According to SEC filings, Reemake Media was formed in Beijing in August 2009 and commenced operating the Jumei brand’s online beauty business in March 2010.[1]

The Chinese name 聚美优品 comprises four characters with distinct meanings:

• 聚 (jù) — gather or bring together
• 美 (měi) — beauty
• 优 (yōu) — excellent or superior
• 品 (pǐn) — products, goods, or quality

Collectively, 聚美优品 conveys the concept of “gathering beauty and quality products.” This naming convention aligned with Jumei’s original business model of aggregating numerous cosmetics and beauty brands onto a single online platform. Trademark records describe the characters as transliterating to “JU,” “MEI,” “YOU,” and “PIN,” with associated meanings of “gather,” “beauty,” “excellent,” and “grade/rank.”

Jumei emerged during a period of rapid expansion in China’s consumer internet and e-commerce sectors.

2009: Company formation

Entrepreneur Leo Ou Chen and two co-founders established Reemake Media Co., Ltd. in Beijing in August 2009. Chen, who held an MBA from Stanford University, assumed the roles of chairman and CEO.[1] The initial business concept eventually evolved into online cosmetics retail.

2010: Launch of Jumei

The company launched its online beauty-products business under the Jumei brand in March 2010, focusing initially on cosmetics and skincare.[1] Rather than competing immediately with broad-spectrum marketplaces across all consumer categories, Jumei concentrated on a vertical segment with a large and increasingly digitally engaged female demographic.

2011: Corporate expansion

In 2011, Reemake Media acquired Beijing Shengjinteng Network Science and Technology Co., Ltd. The corporate structure was subsequently reorganized around Jumei International Holding Limited, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, with a Hong Kong subsidiary and Chinese operating entities.[1]

Jumei’s early identity differed significantly from that of a conventional department store, effectively combining an online cosmetics retailer, flash-sale platform, beauty community, and curated marketplace. The company promoted selected beauty products using limited-time promotions and discounts to create purchase urgency.

Its value proposition centered on offering branded beauty products at attractive prices, establishing trust regarding authenticity, and providing convenient online delivery. This approach resonated in China’s developing e-commerce market, where consumers were increasingly willing to buy cosmetics online but remained concerned about counterfeit products. Historical descriptions emphasize Jumei’s curated “group purchase” and limited-sale models, alongside efforts to source directly from brand manufacturers, authorized agents, and established channels.

Jumei was among the first Chinese companies to build a major e-commerce business specifically around beauty. While online shopping in China was dominated by broad marketplaces, Jumei pursued a vertical strategy spanning beauty, cosmetics, skincare, and related lifestyle categories. This specialization allowed it to develop a recognizable brand among Chinese beauty shoppers, supported by marketing focused on trust, authenticity, discounts, and convenience.

A central aspect of Jumei’s historical positioning was its emphasis on authentic beauty products. Given the prevalence of counterfeits in China’s cosmetics market, authenticity served as a critical differentiator. In 2013, Jumei helped establish the Authentic Beauty Product Alliance (ABPA), a nationwide alliance aimed at combating counterfeit products in the beauty industry. By July 2014, the alliance reportedly had 84 members representing approximately 70% of Jumei’s merchandise GMV.[2] Through this initiative, Jumei sought to position itself as a trusted gatekeeper for branded beauty products.

Jumei eventually expanded beyond its original cosmetics focus. Later corporate descriptions characterized it as a fashion and lifestyle solutions provider offering:

• Beauty products
• Baby products
• Children’s products
• Maternity products
• Light luxury products
• Health supplements
• Other lifestyle products

The company also invested in ventures outside traditional e-commerce, including Jiedian, a mobile-device power-bank business, and entertainment and TV-drama production.[1] These moves represented an effort to evolve from a vertical cosmetics retailer into a broader consumer lifestyle ecosystem.

As Chinese shopping shifted from desktop computers to smartphones, Jumei developed its mobile presence alongside its websites. SEC filings describe the group operating through Jumei.com, Jumeiglobal.com, and a mobile application, combining direct merchandise sales with marketplace services for third-party merchants.[1]

Direct retail

Jumei purchased and sourced products to sell directly to consumers.

Marketplace

Third-party merchants utilized the Jumei platform to sell beauty and lifestyle products, with Jumei earning marketplace and service fees. This hybrid model provided greater product breadth than a purely inventory-based retailer.

Jumei International Holding Limited went public on the New York Stock Exchange in May 2014, trading under the ticker JMEI. The IPO attracted substantial attention as Jumei represented a rapidly growing generation of Chinese internet companies entering international capital markets. Following its market debut, the company’s valuation rose sharply, elevating the profiles of both Jumei and founder Leo Chen within China’s technology sector.

After becoming a NYSE-listed company in 2014, Jumei subsequently pursued a going-private transaction led by founder Leo Chen and related parties. By 2020, disclosures concerning the transaction described Jumei as a fashion and lifestyle solutions provider and referenced the buyer group led by Chen.[1] Consequently, JMEI is no longer a currently NYSE-listed stock; references to “NYSE:JMEI” in older articles pertain to its earlier public-company period.

Founder Leo Ou Chen became integral to Jumei’s public identity. His entrepreneurial narrative and personal image were heavily incorporated into the company’s marketing, notably through an inspirational video featuring Chen that gained widespread discussion in China around 2013. China.org.cn described Chen as the founder and CEO of Jumei, highlighting how the video contributed to his public profile as an entrepreneur.[3] This gave Jumei a recognizable founder personality, allowing it to operate not only as a shopping platform but also as a distinct entrepreneurial brand.

At its peak, Jumei’s positioning was defined by beauty, authenticity, discounts, and convenience. Its target demographic consisted primarily of digitally active Chinese consumers interested in cosmetics, skincare, personal beauty, international brands, promotional pricing, and convenient online purchasing.

Jumei operated in a highly competitive Chinese e-commerce environment against broad marketplaces such as Alibaba’s Tmall/Taobao and JD.com, as well as specialist beauty retailers, department stores, and later social-commerce platforms. Although Jumei initially benefited from being an early specialist in online cosmetics, its competitive advantage eroded as larger platforms invested heavily in beauty, international brands established official online channels, and consumers gained more shopping options. Recent industry commentary describes Jumei as an established Chinese beauty retailer but notes that it is not as dominant as it was during its earlier period.[4]

Jumei’s development can be categorized into three broad phases:

Phase I: Beauty specialist (2010–2012)

Jumei built its identity around cosmetics, skincare, and beauty flash sales.

Phase II: Major e-commerce platform (2013–2015)

The company expanded its customer base, product categories, and marketplace capabilities, becoming a major Chinese online beauty retailer.

Phase III: Diversification (Mid/late 2010s onward)

Jumei increasingly described itself as a fashion and lifestyle business while investing in ventures outside traditional cosmetics retail.[1]

Understanding Jumei requires distinguishing its historical model from contemporary Chinese beauty commerce:

While the fundamental consumer need for discovering and purchasing beauty products online remains, the channels have changed dramatically.

From a business-history perspective, Jumei is notable for several reasons:

1. Vertical specialization: It demonstrated that a company could build a large internet business by specializing in one consumer category rather than competing as a general marketplace.
2. Female consumer market: It capitalized on the suitability of beauty products for online merchandising, social sharing, and repeat purchases.
3. Authenticity as a promise: It addressed the counterfeit cosmetics problem by convincing customers of product genuineness.
4. Flash-sale commerce: It pioneered limited-time offers and discounts to generate urgency and differentiate from traditional retail.
5. Internet IPO generation: Its NYSE listing placed it alongside a broader group of Chinese internet companies seeking international capital.

• 2009 — Reemake Media established in Beijing.
• March 2010 — Jumei begins online beauty retail operations.
• 2011 — Corporate restructuring and expansion of Jumei’s holding structure.
• 2013 — Jumei helps establish the Authentic Beauty Product Alliance.
• 2014 — Jumei becomes a publicly traded company on the NYSE under JMEI.
• 2010s — Expands beyond cosmetics into broader fashion and lifestyle categories.
• Late 2010s — Pursues diversification and adjacent businesses.
• 2020 — Founder-led going-private transaction takes Jumei away from public markets.
• 2020s — Jumei remains part of the history of China’s online beauty and e-commerce sector, though its prominence is considerably lower than during its peak.

Early corporate-history dates are documented in Jumei’s SEC filings, while later positioning and diversification are described in corporate disclosures.[1]

1. https://www.sec.gov
2. Jumei Welcomes Four New Brands to the Authentic Beauty Product Alliance
3. Jumei: An online cosmetic store – China.org.cn
4. Jumei: an important Chinese platform for cosmetics and luxury products (2026)