“Making its first official appearance at CBE, the brand booth of HungChi attracted a large crowd, and there were high expectations for HungChi!” Li Meili, the Deputy General Manager and Product Director of HungChi, expressed her feelings during an interview with CHAILEEDO at the 28th CBE (China Beauty Expo).
From the release of its first product in 2020 to its current debut as a “new face” at CBE, after four years of accumulation and gradual growth, HungChi has reached its “moment of truth.”
Since its establishment, HungChi has created a series of popular products, including the Amino Acid Skin-Friendly Cleansing Milk and Olive Zymolysis Cleansing Oil. Last year, its total GMV across all channels exceeded 400 million yuan, and this year it announced its first brand spokesperson, Zhang Yunlei. The brand has also undergone a new upgrade in terms of brand concept, visual identity, and product range.
Starting from facial cleansing and now becoming a “cleaning expert” with a comprehensive range of facial care products, HungChi, despite being only four years old, demonstrates a rare combination of sophistication and composure. By adhering to its original brand mission and focusing on product excellence, it has become one of the most remarkable skincare brands in China in recent years.
China’s dark horse in the cleansing sector, HungChi makes its debut at CBE at the right time
CHAILEEDO noticed that as soon as you enter the brand booth at CBE, the round and sleek exhibition stand, predominantly in white, silver, and red, immediately catches your eye. It exudes a strong sense of technology, marking HungChi’s first appearance at CBE. Customers flocked to the booth for inquiries, and many of them were impressed by HungChi’s positioning as a “cleaning expert” brand.
This stems from the long-term insights of HungChi’s founding team into the facial cleansing field. “No Chinese brand has truly devoted itself to the skincare cleansing sector, especially facial cleansing,” said Li Meili, expressing the initial development direction of HungChi as “gently washing the face clean.”
In fact, facial cleansing is an essential category for almost all skincare brands, but due to its low loyalty and profit margins, most brands haven’t invested much effort into it, which presented an opportunity for HungChi to enter the market.
In 2020, HungChi developed and launched its first facial cleanser, the Amino Acid Skin-Friendly Cleansing Milk, leading the trend with 30% amino acid surface activity, becoming a frequent presence on bestseller lists, highly-rated lists, and repurchase lists on major e-commerce platforms.
Regarding the successful breakthrough in the facial cleansing category, Li Meili told CHAILEEDO, “Very few brands had truly delved into the facial cleansing category before. HungChi recognized the huge daily demand behind facial cleansing and dedicated itself to deepening its presence in the cleansing field, aiming to create a cleansing brand that truly garners consumer loyalty.”
Starting with facial cleansers, HungChi subsequently entered the makeup removal category and also received market acclaim. Among them, HungChi Olive Zymolysis Cleansing Oil accumulated over 27 million units in sales across all channels, ranking first on Tmall’s 2023 618 Makeup Removal Oil “Hot Sales List” and “Highly Rated List.” HungChi Multi-Effect Deep Cleansing Oil sold over 5 million units across all channels and also maintained a long-term presence on major platform rankings.
CHAILEEDO noticed that HungChi’s success lies in understanding that “the excellence of an effective product is only understood after it is finished, while a good skincare cleansing product can be remembered in just 30 seconds.” Guided by this insight, HungChi’s product development aims to address users’ pain points of “cleanliness and gentleness” through scientific formulations and processes, safe raw ingredients, and outstanding product quality. It meets the existing and even undiscovered needs of consumers for skincare cleansing, enabling users to gently wash their skin clean.
The emergence of various popular products has also driven rapid growth in HungChi’s performance. In 2021, HungChi’s total GMV across all channels exceeded tens of millions, surpassing the hundred million threshold in 2022. In 2023, the brand continued its high-speed growth, with total GMV surpassing 400 million yuan across all channels for the entire year.
After four years of development, HungChi has entered a new stage, steadily increasing both its product strength and brand influence. This has given HungChi enough confidence and momentum to participate in CBE, showcasing the brand’s fresh new look and proclaiming itself as the strongest voice among the emerging Chinese skincare brands.
Officially announcing its first brand spokesperson, HungChi evolves from a facial cleansing brand to a “cleaning expert.”
As a consumer brand, finding the real consumers and accurately understanding their high-frequency consumption scenarios is undoubtedly the key to winning the market and breaking through. Choosing the right spokesperson is an important means for a brand to reach its target audience.
CHAILEEDO recently noticed that HungChi announced its first brand spokesperson, Zhang Yunlei, marking a further “breakthrough” in HungChi’s brand image. It is understood that Zhang Yunlei, as a talented young crosstalk performer and singer, aligns well with HungChi in terms of brand positioning and tone.
On one hand, Zhang Yunlei, as an accomplished crosstalk performer in the current professional field, perfectly matches HungChi’s excellent product quality. His gentle and refined national image also resonates with HungChi’s concept of gentle facial cleansing. At the same time, Zhang Yunlei’s diverse talents as a crosstalk performer and singer correspond to HungChi’s positioning in the cleansing and personal care sectors, embodying the idea of “gentle cleansing, more than one aspect.”
In fact, the announcement of the first brand spokesperson is just one part of HungChi’s comprehensive brand upgrade this year. It is reported that 2024 is a year of comprehensive advancement for the HungChi brand, with refreshing changes in brand philosophy, product categories, brand visuals, and brand objectives.
In terms of brand philosophy, HungChi has transitioned from being a facial cleansing brand in the beauty field to a more universal “cleaning expert.” Correspondingly, the brand objective has been upgraded from “gently washing the face clean” to “gentle cleansing, more than one aspect,” expanding its presence in the broader skincare cleansing field to address the two major pain points of Chinese consumers: gentle and clean skin.
In terms of product categories, while HungChi continues to make steady progress in the facial cleansing sector, it is also expanding into the personal care sector. On one hand, it aims to excel in the “facial cleansing” aspect, and on the other hand, it extends “gentle cleansing” to body skincare. Additionally, HungChi has upgraded its product visuals, packaging design, and brand style, rejuvenating its overall brand image.
It is worth mentioning that at CBE, HungChi showcased several key new products, including the second generation of HungChi Olive Zymolysis Cleansing Oil and HungChi Gentle Acne Cleansing Gel.
The second generation of HungChi Olive Zymolysis Cleansing Oil, based on a simplified formula, incorporates high and low polar synthetic esters. It also features specially researched olive oil that undergoes fermentation, enzymolysis, and esterification, enhancing the product’s makeup removal power, efficacy, and gentleness.
Notably, the second generation of Olive Zymolysis Cleansing Oil is not only suitable for sensitive skin and has the effect of protecting the skin barrier, but it also features a uniquely formulated Chinese tea aroma that promotes positive emotions, providing users with an enhanced sensory experience.
At the same time, after achieving the utmost in gentle cleansing, HungChi began to focus on researching how to achieve real efficacy in rinse-off products, leading to the creation of HungChi Acne Cleansing Foam as the brand’s first efficacy-driven cleansing product. HungChi Acne Cleansing Foam is specifically formulated for oily and acne-prone skin. It combines an efficacy-based plant-derived active system with a basic cleansing active system, regulates the microenvironment of acne-prone skin, and inhibits recurring breakouts from the source. The formula also balances the skin’s oil and water levels and effectively treats acne without damaging the skin.
“Goods speak louder than words,” is a phrase often mentioned by HungChi’s product development team. The launch of multiple new products by HungChi is a response to this phrase, demonstrating HungChi’s continuous commitment to product excellence.
Participating in China’s first group standard for Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, HungChi wins multiple industry awards.
In the process of tackling consumer pain points and meeting their cleansing needs, HungChi has also accumulated significant research results and pushed them into the industry, contributing to the healthy development of the beauty market.
For example, as a brand leading the trend of 30% amino acid surfactants (Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate), HungChi discovered that there has been a lack of effective detection methods and reference standards for Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate. The industry has been plagued by chaos, mainly because Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate appears in two forms as cosmetic raw materials: a 30% aqueous solution and a 99% powder. Some unscrupulous businesses, in pursuit of promotional effects, have described the 30% aqueous solution as a 30% additive, misleading consumers.
Therefore, in April of this year, the group standard T/GDAQI 141-2024 “Determination of Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate in Cosmetics – High-Performance Liquid Chromatography” was officially released, jointly led by HungChi and the Guangdong Quality Inspection Association, and implemented on May 1. The release of this standard provides a testing standard for Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, a cosmetic raw material.
HungChi’s multi-faceted deployment in research and development, as well as channels, has allowed it to make steady progress. In terms of research and development, HungChi has established joint research laboratories with several leading companies in the cleansing field. Led by authoritative formulation engineers, the laboratories focus on skincare cleansing, continuously deepen research on exclusive ingredients and advanced technologies. Through co-creation, customized raw materials, and scientifically effective formulation systems, they translate differentiated insights into high-quality professional products with significant competitive advantages.
In terms of channels, in addition to establishing a presence on mainstream online platforms such as Tmall and Douyin, HungChi has also entered over 5,000 well-known offline supermarkets and trendy brand collection stores, achieving a comprehensive channel deployment.
Now, as the flow and channel dividends gradually fade away, the cosmetics industry is entering a stage of high-quality development, where the importance of product quality and brand strength is increasingly prominent. From its inception, HungChi has been committed to building a brand with remarkable product efficacy. It has now entered a more positive development trajectory, becoming the rising star of Chinese skincare.
