What challenges does the relationship between beauty and medicine create?
In China, rules and regulations are getting stricter and stricter. Registration procedures for cosmetics are complicated and can take several months.
Small and big companies alike need to submit very detailed documents for every ingredient, supplier, manufacturing process and so on. Some ingredients that are allowed in Europe, for instance, are forbidden in China, or not allowed in the same concentration.
Tests are repeated in China in accordance with Chinese regulations – even for products already approved for use in Europe or the US. According to some estimates, about 40% of imported products submitted for registration do not pass – at least on the first try. This lack of registration means these products can only be sold through parallel channels such as cross-border e-commerce. In this regard, Chlitina has benefited from its in-depth knowledge of the Chinese market.
One important factor for Chlitina’s resilience may well be the fact that it has R&D as well as production facilities of its own in China, as well as in Taiwan. This enables the company to control quality very tightly at every level, and also to keep up to date with the latest regulatory changes and trends.
How is technology revolutionising this relationship?
Chlitina has identified a large market for medical beauty in an increasingly affluent Chinese society and the company is confident it can channel part of its beauty salon customers towards its clinic.
Indeed, these women are able and willing to spend a lot of money on themselves, on their beauty, and are looking at ways of enhancing their looks and stopping the clock. Of course, everybody dreams of going back to a more youthful self.
Where do you think the future of beauty and medicine will go?
“Maybe sooner than we expect — we will witness tremendous changes in the way medicine addresses ageing and diseases, and this may well have enormous consequences on the beauty business,” explained Ryan Chao, Greater China COO at Chlitina.