Pierre Fabre is France’s leading dermo-cosmetic group, with brands including Avène, Klorane, and Ducray. With a strong pharmaceutical heritage and decades of skincare expertise, they sought to deepen their understanding of China’s rapidly evolving beauty market.
Pierre Fabre's leadership team needed strategic intelligence on China's digital and eCommerce landscape: actionable insights from the frontlines, not generic market reports.
They requested a comprehensive masterclass covering:
- Current platform dynamics (Douyin, Tmall/JD, Xiaohongshu, WeChat)
- Real-world case studies showing what's actually working in beauty
- Emerging trends like live commerce, AI-generated content, and CRM strategies
- Practical learnings they could apply to their own China operations
Case Study-Driven Learning
Rather than theoretical frameworks, we built the masterclass around six live case studies from the China beauty market:
1. Strategic Campaign Development (Proya) – How China's #1 skincare eCommerce brand uses Douyin's multi-account strategy to drive 83% of social buzz and convert it into sales
2. Digital Sales Channel Activation (Collgene) – A deep-dive into how a dermocosmetic brand achieved 47.6% YoY growth during Double 11 by balancing shelf eCommerce (35%), livestream (40%), and social content (25%)
3. eCommerce Platform Strategy (Estée Lauder) – Ten years of Tmall Super Brand Day evolution, showing how contribution grew from 8% to 28% of total Tmall GMV
4. Offline Marketing Initiatives (Lancôme) – The IDÔLE HOUSE pop-up campaign demonstrating O2O integration with CRM capture and Gen-Z engagement
5. Customer Relationship Management (Lancôme) – The "Annual Collectible" campaign generating est. ¥200M annually through cultural marketing and limited-edition zodiac figurines
6. IP Collaboration Marketing – Cross-industry partnerships (SK-II x Maison Kitsuné, Lancôme x BE@RBRICK) showing how to expand audience reach
Platform-Specific Deep Dives
We deconstructed China's platform ecosystem, showing distinct roles:
►Tmall/JD: Trust base with deep SKU governance and membership
►Douyin: Growth engine with second-by-second livestream conversion
►Xiaohongshu: Consideration builder through ingredient storytelling
►WeChat: Private domain CRM for post-purchase retention
Key Trends Analysis
►Recession Glam: Value-first positioning paired with affordable luxuries
►Live Selling: Content-driven conversion becoming the primary growth channel
►Blind Boxes/Collectibles: Cultural momentum from Pop Mart creating new loyalty mechanics
►Beauty SOS: On-demand beauty responding to real-time skin needs
Actionable Strategic Frameworks
Pierre Fabre's team left with practical models including:
►The "3D Digital Growth Model" for channel diversification (avoiding over-reliance on single platforms)
►Emotional Value Creation tactics to transform "sensitive-skin repair" into relatable lifestyle narratives
►Platform-initiated event playbooks (TSBD mechanics, co-funding structures, data access terms)
►CRM-as-sales-engine strategies beyond basic loyalty programs
Competitive Intelligence
Clear visibility into how both international brands (Estée Lauder, Lancôme, SK-II) and local champions (Proya, Collgene) are actually operating: not what they say in press releases, but what's working in weekly sales data.
Cross-Functional Alignment
The masterclass format brought together Pierre Fabre's marketing, digital, and commercial teams. Shared case study analysis created common language around China-specific challenges (platform power dynamics, KOL cost inflation, CRM infrastructure gaps).
Immediate Application Opportunities
Participants identified specific tactics to test:
►Douyin multi-account matrix strategies for different brand objectives
►Scenario-based gift sets (Post-Sun Repair, Sensitive-Skin Calm) inspired by Collgene's success
►Cultural marketing calendars leveraging Chinese festivals beyond just CNY
►O2O pop-up formats with built-in CRM capture mechanisms