Sephora × MAOGEPING: reading a Chinese beauty brand four years before its IPO.

A brand built by creators, on the youngest platforms.

1. 1

   One creator video changed the trajectory.

   A makeover video with beauty creator 深夜徐老师 in August 2019 went viral across platforms. The brand's engagement grew about sevenfold afterwards.

2. 2

   Xiaohongshu was where it grew.

   Posts mentioning the brand there rose from 126 in July 2019 to 537 in September, and its engagement on Xiaohongshu grew 258%.

3. 3

   Bilibili was the new engine.

   The brand's account, opened in May 2020 with makeup competitions between top creators, reached 8.9 million views with seven videos.

4. 4

   Pride as well as performance.

   Buyers praised products made for Asian skin and a widely loved Forbidden City collaboration. Sentiment ran 85–90% positive across Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Douyin.

5. 5

   The buyers were young and affluent.

   Most Tmall buyers were 18 to 34, and two thirds lived in Shanghai, Beijing or the rich coastal provinces.

6. 6

   The new line was not yet in the conversation.

   Two months after launch, mentions of MAOGEPING LIGHT were very limited. It needed the brand's own engines behind it.

Go premium, and lead with the creators.

1. R1

   "Based on Mao's consumer profiles on Tmall and key social platforms, which indicates first tier cities and affluent coastal provinces, it would support the direction of collab for products of higher pricing point."

   The audience could carry a premium line.

2. R2

   "Mao's key social media milestones were largely made possible through his collab with other makeup influencers; this, again, would be greatly recommended to ensure communication effectiveness."

   The sevenfold jump came from one creator collaboration.

3. R3

   "Xiaohongshu and the newly launched Bilibili have provided the largest growth opportunity … these two should be prioritized; this is also aiming at driving younger consumers to either ecom or retail."

   The two platforms where the brand had grown fastest.

4. R4

   "With training academies across China, and their multiple social channels, they would provide the reach and engagement for product communications, especially when it combines with professional tutorial video content."

   Mao's academies already ran their own Douyin channels.

5. R5

   "Comment sections are great for deeper engagement, turning around sentiment or driving to buy."

   The official Bilibili channel was not yet managing its comments.

The record, in order.

Every entry is sourced. The tag names the recommendation it follows; untagged entries are context.

1. Jun 2023

   MAOGEPING LIGHT is part of Sephora's C-beauty programme and its SEPHORiA showcase, alongside CHA LING and WEI.

   R1Sephora release[3]

2. Dec 2024

   MAOGEPING lists in Hong Kong at HK$29.80 a share and closes its first day 76.5% higher.

   HKEX allotment results; The Paper[4]

3. Mar 2026

   MAOGEPING reports 2025 revenue of RMB 5.05 billion, up 30%. Online sales pass offline for the first time, at 50.5% of product sales.

   MAOGEPING annual results 2025[5]

From an artist's brand to a listed company.

MAOGEPING's own published figures; Sephora was our client. We show them as the record that followed our work, not as our results.