Wen | Zhang Mengyi of the Weekly Magazine of Finance and Economics
Edit the | Yang Jie
"Guochao" beauty brand HuaXizi recently announced its 5-year plan to build an "Oriental Beauty Research and Development System" and is ready to invest heavily in research and development.
On March 4, Shang Lu, chief product officer of huaxizi, a cutting-edge domestic beauty brand, said that in the next 5 years, Huaxizi will invest 1 billion yuan in a number of product innovation, basic research and applied basic research fields to create a perfect and technologically advanced oriental beauty research and development system.
For a long time, domestic beauty brands have been difficult to tear off the labels of "low price" and "main focus on marketing". How to build a high-end brand, enter the threshold and the skin care field with higher scientific research content has become a common problem for industry players.
As a new "national tide" brand, Huaxizi has also been facing the question of "mainly relying on live broadcasting to bring goods". But Shanglu also said that the relationship between Huaxizi and Li Jiaqi is a product co-creation relationship, "Li Jiaqi knows users very well and is also Huaxizi's product experience officer, but Li Jiaqi's live broadcast sales account for no more than 5% of our entire business."
For the current situation such as the slowdown in the sales growth of domestic beauty in e-commerce channels, Shanglu said, "In recent years, the competition in the beauty industry has become more and more fierce, and international big brands are also reducing prices and discounts, buying one and getting one free." But Huaxizi business target is set very low, last year completed the target of 5.4 billion yuan GMV, this year's target is less than 5 billion yuan, we do not want to grow too fast, but also hope to 'sink' the brand and products polished well. ”
Li Huiliang, the chief scientist who joined Huaxizi's team at the beginning of this year, also made his debut. He said that Huaxizi currently has a research and development team of about 200 people, and has built a scientific research and innovation platform with a total area of 6,000 square meters, including three major sections: industrial design research center, cosmetics science and technology innovation center, and visual and spatial innovation center.
Prior to joining Huaxizi, Li Huiliang served as the technical director of Shanghai Jahwa and the chief technology officer of Bloomage Biologics. He is the inventor of Liushen original liquid and flower dew water, and one of the main creators and developers of well-known products such as Mega Net Hand Cream and Herborist Set. Therefore, in the industry, he is also known as the "Father of the Six Gods". Inviting Li Huiliang to join can also show HuaXizi's determination to vigorously invest in research and development.
(Photo: Li Huiliang, chief scientist of Huaxizi, courtesy of Huaxizi)
"Huaxizi has more than 100 patents, specifically for the skin of oriental women to investigate, and with Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing Technology and Business University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and other universities in-depth cooperation, the establishment of research and development projects." Li Huiliang said. According to tianyancha data, as of the end of February 2022, Huaxizi's parent company has more than 120 patents, including 38 invention patents and 19 utility model patents.
(Photo/ Courtesy of Hua Xizi)
As a leader in the research and development of domestic skin care products, Li Huiliang's joining has also triggered speculation in the industry about "HuaXizi doing skin care". Li Huiliang revealed that Hua Xizi does have the idea of entering the skin care track. "International big-name cosmetics companies will lay out the two major areas of skin care products and makeup, and Huaxizi will also make efforts in the field of skin care in the future." What kind of skin care products Huaxizi will create may have an answer in the second half of this year. To be sure, it will work well with makeup. ”