Florasis — for the new age of Chinese makeup
You would be forgiven for thinking there’s a bit of a category formula for makeup brands of late. Millennial pink and minimalism have reigned supreme, a utility chic that encourages an airspace uniformity and lab-like aesthetic for product and brand alike. But titanic Chinese challenger Florasis is living proof that sometimes the devil is in the ornate and abundant details.
Founded in the Eastern City of Hangzhou by Lake Xizi, Florasis, or Hua Xizi 花西子 as it’s known in Chinese, is unafraid of maximalism. Specialising in packaging and products that feature traditional and historic Chinese design and craft, Florasis makeup is detailed to the point of artistry. Whether it’s a carved lipstick inspired by Chinese relief sculpture or packaging designed with patterns seen in traditional Miao silverware, the products have an ‘instantaneous heirloom’ quality about them. They sit comfortably in opposition to the Western giants that have previously dominated the market, and the wider category’s fixation on functionality.
Florasis’ Eastern Beauty Dressing Box. Photo: Florasis
Part of the wave Florasis has caught is a resurgence in reverie for culturally Chinese brands and products. Known as Guochao, translating literally to ‘national trend’, sentimental resonance has been cast inward by many Chinese consumers and accelerated in a post-pandemic landscape in need and want of a little more local.
A stark challenger to the European imports re-jigging their offerings to fit the Chinese market, Florasis has launched cosmetic collections spotlighting and celebrating Chinese ethnic minority groups and their cultural craftsmanship. And it’s proving to be immensely popular. What’s more, these details are brought to life authentically; a master of miniature carving, an ancient lock repairman, and an inheritor of Chinese Ocarina are but a few of the brand’s co-creation team, translating these time-honoured practices for innovative modern use.
Yet it’s important to note that, alongside this curation of tradition and heritage, is a startlingly futuristic commitment and execution of digital and data capabilities. Throughout development, Florasis’ “experience officers” or “flower companions” have been crucial in providing real-time feedback for the brand’s first products. Now in the hundreds of thousands, Florasis won’t launch a new collection or item until a 90% satisfaction rate is achieved from its community within testing – the added benefit of course being a pool of brand fans with a vested interest in promoting the company they have a tangible stake in. In tandem, its D2C operation made busy-work of livestream e-commerce platforms such as Douyin in its nascent phases, and it’s paid dividends (and yet to see real competition from Western counterparts), achieving $460m of e-commerce sales in just three years.
However, Florasis is averse to burning twice as bright and half as long. Uniquely positioned as ‘building a centennial brand’, its fourth-anniversary campaign saw the introduction of a brand vision promoting 100 years of Chinese beauty; its Weibo tagline read, “Florasis is 96 years away from being a 100-year-old brand”.
With plans to expand globally already underway, it seems the golden age of Florasis will be a long time coming.
