Botanee Establishes French Research Center

With the increasing demand for anti-sensitive skin care products in China, dermatological-grade brands represented by Winona are favored by more and more consumers. Compared with other foreign brands for sensitive skin, Winona, as a brand with abundant experience in collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals, uses ingredients from Yunnan's characteristic medicinal plants that are more familiar to Chinese consumers. Its core large single product, Sensitiveness Relieving Moisturizing Tolerance-Extreme Cream, has obtained the international cosmetics certification from the Center for Investigation and Research on the Skin (CERT) based in France, and been invited to represent Chinese advancements in dealing with sensitive skin at the quadrennial World Congress of Dermatology for three consecutive times.

The wide recognition of Winona brand and products is inseparable from a solid R&D foundation. Supported by "plant science and technology" and "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals", Yunnan Botanee Bio-Technology Group Co., Ltd., the parent company of Winona brand, and its characteristic plant R&D platform—Yunnan Characteristic Plant Extraction Laboratory, based on the causes of sensitive skin of Chinese people, have made great efforts in plant extraction, raw material screening, new product development and basic research for application.

With the approval of the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Yunnan Province, Yunke Laboratory was established at the end of 2021. With the leading efforts of Botanee Group, it gathers the scientific research forces of Yunnan University, Yunnan Agricultural University and Yunnan Institute of Materia Medica, aligns with national strategies and Yunnan's major scientific and technological innovation needs, focuses on the provine's characteristic plant industry, aims at the international frontier, and drives the sustainable and high-end development of the industry through cutting-edge and forward-looking technology R&D.

Winona as a dermatological-grade skin care brand goes global

On November 8, 2023, Botanee Group held a grand signing ceremony with the France-based Skin Research Center of Hospital Saint-Louis in Paris, and announced the official establishment of the BTN French Research Center. This marks Botanee's first international collaborative scientific research project, representing an inaugural step towards global research and industrial development while reaffirming the Group's commitment to nurturing China's skin health ecosystem.

Since its establishment in 2010, Botanee Group has aligned with clinical needs in dermatology, promoted the development of scientific research in the industry, and actively expanded international collaborative research projects. Botanee Group and the Skin Research Center of Hospital Saint-Louis set up a joint laboratory. Taking this as an opportunity, the Group established the BTN French Research Center. Following the two key directions of skin care product research, namely "research on biological mechanism of skin" and "research to verify the efficacy of skin care products", it will combine the advanced expertise in dermatology from China and France, and be oriented to clinical demand. Based on the model of cooperation with enterprises in medical research and innovative research, the Group aims to create a new benchmark for international cooperation between hospitals and research institutes and help foster a skin health ecosystem.

Botanee Group holds a grand signing ceremony with the France-based Skin Research Center of Hospital Saint-Louis in Paris, and the BTN French Research Center is officially established.

The model of "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals" goes global

With the increasing proportion of R&D expenses, Chinese cosmetics brands have risen rapidly in recent years, and gradually reclaimed the "home advantage" of Chinese manufacturing. Leveraging the advantages of Yunnan's local natural plant resources, Botanee Group has built a technical barrier to its skin care brands with two core competences: "plant science and technology" and "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals". By making full use of the rich endemic natural plant resources in the province, we have continued to extract core ingredients from Yunnan's characteristic plateau plants such as camellia reticulata and prinsepia utilis royle, and achieved the natural efficacy of Yunnan's plant resources through scientific extraction and mild formula. We have made breakthroughs and innovations in R&D, and developed a platform with more than 100 people for "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals".

The establishment of the BTN French Research Center has brought such a rigorous and innovative R&D model featuring the support of a R&D team and a laboratory's capability of rapid verification to the forefront of world-class dermatological research. The center will prompt exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and French dermatological experts, and apply more latest research results from clinical dermatology to the development of the branded products. As a result, scientific research and production can interplay rapidly with each other to benefit a wider range of populations with skin problems.

As a healthcare industry group dedicated to creating China's skin health ecosystem, Botanee has delved into the field of skin conditions for many years. It has built a medical barrier to its brands through a unique R&D model of "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals", and cultivated a closed-loop ecosystem for skin health consumption through selection, breakthrough and reconstruction. Those efforts have helped numerous consumers with sensitive skin in China restore healthy skin. The signing of the agreement on the joint laboratory and the establishment of the BTN French Research Center are a new starting point for Botanee Group to propel the R&D model of international "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals", and signal that the Group has expanded from focusing on clinical dermatology research in China to international cutting-edge clinical dermatology research. The moves hold significant implications for advancing international academic dermatology research.

Cooperation with French skin experts helps upgrade innovative research 2.0

Founded by Henry IV in 1605-1606, the Hospital Saint-Louis in Paris is renowned for its nearly 500-year history as the world's first dermatology school. It has drawn a large number of students, doctors and medical enthusiasts to study dermatology there, and played a crucial role in the global dermatological research. The Skin Wax-Model Museum of Hospital Saint-Louis, where the signing ceremony was held, is the world's first of its kind. It houses more than 4,000 works, which are cultural heritage in the history of dermatology. It can be said that the Hospital Saint-Louis is the pioneer and leader of international skin research, who has made indelible contributions to the development of dermatology in the world. The joint laboratory established by Botanee Group and the Skin Research Center of Hospital Saint-Louis will foster deep exchanges and knowledge sharing between Chinese and French experts on basic research topics of problematic skin, driving advancements in skin health.

Wang Feifei, Vice President of Botanee Group, introduces its dermatological R&D system at the Skin Wax-Model Museum of Hospital Saint-Louis.

As a scientific adviser of Botanee Group and one of the earliest international experts to know the Winona brand, Professor Philippe Humbert, former Director of the Skin Research Center at the University of Franche-Comté in France and Director of CERT, has participated in several international clinical observations of Winona products, and witnessed the growth of Botanee Group. "I have known Botanee and Winona for several years. I am deeply impressed by the Company's vision and distinctive philosophy. Winona has led the world in sensitive skin research." Professor Humbert said at the event, "Its success is attributed to the clinical research conducted by many dermatologists and the diverse plant resources in Yunnan. With years of experience, I can confidently say that Winona's product series has secured a pivotal position in global laboratories and will quickly spread in the international market."

Botanee Group appoints Professor Philippe Humbert, Director of CERT in France, as a scientific advisor of the BTN French Research Center.

(Left: Wang Feifei, Vice President of Botanee Group; Right: Professor Philippe Humbert, Director of CERT)

The cooperation project for the joint laboratory between Botanee Group and the Skin Research Center of Hospital Saint-Louis will prioritize boosting the basic research of sensitive skin to empower Winona product R&D. It is believed that in the near future, more users will be provided with better solutions to problematic skin.

Globalization strategy is conducive to building strong home-grown brands

From focus on clinical research by Chinese dermatological experts, to expansion to international frontier research results in dermatology, to the multi-brand strategy, all have become strong support for Botanee to grow into a world-class cosmetics enterprise.

"The long history of the Hospital Saint-Louis in skin disease research, coupled with its strong research capabilities and commitment to solving skin problems for numerous patients, chimes in with the goals of Botanee Group," Wang Feifei, Vice President of Botanee Group and Executive Director of Botanee Research Institute, said about why the hospital was chosen as its global strategic partner and future cooperation model between the two sides.

Wang Feifei, Vice President of Botanee Group, and Louis Dubertret

a Professor Emeritus of Dermatology at the Hospital Saint-Louis in France, exchange views on how to apply dermatological research results.

At the inauguration ceremony of the BTN French Research Center, as its core expert, Professor Laurence Michel, Head of the Inflammatory Skin and Immunity Team at the Skin Research Center of Hospital Saint-Louis, cited Botanee Group's high standards and reputation in dermatological research and product development and utilization as the reason for collaboration, emphasizing the innovative capabilities and strong partnerships with Chinese dermatological experts.

Botanee Group and the Skin Research Center of Hospital Saint-Louis set up an international joint laboratory.

(Left: Wang Feifei, Vice President of Botanee Group; Right: Professor Laurence Michel, Head of the Inflammatory Skin and Immunity Team at the Skin Research Center of Hospital Saint-Louis)

With great scientific research strength and Yunnan's characteristic plant ingredients, Botanee has attracted an international leading scientific research institution to jointly buoy in-depth cooperative research between Chinese and French experts, demonstrating the global vision of the Chinese enterprise and its determination to create a global skin health ecosystem.

Professor Philippe Humbert said, "As an authoritative institution in dermatological research and cosmetic efficacy testing in Europe and the world, we have completed Winona's first international clinical effect observation—a double-blind self-controlled trial of Winona's products with scientific methods. When we treated half of a patient's face, we were able to clearly see the difference between the treated and the untreated. We felt the significant efficacy of those products in the clinical observation that we participated in."

The joint efforts of Chinese and foreign dermatological experts will get support from "plant science and technology" and "collaboration among companies, universities, research institutes and hospitals". The establishment of the BTN French Research Center signifies a renewed enhancement of the Group's R&D capabilities and the forefront and globalization of clinical medical research. With strong vitality and core competitiveness, Botanee's healthy skin care brands will produce new scientific research results through the joint research and exchanges between Chinese and French experts. Under the guidance of the Science and Technology Department of Yunnan Province, Botanee Group and Yunke Laboratory will take root in the regional advantages of the province, serve the Belt and Road countries including those in Southeast Asia, enhance the international influence of Yunnan Province's plant-based health industry, and boost the world's skin health ecosystem. We will build Chinese competitive brands with globalization strategy, and promote the development of international dermatological research and application of research results, and spread to the world China's method to maintain beauty through natural science.