"Raw materials are becoming a new engine driving the development of the industry." At the 2nd Botanical Cosmetics Conference 2024, Zhang Bingwu, a marketing expert in the beauty industry and chairman of Beauty Toutiao, said.
In recent years, in the environment of "no efficacy, no skin care", oriental characteristic plant raw materials rooted in China, with both cultural value and scientific and technological content, have been sought after and recognized by consumers, empowering domestic beauty products to win the "initiative" and "right to speak" in market competition. For the beauty industry, if you want to be stable and far-reaching, you must start from the source to play a good raw material "core".
On April 17, 2024, the 2nd Botanical Cosmetics Conference 2024, co-sponsored by Beauty Toutiao and Raw Material Gate, co-sponsored by Shanghai Jiayu and Keying Group, specially supported by Zhongzhi of Zhongke, and strategically supported by China Meidu (Cosmetics) Industry Research Institute and the Chinese Medicine Beauty Industry Branch of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, was held at the Crowne Plaza Guangzhou Huadu Hotel. With the theme of "Plant Chinese Beauty", the conference brought together guests from well-known brands in the beauty industry, raw material R&D engineers, experts and professors, industry associations, authoritative data institutions, etc., who deeply analyzed the research and development of new technologies, new ingredients and innovative trends of oriental characteristic plant raw materials with their insights, and discussed new opportunities for the development of plant cosmetics with Chinese characteristics.
New Trends Exploring the "New Momentum" of the Industry
Build China's "core" to meet the "Huawei moment"
Achieving a breakthrough from 0-1, Huawei shocked the world with its "China Chip". "Made in China" domestic cosmetics have been difficult to be recognized by domestic and foreign consumers. However, with the rapid development of China's economy, Made in China has become Made in China, and the cosmetics industry has begun to pay more attention to the "core" of local raw materials from the exaggerated pursuit of foreign products in the past.
Zhang Bingwu, marketing expert in the beauty industry/chairman of Beauty Toutiao, director of BCTT China Cosmetics Industry Research Center
At the meeting, Zhang Bingwu, a marketing expert in the beauty industry/chairman of Beauty Toutiao/director of the China Cosmetics Industry Research Center of BCTT, took the rapid development of the brand application of licorice extract as an example, fully affirmed the power of China's plant ingredients, and issued a strong voice that "raw materials are becoming a new engine driving the development of the industry". Based on the filing of plant raw materials from 2021 to 2024, Zhang Bingwu believes that China's plant raw materials have run out of their own "acceleration", but in terms of cost, raw materials, and technology, the challenges of "China Chip" are not optimistic. In this regard, Zhang Bingwu provided two innovative path options for the development of enterprises: one is to continue the biological fermentation technology and innovate on the extension of the original technology track, and the other is to carry out disruptive innovation with synthetic biology. The globalization of Chinese enterprises is like an unstoppable torrent, and all aspiring brand enterprises will not rest on their laurels and be content to focus only on the local Chinese market. In the future, Zhang Bingwu hopes that in the field of beauty raw materials, local brands can learn from Huawei, grasp the four keys of product selection + ESG + co-creation + communication, overcome the problem of "stuck neck" of raw materials, create a "core" of plant raw materials with Chinese characteristics, and welcome the "Huawei moment" of Chinese cosmetics.
As Zhang Bingwu said, with the acceleration of globalization, plant-based cosmetics will usher in more development opportunities. Zheng Haibo, founder and CEO of Beauty Toutiao, highly agrees with this point of view. He said that the raw materials of plant resources with Chinese characteristics are sought after by beauty brands, driving the entire plant cosmetics industry. Under the comprehensive effect of policy support, scientific and technological innovation, industrial cooperation, market demand, etc., the scale of the industry will continue to expand, and the market prospect is promising.
Zheng Haibo, founder and CEO of Beauty Headlines
In order to build China's "core" to meet the "Huawei moment", Lin Chun, President of China Meidu (Cosmetics) Industry Research Institute, Lin Kaitong, founder of User Talk, Wang Yuliang, Deputy Director of Plant Biotechnology Research Center of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhu Baofu, Ph.D. of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Xiang Guanggang, General Manager of Shanghai Jiayu Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Zhang Quan, General Manager of Zhongzhi of Zhongke, Cao Hua, Invited Scientist of Keying Group/Dean of School of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Ji Ning, General Manager of Keying Group, Huang Yuancheng, R&D Director of Liusimu, Zhang Bingwu, a marketing expert in the beauty industry/chairman of Beauty Toutiao/director of BCTT China Cosmetics Industry Research Center, Yao Yongbin, an expert in the beauty industry/consultant of Beauty Toutiao/chief planner of the raw material door, and other industry leaders participated in the launching ceremony of the "2024 Botanical Ingredient Development Trend Report" of the botanical cosmetics industry manual, helping Chinese botanical cosmetics to explore "new kinetic energy".
The launching ceremony of the plant cosmetics industry handbook "2024 Plant Ingredient Development Trend Report" was taken
The founder of User Say, Lin Kaitong, elaborated on the historical development and development trend of plant ingredients in the beauty industry from three aspects: market overview of plant ingredients, core track analysis of plant ingredients, and consumer behavior analysis of plant ingredients. Driven by a combination of regulatory encouragement, sustainability trends, consumer preferences, technological innovation, etc., the demand for botanical ingredients is growing rapidly. Lin Kaiqi revealed that from 2022 to March 2024, the number of filings of beauty botanical ingredient products continued to grow. According to the data, from April 2023 to March 2024, the number of filings will reach 384,900, a year-on-year increase of 26.1%, accounting for 61.8% of the overall cosmetics filings.
The user said that the founder Lin Kaiqi
Among them, the number of skin care products filed reached 264,900, a year-on-year increase of 25.8%. The skin care sub-category of botanical ingredient filing products focuses on face serums, creams, and lotion/toners, while the makeup sub-category focuses on lip makeup, isolation, and base makeup. It is worth mentioning that in the past year, nourishing/nourishing skin and hydrating and moisturizing are still the mainstream markets for the user demand of plant-based beauty products, with a volume of 8,700 and 7,900 respectively, and the fastest year-on-year growth rate of 88.9% for the effect of lightening spots, with great development potential.
Start with the "new".
Help the application of plant extraction to run out of "acceleration"
The innovation and application of characteristic plant raw material extraction technology is to build a moat for the development of cosmetics enterprises.
Among them, the use of plant synthesis can help the cosmetics industry in the field of research and development, to achieve small molecules and proteins that cannot be synthesized by microorganisms.
With science and technology as the starting point, synthetic biology promotes the reform and innovation of ingredients in the cosmetics industry, helps enterprises reduce costs and increase efficiency, and makes the industrialization of rare raw materials possible. Wang Yuliang, deputy director of the Plant Biotechnology Research Center of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, is well versed in the efficacy and charm of plant active ingredients in the field of beauty and health. At the meeting, Wang Yuliang expounded his unique insights on how to innovate and apply plant synthetic biology in the field of cosmetic raw materials in "Innovation and Application of Cosmetic Raw Materials Based on Plant Synthetic Biology".
Wang Yuliang, deputy director of the Plant Biotechnology Research Center of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Taking Artemisia annua as an example, Wang Yuliang described the function and application mechanism of this ingredient extract and its derivatives in skin care. At the same time, based on the principle of plant synthetic biology, Wang Yuliang analyzed the relevant technology research on the expression and production of humanized functional proteins using plants as carriers, which stands out in that it can be used to develop recombinant protein products for plant production of cosmetics with lower production costs.
Also based on technological innovation, Cao Hua, a specially invited scientist of Keying Group and dean of the School of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, proposed that the application of nanotechnology is an important development direction of cosmetics in the future, and the breakthrough of plant nano extraction technology is the key and disruptive factor to promote the development of the industry.
Cao Hua, a specially invited scientist of Keying Group and Dean of the School of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University
Cao Hua has an accurate insight into the consumption status and trend of the plant ingredient market, and found that global consumers tend to recognize natural products, and the filing of plant cosmetics raw materials has soared. However, the R&D and application of plant raw materials are facing great challenges such as difficult transdermal absorption, unstable quality, poor solubility and insignificant efficacy. Cao Hua said that in order to overcome these problems, plant nanovesicle extraction technology and transdermal absorption technology are the best solutions.
The breakthrough of extraction technology has allowed more characteristic plant active ingredients to be explored and applied. In his speech on "The Application of Plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Cosmetic Functional Raw Materials", Zhang Quan, general manager of Zhongzhi, shared the miraculous use of a large number of characteristic plant functional raw material resources on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the magical roof of the world.
Zhang Quan, general manager of Zhongke Zhongzhi
Due to the high altitude, cold and dry environment, the plants have accumulated a wealth of active ingredients in the process of adapting to this extreme environment. At the meeting, Zhang Quan shared OPC sea buckthorn proanthocyanidin, Qingang anti-allergy stock solution, Cordyceps sinensis mycelium powder extract, saffron redness factor, Barunin ™ and other plant extracts with plateau characteristics, these technical extracts have high application value in the field of cosmetics efficacy, with anti-allergic, anti-aging, antioxidant, moisturizing, repair and other multiple significant effects, which can escort the brand to develop "safe and natural" products.
It is worth mentioning that in 2024, the new product Balun will be launched by Zhongke Zhongzhi because of ™ the traditional Chinese medicine Chinese medicine Fenugreek seed with a history of thousands of years of application, with this as the core, Zhongke Zhongzhi Gel Extract "Golden 1:1 Ratio" Super Fenugreek Polysaccharide, combined with the characteristics of collagen and hyaluronic acid, has excellent repair, immediate soothing, multi-functional antioxidant, long-lasting moisturizing and other effects.
In the field of washing and care, the important medicinal plant resources of the Sapindaceae family in mainland China have been vividly applied by the "number one player" in the field of scalp care. In the keynote speech of "Ziyuan Innovative Technology Sapinberry Fermentation Essence Opens a New Era of Scalp Microecological Health", Cai Shiyang, personal care brand director of Uniasia Group, said that 10 years ago, Ziyuan put forward the concept of "good scalp, good hair", and created China's first silicone-free shampoo on this basis.
Cai Shiyang, brand director of personal care of Uniasia Group
From silicone-free scalp care to sulfate-free scalp care, to micro-ecological scalp care, Ziyuan has always adhered to the original intention of the brand over the years, taking scientific research and innovation as the core driving force, upgrading products, continuing to attack the scalp care track, and protecting the beauty of Chinese people's hair. After years of research, it has been found that soapberry ferment can effectively regulate scalp sebum secretion, balance microbial flora, and repair barrier damage. With "scalp microecology" as the keyword, Ziyuan has launched a new microecological efficacy series with cell-level soapberry fermentation extract* ingredients compounded with high-end skin care ingredients and functional ingredients to regulate the scalp microecology, solve scalp problems from the source, raise good hair, regulate the scalp ecological balance, and solve scalp hair problems such as oiliness, dandruff, hair loss, and acne from the source.
Zhu Baofu, Doctor of Science, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University
Zhu Baofu, a doctor of science from Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, said bluntly in "Thinking on Key Technologies and Applications of Plant-derived Cosmetic Raw Materials" that there are many pseudo-concepts of "floating in the sky" in the current beauty industry. The methods of obtaining plant-derived cosmetic raw materials include not only crude extraction, bioengineering (fermentation) and biosynthesis, but also extraction and separation and chemical synthesis. For the future of plant-derived cosmetics, we must work skin physiology, pay attention to the efficacy mechanism and pathways, and secondly, we must have the spirit of craftsmanship, and pay attention to safety, stability, efficacy, and practicability. In addition, plant extracts can also focus on the processing technology under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine theory, the principle of "seven emotions compatibility", etc.
Consumers' beauty needs have been changing, and constantly innovating technology and developing more abundant plant-derived ingredients to adapt to the rapid changes in the market is the weapon for domestic cosmetics companies to be "evergreen".
Promote the beauty of oriental plants
Promote China's beauty to a high standard
In the face of the white-hot competition in the beauty market, the development of a variety of characteristic plant raw materials has allowed the world to see the new tricks of oriental beauty.
Xiang Guanggang, general manager of Shanghai Jiayu Biotechnology Co., Ltd
Xiang Guanggang, general manager of Shanghai Jiayu Biotechnology Co., Ltd., which focuses on the development and application of plant raw materials with Chinese characteristics, shared "Multi-target Natural Oil Control Ingredients of Characteristic Plants and the Beauty of the Skin's Origin". He said that there are many excellent Chinese herbal ingredients in China, such as ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, etc. At the moment when scientific research is constantly progressing, it can be done all over again.
As for why he wanted to do it again, Xiang Guanggang said bluntly, because many of them were concepts before, but they didn't really study whether there was any effect and whether the efficacy was sufficient. Based on this, Shanghai Jiayu has developed and verified a plant extraction scheme - extracting flavonoids ® from St. John's wort, a long-established Chinese herbal medicine plant. Starting from the physiology of the sebaceous glands and tracing the critical path of oil control, Xiang Guanggang found the three key oil control pathways, and at the same time targeted the sebaceous glands to inhibit oil secretion with the characteristic plant ingredients. For the oily skin care market, Xiang Guanggang said that there is a lot to be done, and a good grasp of the characteristic plant oil control raw materials can provide new increments for brand development.
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and founder of Guangdong Jingcui Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Mao Yongjin
In addition to the broad development space of the plant raw materials market with oil control effect, the pure natural plant surface activity with natural plants as raw materials has also become the key for enterprises to create differentiated competitive advantages. In the speech theme of "Pure Natural Plant Surfactants Open a New Era of Shampoo Efficacy", Mao Yongjin, Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and founder of Guangdong Jingcui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., discussed the reasons for the difficulty in realizing the efficacy of shampoos. He said that China is the only country in the world that grows plants containing natural surfactants on a large scale, among which the soapberry extract and Camellia oleifera withered extract are pure natural and multi-functional, and have significant effects in oil control, fluffiness, soothing, antioxidant and other aspects, which can change the existing pattern of the cleaning and care market.
Huang Shiju, technical manager of Guangzhou Aizhue Biotechnology Co., Ltd
In the washing formula, many products in the past like to add Kathone and DMDMH as preservatives, they have good antiseptic performance, compatibility and low cost characteristics, but their use risk is high. As consumers pay more attention to green and healthy products, more gentle and safe high-efficiency preservatives applied to high-surface activity systems have been welcomed and recognized.
Huang Shiju, technical manager of Guangzhou Aizhue Biotechnology Co., Ltd., said bluntly when sharing the theme of "How to Develop a High-quality Plant Bacteriostatic Agent" that NAGO®VLC just fills the needs of this part of the market, and is a 100% natural source of pure plant bacteriostatic agent, which has quickly been recognized by the market since its debut and won many awards such as the Ringier Technology Innovation Award and the Fangdian Award. Different from traditional preservatives, in addition to antibacterial and antiseptic effects, it also has the effect of efficient mite removal and synergistic acne treatment, and is a green and natural sustainable cosmetic preservative raw material with multiple functions.
Tan Wei, Director of Technical Regulations
Among the many plant raw materials, peony, which has a profound cultural heritage, has great potential in the field of cosmetics. Tan Wei, Director of Technical Regulations of Flora Skin, in the speech theme of "Peony is not only the beauty of the Orient, but also the pioneer of human exploration of sustainable development", elaborated that Flora has been exploring the issue of sustainable development from the perspective of the living environment. How to find a dynamic balance between environmental, social and corporate management. In Tan Wei's view, we can focus on peony planting, science and technology, culture, new productivity, environment, and public welfare, and integrate the concept of sustainability into the corporate culture.
The design of characteristic plant raw materials that keeps pace with the times provides a more secure and reliable choice for the product research and development of beauty enterprises, and also promotes the beauty of oriental plants and promotes domestic beauty to a higher standard.
Terrific botanicals
Empowering domestic beauty products to win the "initiative" and "right to speak"
China is one of the countries with the most abundant plant resources in the world, with about 37,793 plant species in the 2020 edition of the Catalogue of Biological Species of China, ranking third in the world after Malaysia and Brazil, which are the most plant-rich in the world.
Article 9 of the new "Regulations" clearly mentions that after encouraging the use of modern science and technology to combine traditional advantageous projects and characteristic plant resources to research and develop cosmetics, more and more characteristic plant ingredients play an important role in the beauty industry.
After the central government proposed the new quality productivity, what kind of changes have occurred in the innovation of new materials and new raw materials for cosmetics in plant cosmetics at the raw material end? From the concept to the actual effect, what substantial progress has been made in China's plant ingredients in recent years? How to better promote the upgrading and development of China's plant ingredients?
"Plant Chinese Beauty" - the finale of the 2nd Botanical Cosmetics Conference 2024, specially set up a roundtable forum, and invited beauty industry experts/beauty headline consultants/chief planners of raw materials Yao Yongbin, general manager of Keying Group Ji Ning, general manager of Shanghai Jiayu Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Xiang Guanggang, R&D director of Liu Simu, Huang Yuancheng, and chief scientist of Luojie Plant Extract, Wu Peicheng, to "great plant ingredients" As the theme, based on the plant cosmetics industry, we will discuss the ups and downs of Chinese ingredients and provide benefits for the development of the beauty industry.
Ji Ning, general manager of Keying Group, said frankly that although the volume of the domestic beauty market has risen, the quality has not kept up. In the future, if domestic cosmetics companies want to improve quality and efficiency, and develop and lead new quality productivity, the key is to make good use of modern technological innovation and empower the research and brand development of Chinese characteristic plants, so as to achieve the improvement of product quality and meet the diversified needs of consumers.
Xiang Guanggang, general manager of Shanghai Jiayu Biotechnology Co., Ltd., analyzed that in recent years, regulations and policies have attached great importance to efficacy evaluation, coupled with the impact of the epidemic on the supply of raw materials, forcing domestic cosmetics companies to independently increase the research of raw materials, and the efficacy research of plant ingredients with Chinese characteristics has been qualitatively improved. While feeling gratified, Xiang Guanggang said more confidently that the existing research on the efficacy of botanical ingredients with Chinese characteristics can be "redone".
Huang Yuancheng, R&D director of Liusimu, said bluntly that after the epidemic, after comparing domestic and foreign raw materials, it was found that local raw materials are not inferior at all, especially natural plant raw materials, which not only have more advantages in traceability and other aspects, but also have a more stable supply chain. Compared with other products, it is found that products containing natural plant raw materials have more "vitality" and will not be easily eliminated by the market, so Liusimu has joined hands with domestic raw material suppliers to explore plant raw materials and help the brand develop better products. However, it is worth noting that because of the complexity of botanical ingredients, brands need to pay attention to safety, stability, practicality and other issues when developing such products.
China's plant raw materials are promising, Professor Wu Peicheng, chief scientist of Luojie Plant Extraction, said that in the process of rapid development of China's plant raw materials, R&D personnel have made great contributions. Therefore, for the future development of China's plant raw materials, the addition of technical personnel is an important link. The rise of "her power" coupled with cultural self-confidence has prompted the rise of domestic beauty products, and many local brands that speak of Chinese plant ingredients have appeared.
Regarding the views and opinions of the four industry leaders, Yao Yongbin, the host of the "Great Plant Ingredients" roundtable dialogue, beauty industry expert/beauty headline consultant/chief planner of the raw material door, also expressed his views. He said that China's plant raw materials market space is very large and has undergone "qualitative" changes, and many leading enterprises have begun to "quietly" layout this field and go abroad in the past two years. However, there is a certain sense of crisis in China's plant ingredients, that is, there is more research on Chinese plant ingredients in China, but there is a slight step ahead of foreign countries in application, so the Chinese people need to work together to occupy the "commanding heights" of China's plant ingredients.
Representatives and experts from various parties have in-depth insights into the new changes, new trends and new opportunities that need to be solved urgently, and discuss how to better implement plant ingredients to achieve production capacity transformation in an all-round and multi-dimensional way, and output professional insights for the future development of plant cosmetics.
It is worth noting that, in addition to the wonderful content presentation, Shanghai Jiayu, Zhongke Zhongzhi, Keying Group, U.S.-China Biological, Zhongzhi, Aizhuo, Zhongtong and other raw material suppliers and professional packaging material companies Shanggong have brought highly scientific and technological innovation of plant raw materials and green packaging materials, contributing to the promotion of China's plant cosmetics workplace.
Although the 2nd Botanical Cosmetics Conference 2024 has come to a successful conclusion, it is the starting point for China's botanical cosmetics industry to open up a broader stage.
It is expected that the 2nd Botanical Cosmetics Conference 2024 will focus on bringing together the most cutting-edge wisdom ideas in the industry, promote the increasing value of Chinese botanical cosmetics in the beauty industry in the future, enhance the core competitiveness of local brands, continue to contribute to the high-quality development of China's beauty industry, and jointly welcome the "Huawei moment" of Chinese cosmetics!