Top 10 beauty brands in Southeast Asia

Indonesian cosmetics giant Wardah has claimed the top spot in SEA’s top 10 beauty brands. The largest skincare and cosmetics brand in Indonesia has pipped global giants such as Vaseline, Dove, Nivea and Avon to take the crown. 

Wardah achieved an overall score of 64.25% putting it comfortably in the lead ahead of closest competitor Vaseline (63.55%) which claimed the second position in SEA's top beauty brands. 

Wardah has been a huge success story in Indonesia by providing affordable skincare products that cater to diverse skin tones. Outside Indonesia, Wardah doesn't feature in any other market's top 10. But in Indonesia, Wardah achieved the highest brand awareness and customer services scores in the beauty category by some margin, placing it a comfortable distance ahead of its competitors and ultimately top overall across SEA in the beauty sector. 

The ranking is based on Campaign’s authoritative list of Southeast Asia’s top 50 brands, created in partnership with research firm Milieu Insight. We have published reports on the top 10 brands from the surveyed markets (Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore) across 10 sectors. The brands were evaluated using attributes such as awareness, purchase, quality, buying experience, customer service, trustworthiness, innovation, brand touchpoints (ease of use across all digital and offline interactions), and advocacy (degree of recommendation).

Over the next few weeks, Campaign Asia-Pacific will provide a comprehensive analysis of the top brands by sector in Southeast Asia. This is the first in a 10-part series covering sectors such as electronics, travel, apparel & accessories, financial services, fast food & casual dining, telcos & streaming, ecommerce, transport & delivery, automotive, and food delivery.

The chart below shows the scores of the top 50 beauty brands in Southeast Asia. Following the chart, you’ll find the top 10 beauty brands in individual markets, along with a brief analysis of the top 10 performers across the region. 

Overall, beauty brands that scored the highest in SEA were adept at catering to the local market. In Indonesia, Wardah has found success catering for the local Muslim market, with their halal makeup line and by becoming the first halal-certified cosmetics and skincare company in Indonesia. Nivea has found success by localising its products as well, particularly in Thailand where there is significant demand for products with whitening ingredients that Nivea has catered for. 

 

Watsons, the beauty care chain store, took third spot overall in SEA, but nevertheless was voted the favourite beauty brand in three of the six markets: Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines. Nivea also put on a strong display finishing in the top 10 across all markets while claiming first position in Thailand. Meanwhile, Vietnam selected L'Oreal as their top beauty brand.

 

In charts: Beauty brands breakdown by marktet

 

 

Let's have a closer look at the top 10 SEA performers

 

1. Wardah

 

In a country where Muslims make up the majority of the population, Wardah has gained popularity among Indonesian women by focusing on halal beauty products. They have been smart with their positioning from the start. Focusing on the Muslim market, and riding on the commercial rise of the hijab-wearing community with their focus on being a halal product. But they’ve never gone too far as to alienate the non-Muslim or non-hijab-wearing market. 

 

2. Vaseline 

 

With their market leading-moisturising products, and affordable price point, Vaseline ranked second overall in beauty brands across SEA. Thailand was the market they scored highest in, achieving second position behind Nivea with high scores for purchase frequency, buying experience and customer service. 

 

3. Watsons

 

The health care and beauty chain store benefits from its high awareness through its many locations but also scored in the top 10 across most of the voting categories, standing out with its strong customer service. It topped the best brand in the beauty sector in three of the six markets: Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines.

 

4. Nivea 

 

Nivea performed well across all markets in the beauty sector as one of the most in-demand and visible skincare brands that has held a firm foothold in Asia for decades. It has found success by localising its products to cater for local preferences. It scored first place in Thailand among beauty brands, where it picked up top scores for purchase frequency, buying experience, and trustworthiness. 

 

5. La Roche-Posay

 

The skincare brand that specialises in products for sensitive skin has secured itself a spot in the top-five beauty brands in SEA. Owned by L'Oreal, its skincare products are often prescribed by dermatologists and its success in our list comes mostly due to its popularity in Vietnam where it finished second overall achieving high scores for quality, buying experience, and customer service. 

 

6. Dior 

 

Dior's beauty range consists of fragrances, skin care products and make-up. A major name in fashion as well, they finished just outside the top five in SEA's best beauty brands. With high quality and buying experience scores, they achieved a third place ranking in Vietnam, which significantly bolstered their position in the overall beauty sector ranking.

 

7. Sulwhasoo

 

Korea's most recognised global beauty brand has earned itself a spot on our top 10 best beauty brands for SEA. With successful collaborations with K-pop stars such as Blackpink, it has served to boost awareness and a surge in popularity, particularly in Thailand where it made the top 10 for cosmetic and skincare brands. 

 

8. Lancome 

 

The leading French cosmetics brand has lines in skincare, makeup and perfumery. It finds itself just inside the top 10 for SEA's best beauty brands. Given Thailand's thriving beauty market, it's no surprise that Lancome finds itself a mainstay in the country's cosmetics industry and finished 10th overall in Thailand, which significantly boosted its overall score in the SEA list. 

 

9. Laneige

 

The South Korean cosmetics brand takes its name from the French 'la neige', which translates to 'the snow'. The brand's flagship products include its Water Bank skin care line, Water Sleeping Mask, BB Cushion foundation and two-tone lipsticks. It finds itself popular in Thailand, whose skincare market is dominated by foreign companies. However, its score of 53.1% in Thailand was enough to secure it a spot in SEA's overall top 10 beauty brands.

 

10. Avon 

 

The world's leading direct seller of cosmetics and skincare, Avon has been a mainstay in the cosmetics and beauty arena since it was founded in 1886. It has a particular stronghold in the Philippines, where it achieved a noticeably high brand awareness score and was ranked sixth among top beauty brands. The Philippines is the largest seller of Avon products in Asia Pacific. It has become a business for many families passed down from generation to generation.