Beauty Marketing Collectively Chooses to 'Step Back'
Beauty Marketing Collectively Chooses to 'Step Back'
FBeauty Future·March 12, 2026 16:31
Return to the specific, genuine empathy
Every year on Women's Day, it serves as a window to observe the relationship between brands and women.
In the past, we were accustomed to coronations like "queen" and "goddess," and witnessed grand narratives of "female power" and "self-pleasing independence." Brands were keen to shape a perfect image of "her," encouraging women to infinitely approach that defined mirror image through consumption.
However, opening social media on the eve of Women's Day this year might evoke a sense of dissonance—those women-themed short films, posters, and hashtags that flooded previous years seem to have quieted down considerably.
Quiet does not mean absent. SK-II is still there, but the theme has become "Wishing me more than just happiness." La Mer is still there, inviting Zhou Yijun, Lee Shihua, and An Jiu, three women from different professional backgrounds, to sit together and talk about "seeing the universe, becoming one's own cosmos." Chando is still there, upgrading "you are beautiful just the way you are" to "praise every side of you."
What is truly absent are the grand phrases commonly used in previous years—"power," "independence," "bloom," "self-pleasing." This year, they have collectively exited, replaced by more gentle, deeper, and more inward expressions.
There is also a group of brands that chose silence, either only promoting sales without speaking out, or being exceptionally cautious when they do.
Between this coldness and warmth, a question quietly emerges: When brands no longer rush to tell women "what you should be," what else can they do for women?
As the Noise Fades, Who Remains Present?
After梳理 this year's marketing cases from beauty brands that are still vocal, "FBeauty Future" found that those惯用的 grand terms have indeed disappeared, replaced by three noteworthy key changes.
The first change is that brands are no longer keen on preaching "how women should be," but instead begin to care about the micro-emotions of "how they feel at this moment."
Proya's "I Recognize You" this year did not repeat declarations like "gender is not a boundary," but quietly captured those complex yet real moments between women—rivalry, heartache, guilt, understanding. It extends the narrative from "I" to "we," from "expressing oneself" to "understanding each other." When brands stop rushing to paint a portrait of women, those emotions obscured by grand narratives涌 out by themselves.
SK-II proposed "Wishing me more than just happiness," focusing its lens on the "unhappiness" that is not allowed to be expressed. It found comedian Jin Jing, labeled with a "happy tag," and presented the other side beyond the label: anxious, conflicted, not-so-happy Jin Jing. What the brand wants to convey is not "you should be happy," but "it's okay if you're not happy."
La Mer expanded the格局 to the universe. It didn't talk about how women should balance work and family, but had Zhou Yijun, Lee Shihua, and astrophotographer An Jiu sit together, from the war-torn scene in Gaza, from TVB studios, from the无人区 of Atacama, to discuss how they find inner order by "seeing" a broader world. This seems grand, but the落脚点 is very personal—how each "I" becomes its own universe.
The second change is that brands are no longer satisfied with just shooting a tear-jerking short film, but are starting to do more specific and practical things.
Grain Rain (Guyu)联合 China Women's News and the Beijing Well-Being Foundation to launch a year-long psychological counseling hotline for women, while also partnering with multiple podcasts like "Aotu Radio Waves" to推出 a special feature "Her Feelings," bringing topics like women's growth and emotions into public discussion.
Tmall联合 numerous brands to launch the "Book of Answers," using a "question and answer" format to respond to women's real-life困惑 — Is it good to be alone? Is beauty's shape trimmed out? Then let each brand answer with its classic SLOGAN. The创意 is simple, but it addresses the daily realities everyone faces.
Unique Irene held a "Sound of the Heart" art exhibition at TiaoHai Bar, discussing menstrual shame, work-family balance, and the definition of marriage—all issues specific to the point of不能再 specific.
The third change is that brands are beginning to step back from the front stage to behind the scenes, letting women themselves become the protagonists of the voice.
To Summer launched "A Leisurely Gathering by the Spring Shore" in March, inviting 12 female creators to document their真实 states through podcasts, poetry, and文字. The brand did not impose much opinion, simply presenting the possibility of "being able to exist like this."
CPB联合 Xiaoyuzhou App and several podcasts to推出 a Women's Day podcast project, with the brand retreating to be a "content co-builder." Kelingjin携手 Jin Jing to launch a themed TVC, without shouting slogans like "women must love life," just presenting her focus at work, nourishment during solitude, and sharing during gatherings.
These changes seem分散, but all point in the same direction: brands are collectively "stepping back." They no longer try to define "who women should become," but begin to care about who each specific "I" is, what they are thinking, and what they need.
They No Longer Need an 'Instructor'
The change this year is not偶然. In communication with multiple industry insiders, "FBeauty Future" found that brands are more "gentle" because the female consumers they face are completely different from those a few years ago.
"Today's consumers no longer need to be educated," said Yang Zhenghua, a senior marketing expert and founder of Shangyi Advertising Company. "People frequently use the term 'dengwei' (登味) to say, don't impose your values on me anymore, don't tell me what I should do."
In the past, brands习惯扮演 the role of "instructor"—telling you to be independent, strong, and self-pleasing. This narrative implied a posture: I stand high and point the way for you. But today's female consumers have completed an升级 of self-awareness. They themselves know what they want and who they are. Any posture of pointing from a height will be quickly识别为 "having ulterior motives."
Therefore, brands' communication methods are shifting from one-way output to two-way interaction.
From podcast dialogues to offline salons, from art exhibitions to psychological counseling hotlines, brands no longer rush to tell consumers "what this is," but尝试 to participate in women's lives in a gentler way.
Yang Zhenghua believes that brands are transitioning from "tellers" to "space providers," stepping back, preparing a venue, and allowing consumers to participate, experience, and express themselves.
But this is only the first step. Brands can step backstage, but they may not necessarily truly enter women's hearts; the real difficulty is "empathy."
This year, "empathy" became a buzzword in the industry, but not many brands truly achieved it. Yang Zhenghua pointed out that empathy and understanding are two different things: "Some brands偏向 understanding, some偏向 function. True empathy requires a foundation of perceptible life scenes and unadorned authentic details."
What is real empathy? The following two examples can serve as references: Proya's "I Recognize You" turns the镜头 to more subtle, authentic moments between women; Tmall's "Book of Answers" confronts the life difficulties each woman might face and helps them find an answer.
An interesting phenomenon is the appearance of some粗糙 but sincere Women's Day copy in many city shopping malls—like "Zhao Xiaofeng, the second-floor cleaner aunt, wipes the sink spotless," or "I don't wish you to be as thin as lightning, only that you are healthy and strong." These copies are not finely produced, some are just handwritten and printed on walls, yet they are repeatedly reposted on social media.
"It's not necessary to make it very good and精致; what's important is to let it呈现 reality," Yang said. "Rough but sincere short slogans might resonate more easily than sophisticated but失真 films."
Looking at some brands, although they also try to choose meaningful topics from a "small切口," their narrative methods are relatively stereotyped and失真, or even output a lot all at once, which反而难以引发共鸣, which is rather regrettable.
This serves as a reminder to brands: When everyone is talking about "empathy," what truly touches people's hearts are always those moments when consumers feel "you understand me", not packaged "emotional performances."
Times have changed, and consumers have changed too. Under these circumstances, brands have to rethink a fundamental question: In this day and age, what kind of relationship should I have with women? Can a brand become a "companion" who understands empathy and can accompany them?
Between 'Accompanying Her' and 'Inspiring Her Aspirations'
Faced with consumer awakening, how should brands adjust themselves? Looking at the cases that won口碑 this year, we can see three clear paths.
The first is from "I tell you" to "I am with you."
When consumers no longer need to be taught, a brand's value lies in companionship. To Summer lets women speak for themselves, La Mer quietly "stays present," Kelingjin conveys "We rise together." Brands no longer stand in front leading, but step back to walk alongside.
The second is from "big words" to "small matters."
When "power," "independence" become hollow slogans, what truly touches people are the "small matters" that fall back into life. ChunChu talks about the story of a fig, Red Shot films ordinary职场 women, Nivea chats about "a little less"—these are real lives everyone can perceive.
The third is from "holiday限定" to "daily online."
Grain Rain runs a psychological hotline all year round, Estée Lauder integrates nodal voices into long-term projects like "Created by Her Dreams," To Summer turns "Urban Poetry Travelogue" into a随时可翻阅 guide—they turn care for women from holiday "performance" into daily "presence."
These three paths勾勒出 the direction of brand efforts this year, but what truly determines how far a brand can go is not the paths themselves, but two underlying底线.
The first底线 is maintaining定力.
In the current context, brands' participation in women's issues carries higher risks. How to avoid controversy? The answer is to return to the brand itself.
Brands must be honest with consumers. For example, SK-II, from "Marriage Market Takeover" to "More Than Just Happiness,"始终围绕 the theme of "female self." It is this定力 that allows it to withstand risks. In contrast, brands that jump on every trend看似追逐热点, but are actually consuming trust.
The second底线 is acknowledging the "dual role" of beauty.
While discussing "companionship," we still need to清醒地 recognize an essential fact: the beauty industry is ultimately a "dream-making industry."
Beauty is not just a daily necessity. For consumers, both desires coexist: the hope that their真实 selves are understood, and the渴望 to become a better version of themselves through using beauty products.
This means that beauty brands must simultaneously承担 dual roles: both "be with you" (accompany the real) and "be a little ahead" (inspire aspirations).
"Some brands do a great job with companionship—they have style, they understand empathy—but their product strength falls short, leaving no urge to buy," Yang Zhenghua pointed out.
When a brand only achieves "I understand you," but fails to make consumers yearn for "I want to become a better version of myself," it remains at the level of a daily necessity, losing the premium that beauty should have. "So beauty brands must both lead me to dream and accompany me in transformation," Yang concluded.
This might be the deepest启示 left for the industry by this year's Women's Day—finding that微妙平衡 between "accompanying her" and "letting her see a better version of herself."
Looking back at the century-long history of advertising, female images have evolved from "virtuous wife and mother" to "professional elite" to "diverse self"—each演变 is a process of women redefining themselves.
And today, we have entered a new stage: consumers no longer need to be led by "instructors"; brands need to learn to "step back." But this does not mean there is nothing to do. On the contrary, when grand narratives失效, it is the**时机 to return to the specific.
On Women's Day 2026, those brands that chose gentleness, companionship, and practical actions are answering a fundamental question with their actions: In an era where each specific "I" becomes the protagonist, what else can brands do for women?
The answer might be: not to be a definer, but a listener; not an instructor, but a companion; not just to "take a stand" on holidays, but to be "present" daily. At the same time,清醒地 recognize that beauty is ultimately a dream-making industry—both accompany her and let her see a better version of herself.
When every specific "I" is seen, respected, and accompanied, and simultaneously inspired to aspire to a better self, the brand's value will also find its ultimate归宿 in this profound connection.
This article is from the WeChat public account "FBeauty Future", written by Future Beauty, and published by 36Kr under authorization.
The views expressed in this article represent only the author's own. The 36Kr platform provides only information storage space services.
This article is from the WeChat public account "FBeauty Future", written by Future Beauty, and published by 36Kr under authorization. The platform provides only information storage space services.
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