ONE of China’s best-known makeup artists, Mao Geping, took his beauty company public in Hong Kong, capping a remarkable run that’s seen the former opera performer’s premium powders and lotions defy the nation’s consumer slowdown.
His skincare and cosmetics firm Mao Geping Cosmetics, which lists on Tuesday (Dec 10), could raise up to HK$2.1 billion (S$362 million) in its initial public offering (IPO), according to Bloomberg calculations based on the company’s prospectus, and potentially more with an option to upsize the deal. It’s the first Chinese cosmetics brand to list in the city.
That’s given the 60-year-old makeup wizard a fortune of about US$900 million based on the top of the offering price range, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Mao and his wife Wang Liqun, the company’s vice-chairperson, own a combined 45 per cent stake in the label, directly and through investment vehicles. Two of Mao’s sisters and several other relatives also each hold a smaller stake that could be worth another US$500 million in total, the company’s prospectus shows.
While most Chinese beauty brands have focused on offering affordable prices as consumers cut back on spending amid the economic slowdown, Mao Geping Cosmetics keeps prices closer to those of premium international labels. Its top-selling pressed powder costs 380 yuan, versus 390 yuan for a similar product from Shiseido’s Nars, even as most local brands sell it for less than 200 yuan.
The company’s revenue jumped more than 40 per cent in the first half of the year, building on a 35 per cent average annual surge between 2021 to 2023. Its growth defies a slump that’s seeing foreign beauty giants, from L’Oreal to Shiseido, struggle with disappointing sales in China as increasingly frugal shoppers turn to cheaper local upstarts.
Sales have taken off since 2018, when the company buckled down on e-commerce. A strong physical presence of more than 300 department store counters also helps its premium positioning by providing on-site makeup experiences to consumers, Zheshang Securities said in a research note.
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Still, the listing will be a fresh test of market sentiment towards China’s beauty segment, which has seen some domestic brands slump in recent years as competition surges, and of mainland shoppers’ appetite for rarer high-end Chinese brands such as Mao’s. The label’s marketing push ahead of the listing including a partnership with the Chinese national team at the Paris Olympics, a bid to tap into national pride.
Factors including cultural relevance and the founder’s star power make “a good recipe for continued growth in a competitive category”, said Olivia Plotnick, founder of Shanghai social media marketing agency Wai Social.
Mao started his career as a performer with the Zhejiang Yue Opera Troupe in 1983, pivoting to cosmetics. He later found fame as the makeup artist for Liu Xiaoqing, one of the country’s best-known actresses, on a hit 1990s TV drama chronicling the life of China’s one female emperor – where his makeup helped the forty-something actress play ages from teenager to octogenarian.
Mao launched his namesake brand and makeup school in 2000 in Hangzhou, expanding to Shanghai three years later by setting up a cosmetic counter at one of the city’s premium department stores. BLOOMBERG
