Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett have landed lead roles on the upcoming US listing of online Chinese cosmetics retailer Jumei International.

The Beijing based company, whose website Jumei.com sells branded beauty products, apparel and other lifestyle items, filed with the SEC last week to raise $400m through an initial public offering (IPO) either on Nasdaq or the NYSE.

It declined to specify the price per share or how many would be listed, but said it planned to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, marketing, growing its portfolio, setting up additional stores on the ground, expanding its logistics network and boosting its IT infrastructure.

Along with brands Watsons and Sephora, it is understood to be among the three largest beauty-product retailers in China in terms of gross merchandise volume in 2013.

Founded by Chinese entrepreneur Leo Chen, it offers a range of well-known beauty brands such as Estee Lauder, Lancome and Clarins.

Representing the issuer on the deal was Skadden, with Hong Kong corporate partner Julie Gau leading a team. Earlier this year Gao also headed the group advising Chinese microblogging site Weibo on its US IPO, and in October she acted for China's version of Craigslist, 58.com, with its own $165m listing.

Acting for underwriters Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and JP Morgan was Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, with Hong Kong-based corporate partner and head of China, Leiming Chen, leading a team.

The firm has likewise acted on a number of high profile US listings by Chinese companies in the last year.

In October, Chen advised the underwriters on the US IPO of Chinese internet company Baidu's online travel unit Qunar for $125m, while he is currently advising Alibaba – China's biggest e-commerce company – on its hotly-anticipated listing, estimated to be worth around $15bn.

Providing PRC counsel on the deal is Fangda Partners for the issuers and King & Wood Mallesons for the underwriters. Maples & Calder is advising on Caymans law.

Online sales of beauty products in China have surged in recent years, thought to have reached RMB22.6bn ($3.7bn) in 2013 up from RMB1.7bn ($300m) in 2010, according to the company prospectus, which quotes a Frost & Sullivan report.

Jumei says its active customers totalled approximately 10.5m in 2013, up from 4.8 million in 2012 and 1.3m in 2011. Likwise, it boasted net revenues of $483m last year, a significant increase from just $21.8m two years ago.

In the first quarter of 2014, approximately 49% of Jumei's GMV was generated through its mobile platform.

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