.
“It is not a branding decision,” she told Bloomberg.
“We are not the first one to do that.”
The Japanese cosmetics brand L’Ordinary was founded in 1892 and has a long history in Japan.
Smith also declined to comment on whether the brand was aware of its Japanese rival, Beauty Salon.
L’Ordatory has a presence in Japan and its brands include the Nars shampoo, the Glam Affair makeup collection and the Giorgio Armani haircare collection.
