Skincare & Beauty in Chinese 化妆品和护肤
huàzhuāngpǐn hé hùfū
Skincare / makeup in Chinese are 护肤 / 化妆 (hù fū / huà zhuāng).
Also searched for as: skincare, makeup, cosmetics, beauty.
What's on your bathroom shelf? 15 essential beauty & skincare words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
化妆品 (huà zhuāng pǐn) means cosmetics and 护肤 (hù fū) means skincare, and these words cover the products and verbs you'd need in a pharmacy, a department store or a chat about routines. Skincare is a popular topic of conversation in China, so words like 防晒霜 (fáng shài shuāng), sunscreen, and 面膜 (miàn mó), a sheet mask, come up all the time.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 化妆品 | huà zhuāng pǐn | cosmetics; make-up |
| 化妆 | huà zhuāng | to put on make-up |
| 口红 | kǒu hóng | lipstick |
| 护肤品 | hù fū pǐn | skincare products |
| 洗面奶 | xǐ miàn nǎi | face wash |
| 面霜 | miàn shuāng | face cream |
| 防晒霜 | fáng shài shuāng | sunscreen |
| 面膜 | miàn mó | face mask (sheet) |
| 香水 | xiāng shuǐ | perfume |
| 指甲油 | zhǐ jia yóu | nail polish |
| 皮肤 | pí fū | skin |
| 干 | gān | dry |
| 油 | yóu | oily |
| 敏感 | mǐn gǎn | sensitive |
| 卸妆 | xiè zhuāng | to remove make-up |
Usage tips
- Make-up has paired verbs: 化妆 (huà zhuāng) to put it on and 卸妆 (xiè zhuāng) to take it off, and make-up remover is 卸妆水 (xiè zhuāng shuǐ) or 卸妆油 (xiè zhuāng yóu).
- Each product has its own verb: you 涂 (tú) lipstick or nail polish, 擦 (cā) cream or sunscreen onto your skin, and 敷 (fū) a face mask.
- Skin types are usually described as 干性 (gān xìng), dry, 油性 (yóu xìng), oily, or 敏感 (mǐn gǎn), sensitive, as in 我是油性皮肤 (wǒ shì yóu xìng pí fū).
Common mistakes
- Writing 化装 when you mean 化妆 (huà zhuāng); they sound identical, but 化装 means to disguise yourself or put on stage costume.
- Saying 我的皮肤是干; adjectives don't take 是 (shì) in Chinese, so say 我的皮肤很干 (wǒ de pí fū hěn gān).
Mini dialogue
- A你的皮肤真好，用什么护肤品？Nǐ de pí fū zhēn hǎo, yòng shén me hù fū pǐn?Your skin is lovely, what skincare do you use?
- B很简单，就是洗面奶和面霜。Hěn jiǎn dān, jiù shì xǐ miàn nǎi hé miàn shuāng.Nothing fancy, just face wash and face cream.
- A我是敏感皮肤，冬天特别干。Wǒ shì mǐn gǎn pí fū, dōng tiān tè bié gān.I have sensitive skin, and it gets really dry in winter.
- B那你要多用面霜，出门还要擦防晒霜。Nà nǐ yào duō yòng miàn shuāng, chū mén hái yào cā fáng shài shuāng.Then use more face cream, and put on sunscreen when you go out.
Example sentences
- 她买了很多化妆品。She bought loads of make-up.
- 她每天早上化妆。She does her make-up every morning.
- 这个口红颜色很好看。This lipstick is a lovely colour.
- 我的护肤品很简单。My skincare routine is simple.
- 晚上用洗面奶洗脸。Use face wash in the evening.
- 冬天要多用面霜。Use more face cream in winter.
- 出门前擦防晒霜。Put on sunscreen before going out.
- 周末敷个面膜。Do a face mask at the weekend.
- 你用的什么香水？What perfume are you wearing?
- 她涂了红色的指甲油。She's wearing red nail polish.
- 她的皮肤很好。She has great skin.
- 我的皮肤很干。My skin is very dry.
- 夏天脸很油。My face gets oily in summer.
- 我是敏感皮肤。I have sensitive skin.
- 睡觉前一定要卸妆。Always take your make-up off before bed.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Beauty & skincare speaking island has 8 everyday questions about beauty & skincare to prepare your own answers to.