From the popularization of the “Ten-Step Korean Skincare Routine” thirteen years ago, skincare entered the era of “beauty consumerism.” Fast forward to 2021, the concept of “Skin Minimalism” has emerged and gradually gained popularity. Over the past decade, the Chinese skincare consumer market has witnessed rapid changes, with more and more consumers seeking precise and simplified skincare methods. So, what exactly is “Skin Minimalism”? What does it mean for products labeled as “Skin Minimalism”? And what are the core technological approaches and challenges in developing such products?
On December 5th, the “2024 Skin Minimalism White Paper,” jointly authored by the innovative skincare brand DrDH, along with Beauty Practice and the Oriental Beauty Valley Functional Skincare Research Institute, was officially released in Hangzhou, in collaboration with China’s Good Formula. During the launch event, multiple industry experts, together with the DrDH brand, provided in-depth insights into the trends and challenges of the Skin Minimalism industry, sharing relevant industry observations.
What is “Skin Minimalism”?
According to data from Guoji, the volume of discussions around “Skin Minimalism” on the Xiaohongshu platform showed a steady increase from January to May 2023. It started with over 20,000 mentions in January and reached 48,000 mentions in May. The average volume from January to May this year was 34,000, representing a 29% increase compared to the same period last year. Similarly, the discussions on “Skin Minimalism” on platforms like Douyin and Weibo also exhibited a similar growth trend.
Yin Shuai, Co-founder of the DrDH brand, introduced the “2024 Skin Minimalism White Paper” (referred to as the “White Paper”), which was jointly written with Beauty Practice and the Oriental Beauty Valley Functional Skincare Research Institute. The white paper provides an in-depth analysis of Skin Minimalism from four perspectives: market insights, expert guidance, scientific viewpoints, and future trends.
The popularity of “Skin Minimalism” stems from the rise of the concept of “Skin Minimalism” in 2021. The concept originated from Pinterest, which encourages people to abandon expensive, multi-product, multi-step skincare routines and instead embrace a singular skincare product with multiple benefits, achieving effective skincare with minimal effort.
First and foremost, “Skin Minimalism” does not imply that skincare products have fewer ingredients or that they lack effectiveness. The essence of “minimalism” lies in achieving effective skincare while ensuring product safety, rather than simplifying for the sake of simplicity.
Li Chengliang, Director of the Oriental Beauty Valley Functional Skincare Research Institute, emphasized that “minimalism” starts with the word “precision.” In the context of product development, it means finding precise targets, establishing accurate dose-response relationships, and identifying synergistic combinations. “Simplicity,” on the other hand, refers to pursuing concise and direct efficacy without resorting to inefficient skincare practices. He believes that formulating for Skin Minimalism is more challenging because it requires achieving the same results with fewer ingredients, which necessitates extensive research and testing.
Professor Liu Wei, a clinical dermatologist, understands Skin Minimalism as a skincare philosophy that advocates minimizing the burden on the skin and streamlining skincare by eliminating unnecessary ingredients. Similar concepts have emerged, such as precision skincare, which has now evolved into Skin Minimalism.
Therefore, the “White Paper” provides a clear definition of Skin Minimalism. “Precision” refers to the use of refined raw materials (high purity and high efficacy) and targeted efficacy (authoritative verification that precisely addresses the underlying issues). “Simplicity” refers to ingredient simplicity (using as few ingredients as possible to create stable formulas that directly address concerns) and step simplicity (reducing the number of products and lowering the psychological and skincare burden).
“Skin Minimalism” products are expected to have a major breakthrough
According to the “2023 Skin Minimalism Awareness Survey” jointly released by Beauty Practice, Oriental Beauty Valley Functional Skincare Research Institute, and DrDH, 87% of consumers have heard of the concept of “Skin Minimalism” and have some understanding of it. Furthermore, 98% of consumers plan to or have already tried “Skin Minimalism.” Overall, the concept of “Skin Minimalism” has gained widespread popularity among consumers.
In fact, the attention and popularity of the “Skin Minimalism” concept are closely related to the increasing number of individuals with sensitive skin. Lin Conglin, a dermatology expert and medical doctor, states that “Skin Minimalism” is a recognized principle for addressing “problematic skin” in the academic community, including sensitive skin, compromised skin barrier function, and post-medical aesthetic treatments. “Under the guidance of the correct concept of Skin Minimalism, choosing suitable products is essential to effectively avoid damage caused by improper skincare practices and facilitate the speedy recovery of individuals with sensitive skin and compromised skin barriers.”
According to data from the Chinese Journal of Dermatology and Venereology’s “Consensus of Chinese Experts on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sensitive Skin,” women with sensitive skin account for 60%-70%, with a prevalence rate of 40%-56% among Asian women. In China, approximately 36.1% of women have sensitive skin issues. Additionally, according to the “China Women’s Sensitive Skin White Paper” published by iResearch, the estimated market size of sensitive skin products will account for 42.4% of the overall cosmeceutical market by 2024 (including all brands), with the overall market volume exceeding 30 billion RMB.
Therefore, the growing population of individuals with sensitive skin and those seeking medical aesthetic treatments suggests that “Skin Minimalism” products are poised for a major breakthrough.
So, under the concept of “Skin Minimalism,” what is the meaning of “Skin Minimalism” products?
The “White Paper” also provides a definition, stating that Skin Minimalism products aim to achieve skincare goals in a more refined, accurate, and precise manner. Zhang Xuwen, a senior data analyst at Beauty Practice, explains that the inherent features of Skin Minimalism products mainly manifest in two aspects: product design and product development. The former focuses on precise positioning tailored to specific target audiences and their specific needs, while the latter is based on precise targets, the relationship between dosage and efficacy, and ingredient synergy, avoiding vagueness and blind attempts. The external features of Skin Minimalism products are reflected in the use of fewer formula ingredients, minimal packaging, refreshing texture, and being fragrance-free.
Currently, the core technologies utilized in the development of “Skin Minimalism” products include ingredient purification, multi-target efficacy screening technology, freeze-drying technology, biomimetic technology, and laboratory testing. Additionally, these products consider consumer needs and preferences in their design, aiming for simplicity, ease of use, and portability to meet consumer demand for “Skin Minimalism” products.
It is worth noting that Li Chengliang also stated that the development of “Skin Minimalism” products still faces many technological challenges, such as difficulties in ingredient selection, high stability requirements, precise formula design, and ensuring product quality. “To achieve technological breakthroughs in Skin Minimalism products, skincare companies need to strengthen research and development investment, enhance marketing and promotion efforts, and increase consumer education to enhance market competitiveness.”
“Furthermore, the industrialization process of Skin Minimalism products is more complex and meticulous compared to general skincare products, with higher standards and rigorous requirements in key areas of the development process.” Li Chengliang further noted that there are still challenges in the industrialization of “Skin Minimalism” products, mainly in the areas of basic research, ingredient selection, market competition, and scientific communication.
The “White Paper” also provides suggestions for the future innovation direction of “Skin Minimalism,” such as expanding to wider application scenarios, more customized and personalized skin testing methods, more streamlined product forms, and incorporating cutting-edge technologies.
It can be seen that the development of the Skin Minimalism field is full of unlimited opportunities but also faces challenges and difficulties that need to be overcome.
In Yin Shuai’s view, participating in the writing of the “White Paper” aims to help consumers make more rational choices for products that suit them through a more scientific, observable, and authoritative interpretation and analysis. It is also hoped that this guide can promote technological innovation and quality improvement in skincare products and contribute to the development of the industry. He stated, “This ‘White Paper’ is not only a guiding direction for the DrDH brand but also a tool for Skin Minimalism that is applicable to the skincare needs of Chinese consumers and a standard application book for the sustainable development of the Skin Minimalism industry.”
They are advocates and practitioners
What is worth noting is that currently, many skincare brands, both in China and internationally, have launched popular products under the concept of “Skin Minimalism.” Undoubtedly, DrDH is one of the important representatives.
Public information shows that DrDH was established in 2020 and is a continuous explorer and practitioner in the field of “Skin Minimalism” as an advocate. The brand incorporates “simplification” throughout its products’ efficacy, ingredient research and development, user experience, and skincare philosophy, striving to achieve a multi-dimensional balance of efficacy, safety, and skin feel.
Yin Shuai stated that since its establishment, DrDH has been focused on how to implement Skin Minimalism in a simplified, standardized, and sustainable manner. “The brand is committed to using an original formula theory system to scientifically address problematic skin.” It is understood that DrDH has already established joint laboratories with institutions/companies such as the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Oriental Beauty Valley Functional Skincare Research Institute, and DSM to jointly create exclusive formulas for the brand.
Taking the DrDH 09 series as an example, this series includes several individual products such as the B5 Research Mask, Research Essence Water, Cream, and Moisturizer. Among them, the DrDH B5 Research Mask contains only nine ingredients, including 2% panthenol, 5% centella asiatica, and the patented ingredient Ximinxiu, which can quickly reduce redness and provide hydration and soothing effects. It is reported that this product is the flagship product of DrDH, recommended by many beauty bloggers and celebrity artists. It ranked first on Douyin’s best-selling boxed mask list during the 2022 Double 11 shopping festival, and the cumulative sales of this product have reached 38 million pieces.
There is no doubt that the excellent market performance is a testament to the strength of DrDH’s products.
It is worth mentioning that in order to comprehensively address the skincare needs of diverse sensitive skin populations, DrDH has also joined hands with skincare promotion partner @GaoAiPangShou, and the Beauty Practice app to launch the “Highland Repair Journey.” The three parties went to the Sichuan-Tibet region to conduct in-depth exploration of “highland red” skin and set up a highland red skin testing point in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan. Local residents used DrDH products, and their skin was tested and analyzed before and after use. According to the test results, the improvement in skin redness among the “highland red” population reached a maximum of 17.07% after using DrDH products.
It is understood that “highland red” skin is actually a special type of sensitive skin. This further demonstrates the high efficacy of DrDH products for sensitive skin.
Chen Zheng, the product manager of DrDH, stated, “The target audience of DrDH’s products is people with mild to moderately sensitive skin. If our products also show significant effects on the ‘highland red’ skin population, it indicates that they can solve the skin problems of ordinary sensitive skin populations.”
It is worth mentioning that DrDH’s products are continuously being upgraded and improved while adhering to ingredient simplification and synergistic efficacy. Chen Zheng introduced that next year, DrDH will launch the new B5 Pro series and 09 plus series products to address the needs of sensitive skin populations for anti-aging, acne treatment, and whitening effects.
Just as Yin Shuai said, the emotional value brought to consumers is the true value of the new generation of skincare brands. “Using the fewest ingredients to achieve the maximum efficacy, using the fewest products to meet skincare needs, reducing the burden on the skin and allergens” is not only the essence of the Skin Minimalism concept but also the mission and pursuit of the DrDH brand. It can be seen that in the race of Skin Minimalism, DrDH is not only an advocate but also a practitioner, providing a new solution for scientific skincare.
