Chinese beauty brands (C-Beauty) are rapidly gaining market dominance in Thailand and ASEAN, capturing 24% of Thai imports (up from 11% in 2019) with 39.8% YoY growth, while overall Thai cosmetics imports contracted 7.4%. Thai brands face a two-front battle: defending domestic share against surging Chinese imports and competing in ASEAN (38% of Thai beauty exports). Success depends not on price competition alone but on data-driven product development, trend agility, and integrated supply chains—areas where Chinese players currently excel. Thai firms must leverage local herbal expertise and regional understanding but require stronger R&D-commercialization integration to remain competitive.