In China , cosmetics now outstrips groceries as the biggest selling item in its department stores . In a decade , Japanese women , and increasingly men , spent about $ 50bn ( about $ 50bn ) on cosmetics . Japan 's annual beauty and personal care market is still the largest in the region at about $ 50 billion , second in the world only to the United States ( which is about $ 70 billion ) , according to Euromonitor International . China 's annual beauty and personal care market is still the largest in the region at about $ 50bn . But China 's 150 million -strong middle class is closing the gap fast and its focus is increasingly South Korea .
In China , cosmetics now outstrips groceries as the biggest selling item in its department stores . In a decade , Japanese women , and increasingly men , spent about $ 50bn ( about $ 50bn ) on cosmetics . China 's annual beauty and personal care market is still the largest in the region at about $ 50bn . But China 's 150 million -strong middle class is closing the gap fast and its focus is increasingly South Korea .