11.11 so far: how beauty has started in 2026

The 2026 11.11 season opened on 15 October, and the first numbers for beauty and personal care are in. Across Douyin, Tmall and Xiaohongshu, one pattern stands out: the strongest starts belong to brands that prepared well before the sale opened.

Douyin: sales more than doubled on day one

Douyin opened its 11.11 event on 15 October with no presale, putting everything on sale from day one. On that first day, brand beauty and personal care sales rose 101% year on year. High end beauty grew 196%, and the number of brands passing RMB 10 million in sales was three times the figure for the same day last year.

Douyin points to large creator livestreams as a major source of that growth, alongside brands' own livestreams, new launches and store shelves. Brands that had warmed up demand before the event were the first to see it convert.

Tmall: one presale night, 140 brands

On Tmall, presale opened the same evening. In Li Jiaqi's livestream, the presale night carried 425 beauty products from 140 brands, according to Kaiyuan Securities. More than a hundred of those brands grew year on year, and close to 30 products sold more than 100,000 units each.

Xiaohongshu: five times daily sales

Xiaohongshu (RedNote) ran its first wave with co-funded coupons for merchants it rates highly. Beauty and skincare merchants in the programme reached five times their normal daily sales, and beauty and personal care buyers on the platform saw the same five times uplift.

Hair care: one brand on top twice

In hair care, Kérastase opened at number one on both Tmall and Douyin on presale day one.

What it means for brands

Day one is the moment when weeks of preparation become visible. The brands with the strongest starts had creators lined up, content already working and stock ready to ship. By the time the sale opens, the groundwork is already done.

At ÉDELSKIN, we see 11.11 as the result of everything a brand does in the months before it. That holds for this season and for every big shopping moment that follows.

What is your brand preparing now for the next big shopping moment in China?

Planning your next step in China and Asia? Let's talk at edelskin.com.

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Sources: Consumer Daily (17 Oct 2026), Kaiyuan Securities via 10jqka (19 Oct 2026), Ebrun (16 Oct 2026), Pinyue (19 Oct 2026).