Throughout the years, the care of oily and acne-prone skin has always been a major challenge for young consumers. According to the Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Acne (the 2019 revised edition), the prevalence of acne in the Chinese population is 8.1%. This means that there may be an astonishing number of individuals affected by this condition.
Based on this, in early December 2022, INOHERB, in collaboration with the Oriental Beauty Valley Skin Health Management Research Institute, established the Joint Research Institute for Oily and Acne-prone Skin Care Science. The institute focuses on researching oily and acne-prone skin, guided by consumer demands and in collaboration with hospitals and research institutions, to delve into topics related to the management of oily and acne-prone skin.
After in-depth research on the characteristics of oily and acne-prone skin and user needs, and drawing from the experience of the expert academic committee, the Handbook of Oily-skin & Acne Treatment and Skincare (referred to as the “Handbook”) was completed after more than a year of work and multiple rounds of revisions, with a total length of 43,000 words.
Recently (May 15th), the ceremony for the release of the China Handbook of Oily-skin & Acne Treatment and Skincare was successfully held at the INOHERB Research and Development Center in Shanghai. Renowned dermatologists and expert professors in the field of dermatology from the Joint Research Institute for Oily and Acne-prone Skin Care Science were invited to attend. They provided a professional analysis from various dimensions, including the causes of oily and acne-prone skin, skin characteristics, misconceptions in skincare, and explorations in scientific research.
Authoritative “Handbook” released, advancing education in the oily and acne-prone skin market
As we all know, the skin is the body’s first line of defense against external harm and is considered a mirror of our health. When there are abnormalities in our health, corresponding changes can be observed in the skin. Among them, oily and acne-prone skin is a common condition characterized by excessive facial sebum production and the presence of acne, which has caused great distress to many consumers, especially young people.
According to CHAILEEDO, in 2021, INOHERB conducted research and collected physiological parameters on the skin’s natural state from 1,092 women residing in representative cities in seven regions in China: South China, Central China, East China, North China, Southwest China, Northwest China, and Northeast China. The study revealed that 13.2% of women identified themselves as having oily skin, 13.6% experienced acne-related concerns, and 3.8% of the population had both issues simultaneously.
In an interview prior to the release event, Lyu Zhi, Vice President and Chief Scientist of INOHERB, told CHAILEEDO, “After conducting research on consumers’ skin conditions, we felt it was necessary to undertake a scientific and systematic compilation and collection of information to provide our industry and users with more effective ‘weapons’ to help consumers understand how to care for their skin and choose better products.”
At the beginning of the release conference, Professor Zheng Zhizhong, the Chief Academic Advisor and Academic Chairman of the conference, and a dermatologist at Huashan Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University, mentioned the initial intention behind the release of the “Handbook.” He said, “Over-cleansing and acid-based skincare methods can temporarily solve the problem of excessive oil production but can also weaken the skin barrier. The industry has already published handbooks and guidelines for sensitive skin, acne-prone individuals, and skin barrier care. However, the population with oily and acne-prone skin urgently needs a set of scientifically sound guidelines.”
During the release conference, Professor Ju Qiang, a renowned acne expert, provided an interpretation of the framework and key content of the “Handbook.” Ju Qiang explained that the “Handbook” addresses the needs of individuals with oily and acne-prone skin and combines professional and popular science approaches to elucidate the phenomenon and consumer concerns related to oily and acne-prone skin, professional understanding of such skin conditions, professional solutions and care recommendations, and Chinese plant-based solutions. Additionally, the appendix includes answers to 13 questions that consumers are widely concerned about.
It is worth mentioning that a roundtable discussion was organized during the event, inviting numerous experts from various fields to engage in a scientific discussion on the topic of “Management of Oily and Acne-Prone Skin.” The discussion was moderated by Sanmu Dashu, the founder of Basic Color Research.
The guests unanimously expressed the view that, given the complex skincare needs of individuals with oily and sensitive skin, brands need to engage in science education and provide consumers with scientific information. Additionally, it is important to help users with acne-prone skin develop correct skincare concepts. Only by combining proper skincare practices with a healthy lifestyle can the root causes of oily and acne-prone skin be effectively addressed.
To some extent, the “Handbook” reflects INOHERB’s significant investment and long-term commitment to the field of oily and acne-prone skin care, marking an important step in market education for oily and acne-prone skin in China.
Medicine and research, INOHERB provides a full-cycle product solution.
For brands targeting a wide range of people with oily and acne-prone skin, how should they choose safe and highly effective ingredients and innovate in product development?
The “Handbook” points out the unique advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in treating acne. Traditional Chinese medicine extracts have multiple components and combine with the unique compound formulations of Chinese medicine. They have the characteristics of multiple targets and multiple effects, effectively improving the severity of acne.
At the press conference, Professor Ding Xiaolei, a dermatologist and professor at the Shanghai University School of Medicine, also pointed out, “Natural plant active ingredients such as green tea, Angelica dahurica, Platycodon grandiflorus, and Ginkgo biloba leaves have the ability to block the IGF-1/mTOR pathway, inhibit sebum synthesis stimulated by IGF-1, and solve the problem of excessive sebum secretion.”
As Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, said, “Technology is not created for engineers, but for applications.” Even if technology is advanced, it can only become meaningless if it cannot be transformed and implemented in the market.
CHAILEEDO has learned that INOHERB has collaborated with numerous dermatology experts to provide skincare solutions based on the core ingredient of white willow bark extract, targeting different acne-prone skin types and providing multidimensional solutions to the concerns of consumers with oily and acne-prone skin, solidifying the effectiveness of acne treatment throughout the entire process.
According to Gu Jie, the head of INOHERB’s product development center, “In the development of acne treatment and oil control products, we mainly use the conversion of hospital prescriptions and the combination of traditional Chinese herbal medicines as the two core technologies.”
Specifically, the Golden Acne Treatment Formula, as a leading case of hospital prescription conversion, was developed based on the silver-yellow lotion self-made by the dermatology department of the Shanghai Pudong New Area Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. It contains ingredients such as honeysuckle and Phellodendron amurense. Modern pharmacological studies have found that these medicinal herbs have significant antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and have a combined effect of clearing heat, drying dampness, and detoxifying. It has been used in clinical treatment of common acne for more than 5 years with significant efficacy. As a hospital formulation, it has strong efficacy, but it also presents significant challenges in transforming it into skincare ingredients due to its strong medicinal odor, complex composition, and complicated mechanisms. Based on the hospital prescription, INOHERB’s Herbal Research Center utilizes modern extraction techniques and multidimensional efficacy evaluations to determine the medicinal basis and mechanism of action. In terms of the mechanism of action, evaluations are conducted from multiple dimensions, including oil control, antibacterial, and soothing anti-inflammatory effects, in order to explore and refine the optimal extraction process.
In terms of herbal combinations, INOHERB has conducted relevant research on extracts from various plant sources. For example, white willow bark extract is rich in natural salicin, which is non-irritating and has multiple effects such as soothing sensitivity, regulating keratinocytes, controlling oil, and treating acne. INOHERB’s refined resin purification technology enriches salicin in white willow bark extract to over 50%, which not only significantly improves the color and solubility of the raw material but also enhances its efficacy.
With the support of these two core technologies, INOHERB has created a full-cycle product solution for oily and acne-prone skin. This includes two aspects of the full cycle: comprehensive design of efficacy components based on different stages of acne formation, and adherence to the principle of simplified formulation in overall formula design, without adding alcohol, fragrances, and other ingredients to ensure a gentle and safe formula.
Furthermore, the full cycle is also reflected in the design of product series. For daily care, INOHERB has developed a combination of three products: cleanser, toner, and repairing lotion, which provide a daily care solution through combination usage. For emergency care, they have developed two products: spot treatment essence and acne-clearing essence mask. The former can accurately target acne, while the latter provides intensive acne-clearing care with soothing and calming effects.
It is worth mentioning that this year, INOHERB has also developed a heavyweight advanced care product, the White Willow Bark Acne-clearing and Brightening Essence. According to Gu Jie, the new product utilizes White Willow Bark P.R.O. Acne-clearing Technology and supramolecular co-crystallization technology, and collaborates with the dermatology department of a traditional Chinese medicine hospital in medical research and collaboration to achieve a comprehensive improvement for acne-prone skin and to enhance skin brightness and barrier resilience.
The market is the best touchstone. According to Lv Zhi, after the launch of the White Willow Bark series, many products have had a very high repurchase rate, which undoubtedly demonstrates the value of the products.
It is not difficult to find that INOHERB is not limited to daily care and emergency care but combines cutting-edge technology and collaborates through medical research to meet the advanced efficacy needs of oily and acne-prone skin. By providing a full-cycle product solution, it enables consumers with different needs to find the appropriate solution for their skincare concerns and achieve precise skincare.
Continuously focusing on upstream basic research, INOHERB establishes technological barriers for the efficacy of oily and acne-prone skin.
CHAILEEDO noticed that the “Handbook” is the first significant research achievement since the establishment of the INOHERB Joint Research Institute for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin Care Science.
In early December 2022, INOHERB, in collaboration with the Shanghai Oriental Meigu Skin Health Management Research Institute, established the Joint Research Institute for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin Care Science and appointed several academic advisors in dermatology. This marked the beginning of the exploration of oily and acne-prone skin care science.
“The ‘Handbook’ is both the endpoint and the starting point,” said Lv Zhi. “Under the guidance of the ‘Handbook,’ we hope to collaborate with basic research, product formulation, and medical research to create more effective products. This is also the direction we will continuously strive for in the future.”
From the establishment of the Oily and Acne-Prone Skin Research Institute to insights into the niche market, and the precise implementation of products, INOHERB has undoubtedly gradually built a brand barrier in the field of oily and acne-prone skin. Behind this achievement is its efficient integration of industry, academia, and research, as well as its strong research and development capabilities.
On the eve of the press conference, led by Tu Yidong, the head of the INOHERB Basic Research Center, CHAILEEDO and a group of media representatives visited the full-function research and development center of INOHERB, which includes formula development, process development, raw material management, analysis and testing, safety assessment, and self-developed raw material development.
“As a beauty company with a history of over 20 years, INOHERB may be a little different from startups. We think about how to go further and do things that are not for immediate gain but have longer cycles,” said Lv Zhi. Currently, INOHERB’s research and development focus is increasingly upstream, with 20% of the R&D team members engaged in cutting-edge basic research. Only by leveraging basic research can we have a greater chance of finding original technologies.
INOHERB’s emphasis on research and development is evident from the data. According to publicly available information, in 2023, the number of INOHERB R&D personnel increased by over 50%, and the proportion of high-level interdisciplinary research and development personnel increased even faster, with over 15% of the R&D team holding doctoral degrees.
Undoubtedly, it is because of the emphasis and efforts in research and development that INOHERB established the Joint Research Institute for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin Care Science, leading to the release of this “Handbook.” At the same time, insights into the market and the latest technological achievements have been fully applied to the reconstruction of the four latest efficacy skincare product lines: acne treatment, whitening, anti-aging, and sensitive skin soothing. This, in turn, drives the effective enhancement of product strength and brand power.
As a long-distance runner in the domestic market, INOHERB has stood for 24 years in the ever-changing beauty industry, always committed to integrating traditional herbal culture with modern technology to provide skincare products targeting different skin concerns. With the release of the “Handbook of Oily-skin&Acne Treatment and Skincare,” it assumes the role of a leader, providing consumers with professional and systematic solutions through scientific research. This further establishes the brand’s professional and trustworthy image. For INOHERB, continuous investment in oily and acne-prone skin research and product development is not only a manifestation of brand responsibility but also an accurate capture of consumer demands and market trends.
