China’s Company-University-Research Institute-Hospital Collaboration Model Shines on the World Stage — Botanee International Skin Health Summit 2023 Ends with Great Success

The 25th World Congress of Dermatology (WCD), themed "Dermatology beyond Borders", took place in Singapore from July 3 to 8. As the largest and longest-standing academic conference in the international dermatology research field, the WCD convened dermatology experts from around the world to discuss significant breakthroughs and progress made in dermatology. This year marked the third occasion that Winona was invited to the WCD to show the world the latest development of China's skin health ecosystem in the era of precision skin care.

"In 2015, we made our inaugural attendance at the WCD in Vancouver with our major brand Winona. Through eight years of development, Winona has emerged as a leading brand in China's cosmeceutical industry. We are honored with our third invitation to the event this year and we bring our four core brands represented by Winona. We aspire to bring new highlights to the WCD by offering new contributions to the academic, technological, clinical, and societal aspects," Guo Zhenyu, Chairman and President of Botanee Group, said with pride.

On July 4, Professor Lars French, President of the International League of Dermatological Societies, visited Winona's booth at the WCD and acquainted himself with the brand's latest products and R&D achievements. He highly affirmed and praised Botanee for its unwavering commitment to the dermatological-grade skin care product segment and its significant strides in thoroughly understanding customer needs in the segment and developing PLUS products for those with sensitive skin over the past years.

During the WCD in Singapore, Botanee Group hosted the Botanee International Skin Health Summit 2023 on the afternoon of July 5. The Group presented its four brands collectively for the first time, including Winona, Winona Baby, AOXMED, and Beforteen. In addition, it gathered together preeminent dermatology experts from China and other countries to engage in exchanges and discussions on cutting-edge issues and development trends in dermatology, as well as roundtable dialogues between Chinese and foreign experts, showing its professional strength as a leading dermatological-grade skin product enterprise in China on the world stage.

Authoritative academic exchanges yield a new cosmeceutical blueprint for sensitive skin

Professor Philippe Humbert, Director of the Skin Research Center at the University of Franche-Comté in France, delivered a speech at the Botanee International Skin Health Summit 2023. As an internationally renowned dermatology expert who has been involved in the clinical study and effect observation of Winona products since the brand's inception, Professor Humbert has witnessed the development of Winona and China's cosmeceutical sector. He affirmed Botanee's professional results in continually promoting the "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals" and expressed his genuine aspirations for the future development of the Group's skin health ecosystem.

"Over the past 10 years, Winona has been the highlight of Botanee. However, as we look forward to the coming decade, we anticipate that Botanee will be distinguished not just by Winona's continued presence, but by the emergence of a comprehensive skin health ecosystem. The ecosystem will encompass skin care products, artificial intelligent diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases, and cosmetic medicine." Following the remarks of Guo Zhenyu, Chairman and President of Botanee Group, the Botanee International Skin Health Summit 2023 was officially unveiled.

At the Summit, Prof. He Li, head of the innovation team under the Ministry of Education and Executive Director of Yunnan Dermatology Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, shared with participants the mechanism of melasma and the significant breakthroughs made in the precise intervention of melasma along with her team. She highlighted, "In addition to melanin, other multiple factors, such as barrier damage and poor blood circulation, should also be paid attention to when it comes to skin whitening and spot fading. During the active and stable stages of melasma, external application of four-in-one whitening and spot fading products that contain extracts from prinsepia utilis royle, camellia reticulata, and other plants have been shown to significantly boost the treatment effect. These products serve four purposes, including repairing the skin barrier, resisting inflammation, reducing pigment production, and improving microcirculation." The achievement has been published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology and released worldwide.

During the roundtable discussion titled "Frontier China-Foreign Dialogue: New Trends in Scientific Whitening and Spot Fading", international dermatology experts spoke highly of the four-in-one whitening and spot fading mechanism. Berardesca Enzo, a research professor at the University of Miami said in an interview, "The four-in-one formula is excellent. We need a comprehensive method for treating pigmentation issues that not only prevents abnormal pigmentation but also offers protection for our skin. Cosmeceutical products with the ability to repair the skin barrier enhance recovery of this crucial function and diminish skin inflammation. Consequently, this leads to reduced inflammation, improved microcirculation, restoration of the barrier function, and prevention of pigmentation." Winona introduced a new whitening and spot fading product – Camellia-Lucent Spot-Correcting Essence during the WCD. Based on the four-in-one whitening and spot fading mechanism, this product offers users with sensitive skin an effective method for fundamentally resolving their skin problems, leading to healthy, bright white skin.

During the Chinese and Foreign Interchange of Sensitive Skin, a panel of Chinese and foreign dermatology experts, including Professors Philippe Humbert, He Li, Ma Lin, and Li and Researcher Liu Haiyang, exchanged insights on issues pertinent to sensitive skin. Botanee has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the development of safe and effective products for sensitive skin, sensitive skin care plus, adult skin, and children's skin. It has been tapping into and expanding its presence in the cosmeceutical market by leveraging its established position in the sensitive skin sector.

With consolidated R&D prowess, Winona Baby leads the rising Chinese baby skin care segment

Among numerous common skin diseases in children in China, atopic dermatitis (AD) exhibits the highest prevalence rate. Existing epidemiological studies have found the prevalence rate of AD in children aged 1-7 years in China is 12.94% and that in infants aged 1-12 months in the country reaches 30.48%. Health and safety form the cornerstone of children's growth. At the Botanee International Skin Health Summit 2023, Professor Ma Lin, Director of the Department of Dermatology at Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University showcased in her keynote speech, titled "Create a New Era of International Children's Skin Care", the remarkable treatment effect of Winona Baby Soothing Hydrating Cream. She highlighted that the product could significantly reduce the likelihood of AD recurrence in children with AD in the remittent stage when used routinely. Winona Baby serves as the first brand to conduct clinical observations on children aged 0-2 years.

Winona Baby, the second core brand of Botanee, was founded in 2014 with a dedicated focus on products designed to meet the critical needs of patients suffering from AD. It has cooperated with pediatric dermatology experts to jointly develop cosmeceutical products aimed at solving skin problems experienced by children, such as dryness, itching, and redness, creating a healthy skin ecosystem for children across China. The baby skin care market is undergoing upgrading, with players dedicating themselves to creating featured single products, accelerating R&D efforts, and carving out diverse market segments. This has driven Winona Baby to swiftly advance through iteration and upgrading efforts.

In response to diverse market needs, Botanee intensifies efforts to develop high-end anti-aging and AI acne treatment products

Since its establishment in 2010, Botanee has consistently adhered to the product R&D philosophy rooted in evidence-based medicine. In response to the evolving cosmeceutical market and changing consumer demands, Botanee remains committed to fostering the collaborative development and creation of product categories. At the Summit, the Group presented its four brands collectively for the first time. The lineup featured Winona, a dermatological-grade skin care brand tailored for sensitive skin, Winona Baby, a baby skin care brand, AOXMED, a high-efficiency, professional anti-aging skin care brand targeting individuals seeking cosmetic medicine solutions, and Beforteen, a professional acne removal brand that harnesses artificial intelligence technologies to offer precise acne treatment solutions.

Notably, AOXMED, a high-efficiency professional anti-aging skin care brand, was launched at the end of last year through over a decade of R&D efforts by the Group. With a commitment to cosmetic medicine and daily consumption scenarios, the brand insists on exploring cutting-edge technology and evidence-based science to provide professional solutions for skin rejuvenation that combine cosmetic medicine with at-home beauty treatments. At the roundtable meeting titled "Skin Rejuvenation: International Experience and Real World Practice", guests engaged in in-depth discussion and sharing of scientific skin care during the repair period following photoelectric therapy. "Photoelectric therapy is a double-edged sword. While delivering effect, it will simultaneously inflict a certain degree of damage on the skin, which will entail a long repair period. Meanwhile, the stratum corneum barrier of the skin will be damaged. Interestingly, this creates an opportune moment for products with functional ingredients to penetrate deeper skin layers to amplify the skin care effect. We highly look forward to efficient products that are underpinned by extensive laboratory research and demonstrations like AOXMED. These products can help beauty seekers achieve good post-treatment repair effect and enhance the effect of photoelectric therapy," remarked Dr. Yan Shuxian, Leader of Dermatology at SinoUnited Health in Shanghai, during the roundtable discussion.

The appearance of AOXMED on this international stage not only marked a systematic exploration of skin rejuvenation but also another innovative effort by Botanee to conduct skin health ecosystem layout, which held profound implications for advancing China's high-end anti-aging cosmeceutical market.

As the Summit neared its conclusion, it ushered in the peak of discussion. Experts engaged in fervent discussions over the most common dermatological diseases currently observed in clinical settings, along with strategies for allocating doctor resources from higher-tier hospitals to those at lower tiers. The birth of Beforteen, a brand-new brand under Botanee, offers fresh directions. Established as a unique professional acne removal brand, Beforteen dedicates itself to comprehensive precise acne treatment solutions. It has worked with dermatological-grade expert teams to study over one million cases. Leveraging artificial intelligence for diagnosis, it can provide users with personalized solutions that combine food, medicine, and skin care products for various types of acne.

During the session titled "AI Diagnosis and Treatment Energizes Acne Prevention and Treatment", Christos C. Zouboulis, an honorary professor at the University of Franche-Comté and Doctor of Medicine at the University of Athens stated, "Artificial intelligence can effectively improve the acne diagnosis and treatment effect and broaden our clinical understanding of acne. With these technologies at our disposal, we have the capability to provide professional diagnosis and treatment services to a wider range of patients." With powerful academic and brand support, Botanee will vigorously expand its skin health ecosystem and set a new industrial milestone while enriching its brand portfolio.

Company-university-research institute-hospital collaboration progressively boosts the development potential of the skin health ecosystem

Innovative R&D has always been the endogenous growth driver of Botanee. Relying on valuable natural biological resources and bolstered by the foundational pillars of "plant science and technology" and "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals", Botanee has established the Yunnan Characteristic Plant Extraction Laboratory, Cosmeceutical R&D Center, and other scientific innovation platforms. Over the past long time, the Group has fully tapped into the local plant resources of Yunnan and constantly extracted core ingredients from Yunnan's distinctive plateau plants such as camellia reticulata and prinsepia utilis royle. Moreover, it has developed a platform with more than 100 members for "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals".

Zhang Mei, Vice President of Botanee Group, said in an interview that the Company has placed a strong emphasis on basic research and innovative R&D since its inception, which has formed a solid professional barrier. According to the 2022 annual report, Botanee invested about RMB 255 million in R&D throughout the year, with a year-on-year growth of 124.96% and an R&D expense ratio of 5.08%. Additionally, the Company's R&D talent reserve increased by 65.68% to 391. This year, Botanee's new central factory, with an investment of nearly RMB 500 million, has been officially put into production, further escorting the product quality of brands, green supply chain, and sustainable development of the Group.

Botanee sets its sights high and relentlessly forges its path forward. Over the past 13 years, the Group has moved from the auditorium to the center of the international arena. Its professional image and strength in dermatological-grade skin care are the cornerstone of its flourishing development. Looking ahead, Botanee will remain committed to the model of "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals". It will also continue to enhance its brand depth, and evolve and make significant strides over time with precise insights. Guided by the mission to bring health and beauty to everyone, Botanee is poised to advance further, scaling new heights in the international dermatology community, supported by the robust prowess of China's scientific research.