However, compared to the disruptive impact of TikTok on global video apps, Lemon8 is more of a hybrid of several visually-driven applications—it’s somewhat like Instagram, a bit like Pinterest, and even more like Xiaohongshu.
ByteDance Creates a "Xiaohongshu" Overseas?
Lemon8 is a social media app primarily focused on user-generated content (UGC), offering features for image and video sharing, as well as social interaction. It covers topics like beauty, fashion, food, fitness, and more. Although the official registered entity for Lemon8 is Heliophilia Pte. Ltd., based in Singapore, the actual developer is ByteDance (on some app stores, Lemon8 is listed under TikTok Ltd. as the developer).
After launching the short-video platform TikTok and the video editing software CapCut, ByteDance leveraged TikTok's global brand influence to strategically enter the social media space. In 2020, Lemon8 was initially launched in the Asian market (under the name Sharee). In 2023, it expanded to the U.S. market, and with large-scale advertising campaigns this year, Lemon8’s download numbers surged, making it the top downloaded lifestyle app on iOS devices in the U.S. since September. The app is currently available in six languages: Indonesian, Malay, English, Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese.
Lemon8’s "hybrid" nature mainly comes from its positioning, features, and layout. In terms of positioning, like Xiaohongshu, Lemon8 aims to build a lifestyle community. As for its features, it offers content similar to Pinterest, such as thematic tutorials and guides, a product-tagging feature similar to Instagram, and a product discovery effect similar to Xiaohongshu. It also includes common features like “likes,” “saves,” “comments,” and “shares,” seen in all three apps.
Looking at the current browsing page, the similarity between Lemon8 and Xiaohongshu is almost 90%. Both prioritize visually-driven content, with users browsing recommended content via a dual-side image-text flow. Both apps have a “Following” page and a “For You” page (Lemon8’s “Following” and “For You”), displaying content from creators the user follows, as well as algorithmically recommended content. The layout of the functional components on the video page is nearly identical, with only slight differences in the placement of the comment section and save button.
From this, we can see that both Lemon8 and Xiaohongshu are designed to allow users to quickly consume large amounts of UGC content in a short time, facilitating product discovery and community interaction. However, despite their striking similarity, Lemon8 still lacks a mature business model. It doesn't have the embedded e-commerce function of Xiaohongshu, which generates commission revenue, nor has it yet launched systematic advertising operations. From the current user base and target audiences of the two companies, Lemon8 has primarily attracted non-Chinese users in Southeast Asia, Japan, and the U.S., while Xiaohongshu, with its Chinese-language version, mainly targets global Chinese-speaking users.
Similar Products, Different Paths
After ByteDance successfully launched Lemon8 overseas, what about Xiaohongshu? Looking back at the development paths of the two companies, it becomes clear that, despite appearing to be competitors, they have actually taken different routes in their global expansion.
Xiaohongshu began as a cross-border shopping platform, capitalizing on its “product discovery” feature. Over eleven years, it evolved into a mature lifestyle community, once dubbed the "Chinese version of Instagram." The key to its success lies in the lack of strong visual lifestyle community products in China, which Xiaohongshu filled by cultivating influencers, attracting celebrities, and organizing community events. Xiaohongshu’s global expansion is somewhat of a "reverse expansion." A few years ago, the company launched several standalone apps, also targeting Southeast Asia and Japan, where the lifestyle interest base and internet penetration were high. However, with no user base in these regions, the expansion failed to make much of an impact, and some apps were even shut down within a few months.
Meanwhile, ByteDance had already built global brand recognition and a broad user base through TikTok. With its marketing strategy, ByteDance could leverage TikTok’s recommendation algorithm and online influencers to drive traffic to its new product. By using the successful model tested in China, ByteDance was able to occupy target markets faster. In contrast, although Xiaohongshu has recently deployed staff in the U.S., Japan, and other regions, ByteDance’s global talent network and research foundation for overseas markets are far stronger. The channels and commercialization pathways ByteDance has built through its other international products can provide valuable insights for Lemon8’s future monetization.
This year, Xiaohongshu’s e-commerce business in China is on the rise, especially attracting a group of small, niche brands with a strong focus on brand image. According to Xiaohongshu’s data, the number of small and medium-sized businesses on the platform grew by 379% in the first half of this year. Meanwhile, after three years of adjusting its user strategy, Xiaohongshu’s user base continues to grow, with higher quality users. The platform's social roles are becoming more diverse, with an increasing number of male users and a more balanced gender ratio. Before going public, Xiaohongshu’s core mission remains to solidify its commercialization efforts and continue enhancing user engagement.
Xiaohongshu’s Path to Go Global: Seeking a Breakthrough
Whether facing Lemon8 or other similar products, Xiaohongshu can no longer rely on simply replicating its Chinese product overseas. It urgently needs to find a breakthrough. This breakthrough might come from overseas Chinese communities, emerging markets, or through the introduction of new community features and user roles.
Overseas Chinese could become Xiaohongshu’s first target audience abroad. More and more Chinese living around the world are becoming active users of Xiaohongshu. The overseas Chinese community naturally has a demand for Chinese culture and products, and Xiaohongshu could attract more overseas Chinese users by offering lifestyle content, shopping experiences, and content sharing that are synchronized with China. Additionally, by leveraging its existing social e-commerce model, Xiaohongshu could offer convenient cross-border shopping services to overseas Chinese, creating a new consumption ecosystem. Emerging markets, such as Latin America and the Middle East, also present potential avenues for Xiaohongshu’s expansion. Young users in these regions share similar interests in fashion and beauty, which could make it a viable market for early entry.
From an optimistic perspective, Xiaohongshu can learn from its overseas version and avoid certain pitfalls that Lemon8 is still encountering. Despite several years of development, Lemon8 is still in its early stages, facing issues such as comment length limits, age misjudgment during registration, page lags, and an incomplete reporting mechanism.
Lemon8's early advantage lies in the strong support from its parent company. Even without immediate financial returns, some creators view Lemon8 as a potential “goldmine.” They hope to join the platform early, accumulate an audience, and be in a favorable position when official monetization features are introduced. As commercial collaborations gradually open up, Lemon8 is expected to attract more mature creators, who will be able to profit through brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, in-app features (sponsored posts, virtual gifts, etc.).
In line with ByteDance's usual style, Lemon8 is likely to evolve into a “super app” in the lifestyle category, while Xiaohongshu’s community vibe and the platform's content ecosystem developed in China could help create a deeper, more interactive niche platform to foster a stronger sense of belonging among overseas users. This makes it more suitable for growing organically from small to large.
Future Challenges: Localized Challenges and Geopolitical Risks
Whether or not direct competition emerges, both ByteDance and Xiaohongshu will face challenges in localization and geopolitical risks. For ByteDance, like TikTok, Lemon8 collects user data, and it could face regulatory scrutiny from the U.S. government, which is a looming threat. As for Xiaohongshu, it lacks sufficient experience and resources in areas such as deep localization, technical support, and cross-border logistics. How to withstand external pressures while unlocking internal growth potential will be a key issue that Chinese internet products must confront.