In an age when luxury houses are redefining their global identities through the language of culture and artistry, two-century-old French maison Guerlain has found its latest muse in Chinese actor Li Pei En — a partnership that fuses centuries-old craftsmanship with the magnetic appeal of modern stardom.
Announced officially in early October, the collaboration between Li Pei En and Guerlain has already made resounding waves across China’s luxury beauty and fashion industry, both in influence and sales impact. The campaign — unveiled across China’s major fashion capitals — didn’t just break records; it reshaped how timeless prestige can coexist with the pulse of a new generation.
Within hours of his debut livestream on October 15, Li Pei En (also known as Seeky Li) catapulted Guerlain to new digital heights. The one-hour broadcast — part of his first official campaign as the brand’s newly appointed “Brand Friend” — topped JD Live’s sales charts, hitting No. 1 within the first hour and generating over ¥20 million (20 million yuan) in sales within six hours.
By midnight, Guerlain’s flagship store recorded eight times its total sales from the same period last year — an unprecedented feat in China’s fiercely competitive beauty livestreaming market. The six-hour stream, running from 6 p.m. to midnight, became a digital spectacle, blending Parisian heritage with the immediacy of modern fandom and commerce — proof that Guerlain’s ability to evolve without losing its soul remains as strong as ever.
Li’s ability to inhabit layered characters with quiet intensity has made him one of China’s most promising young actors
Such commercial triumphs spotlight a broader shift in the beauty world, where digital presence, storytelling, and artistry now converge. For Guerlain, the collaboration isn’t merely a marketing move; it’s a strategic alignment with a generation of consumers who view beauty as both performance and poetry.
Founded in 1828, Guerlain’s legacy as one of France’s oldest perfume and skincare houses has always rested on its dual devotion to artistic heritage, royal patronage and scientific innovation.
From crafting the legendary Eau de Cologne Impériale for Napoleon III to modern icons like Abeille Royale, the house has consistently celebrated refinement and reinvention—qualities that mirror Li Pei En’s own artistic trajectory. By choosing Li Pei En, Guerlain extends that narrative into a new era defined by authenticity, youth, and cultural resonance.
For Li, this partnership marks a new high in an already ascending career. Versatile, understated, and deeply dedicated to his craft, he represents a new generation of East Asian leading men — poised, introspective, and emotionally transparent.
Since debuting in 2021, Li Pei En has built an impressive repertoire across television and film, from historical dramas (Till the End of the Moon, The Land of Warriors) to contemporary romances (Hi! My Mr. Right, My Lovely Wife).
His recent roles — including Moonlit Reunion and ABO Desire — have solidified his reputation as one of China’s most promising young actors, making this Guerlain partnership both timely and symbolic: a meeting of performance and poise.
The campaign, unveiled under the tagline “Witness Transformation with Strength,” reflects both Guerlain’s ethos and Li’s artistic evolution. As previously mentioned, his JD Live appearance drew tens of thousands of viewers, while digital billboards in Chongqing, Beijing, Chengdu, Suzhou, and Qingdao projected his image across cityscapes.
Fans who tuned in were invited to participate in interactive sessions and exclusive giveaways, including the now-coveted bee brooch — a nod to Guerlain’s signature emblem and Li’s quite sophistication.
Guerlain’s flagship store recorded record-breaking sales, social media mentions soared, and Li Pei En climbed to Top 6 on China’s STAR INFLUENCE index
For Guerlain, this was far more than a celebrity endorsement; it was a continuation of its dialogue between tradition and reinvention. The maison’s collaborations often bridge Eastern artistry with Western legacy — from fragrance storytelling to digital immersion. In Li Pei En, Guerlain found an embodiment of that duality: a performer with understated charisma and global appeal, unafraid to explore vulnerability within strength — much like the house’s own aesthetic of refined confidence.
The numbers spoke louder than any press release. Within hours, Guerlain’s flagship store achieved record-breaking sales, social media mentions surged, and Li Pei En climbed to Top 6 on China’s STAR INFLUENCE index, joining household names like Tian Xuning and Yang Mi. Yet beyond the scale lay sentiment — the collaboration resonated because it felt earned, a natural convergence of a rising artist’s grace and a maison’s enduring artistry.
The partnership also illustrates how luxury beauty continues to evolve. Livestream commerce, once dismissed as fast retail phenomenon, has matured into a storytelling platform for heritage brands. Guerlain’s success with Li demonstrates that elegance and engagement can coexist — when guided by purpose rather than trend.
As billboards across China beam Li Pei En’s poised image beside Guerlain’s golden bee, this collaboration stands as more than a commercial victory. For Li Pei En, it signals creative validation and a broader cultural arrival. For Guerlain, it reaffirms that legacy endures not by standing still, but by speaking fluently in the language of the present.
Looking Forward…
What began as a business partnership has quickly become something more reflective — a dialogue between art and elegance, between youthful ambition and timeless refinement. If the past week’s numbers are any indication, this may be just the first act of a partnership redefining how luxury speaks to the next generation.
(Words by Khushboo Malhotra; edits by Malvika Padin)
(Images via X and Weibo)
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