Major Japanese consumer goods maker Kao Corp. will start selling high-end cosmetics products at a duty-free shop in Hainan, China's southernmost island province, on April 1 in a bid to cater to growing needs in the country's tax-free market.

Kao will introduce its prestigious cosmetics brands "SENSAI" and "est" at a selling space of 40 square meters in the shopping complex, one of the three duty-free shops opened in the province's resort city of Sanya at the end of last year, the company said last Thursday.

Among cosmetics for sale at the shop is "est Biomimesis Veil," a skin care product drawing a lot of interest in China as well, it said.

Kao will expand into other duty-free shops on the island and other areas, the company added.

In Hainan, tax-free consumption by Chinese travelers surged last year as those who were unable to travel abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic visited the resort island instead. A policy of expanding tax exemption on the island also boosted duty-free purchases.

Sales at duty-free shops in Hainan last year totaled 32 billion yuan ($4.9 billion), doubling on a year-on-year basis, according to the provincial government.

More large-scale duty-free shops are planned to be opened on the island, according to Kao. (NNA/Kyodo)

==Kyodo

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