Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the cosmetics and medical beauty sector, highlighting strong growth potential and investment opportunities in the industry [14][19]. Core Insights - The cosmetics and medical beauty sector has shown resilience, outperforming the market during the week of August 29 to September 5, 2025, with the Shenwan Beauty Care Index declining only 0.8% [3][4]. - The transition to autumn skincare marks the beginning of a consumption peak for the sector, with significant sales events such as the Autumn Beauty Consumption Festival and Double 11 approaching, creating new investment opportunities [9][10]. - Major companies in the sector are optimistic about their performance in the second half of 2025, as indicated by a recent conference involving over ten beauty care companies [9]. Summary by Sections Industry Performance - The Shenwan Cosmetics Index remained stable, outperforming the Shenwan A Index by 1.4 percentage points, while the Shenwan Personal Care Index fell by 1.8%, underperforming the Shenwan A Index by 0.3 percentage points [3][4]. Key Company Reviews - **Mao Geping (1318HK)**: Reported a revenue of 2.59 billion yuan for H1 2025, a year-on-year increase of 31%, with a net profit of 670 million yuan, up 36%. The color cosmetics segment saw a revenue of 1.42 billion yuan, while skincare generated 1.09 billion yuan, reflecting strong brand momentum [10][11]. - **Shangmei Co. (02145HK)**: Achieved a revenue of 4.108 billion yuan in H1 2025, a 17.3% increase, with a net profit of 556 million yuan, up 34.7%. The main brand, Han Shu, contributed significantly to growth, with a revenue of 3.344 billion yuan [16][17]. Investment Recommendations - Recommended companies include Shangmei Co., Porlaia, and Shanghai Jahwa, which have strong brand matrices and relatively low PE multiples. Other notable mentions are Marubi Biological and Mao Geping, which are positioned well to benefit from the rise of domestic beauty brands [10][19]. - The report suggests focusing on companies with strong R&D capabilities and product pipelines, particularly in the upstream medical beauty segment, with a recommendation for Aimeike [10][19]. Market Trends - The report notes a significant increase in online sales, with H1 2025 online revenue for Mao Geping reaching 1.297 billion yuan, a 39% year-on-year increase, marking a shift in consumer purchasing behavior towards online platforms [12][18]. - The overall cosmetics retail market showed a 4.5% growth in July 2025, indicating a robust recovery in consumer spending [23][26]. Strategic Developments - Porlaia's investment in Huazhi Xiao reflects a strategic move to enhance its multi-brand strategy and capitalize on the influence of Gen Z consumers [28]. - The report highlights the competitive landscape, noting that domestic brands are increasingly capturing market share, with a notable shift in consumer perception from "value for money" to "quality choice" [32].

Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Overweight" rating for the industry, with a focus on new consumption sectors such as beauty care, IP derivatives, and gold jewelry [6][32]. Core Insights - The beauty care sector is expected to see significant growth, with companies like Shangmei Co. projecting a revenue of approximately 4.09-4.11 billion yuan for the first half of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of about 16.8%-17.3% [3][30]. - The report highlights key events such as the announcement of free preschool education by the State Council, which may impact consumer spending patterns [3][25]. - The report notes a rise in core CPI by 0.8% year-on-year in July 2025, indicating inflationary pressures that could affect consumer behavior [3][25]. Summary by Sections Market Performance - During the week of August 4-8, 2025, the retail trade, social services, and beauty care sectors experienced declines of -0.38%, -0.11%, and an increase of +1.70%, respectively [15][18]. - Among sub-sectors, jewelry, personal care products, and trade saw notable gains of +5.53%, +4.23%, and +2.09% [18][21]. Key Industry Data and News - The report discusses the impact of the government's free preschool education policy, which will take effect in the fall semester of 2025 [3][25]. - Notable company announcements include Shangmei Co.'s positive earnings forecast and the planned H-share listing by Ruoyuchen [30][32]. - The report also covers the performance of major companies like Shiseido and Marubi, with Shiseido reporting a 7.6% decline in net sales for the first half of 2025 [3][25]. Investment Recommendations - The report recommends focusing on companies such as Shangmei Co., Juzi Biotechnology, Marubi, and others within the beauty care and new consumption sectors [6][32].