Celebrating excellence! Winners of the 2024 Ringier Technology Innovation Awards for Personal Care Industry announced

On 19th July, the prestigious "2024 Ringier Technology Innovation Awards - Personal Care Industry" ceremony took place in Shanghai, hosted by Ringier Trade Media. The event saw over a hundred professionals from across the cosmetics and personal care sectors—encompassing both upstream and downstream companies, academic institutions, and brand users—gathering to review the past year’s innovations and discuss the future of the industry.

The "Ringier Technology Innovation Awards" were established by Ringier Trade Media in 2006, focusing on industrial technology innovation. Recognized as a fair, impartial, and professional platform, the awards have become a significant honour within the industry. Now in its 13th year, the awards continue to play a crucial role in driving the growth and innovation of the personal care industry in China.

This year’s competition attracted unprecedented participation, with 285 products from 172 companies competing, including contributions from multinational corporations, highlighting the global appeal of the Chinese market. Notably, local companies showed remarkable progress, underscoring the accelerated development of domestic innovation capabilities.

The evaluation criteria focused on three main dimensions: product innovation, contribution to industry development, and market performance, with votes weighted as 70% from expert judges and 30% from online voting. The panel of 14 experts, hailing from various fields such as cosmetics research and development, dermatology, and aesthetic medicine, cast a total of 638 votes, enhancing the professionalism and fairness of the selection process. Additionally, 3.87 million public votes were received online, reflecting the public's keen interest in industry innovation.

After over two months of rigorous selection, documentation review, public voting, and expert evaluation, 90 innovative technologies emerged as winners. These represent cutting-edge advancements in active ingredients, functional ingredients, packaging design, testing services, manufacturing processes, and scientific skincare, showcasing the future directions and trends of the personal care industry.

Opening Remarks

Ms. Maggie Liu, President of Ringier Trade Media, delivered the opening address, expressing delight at the new trends in industry development seen in this year's winning entries.

She highlighted significant innovations in active ingredients, particularly in moisturizing, repair, whitening, and oil control technologies. Additionally, she noted the impressive updates in functional ingredients, especially in surfactants and emulsifiers, as well as the active exploration towards ESG, environmental protection, and sustainability in packaging materials and design, and manufacturing processes. Ms. Liu encouraged more products and technologies to participate in future competitions to continuously drive innovation and healthy development in the personal care industry.

Following her, Dr. Huang Hu, CTO and Global Chief Scientist at Chicmax Cosmetic, and former Global Chief Scientist at Procter & Gamble, representing the expert jury, shared his insights.

He noted the strong presence of local companies, which accounted for 85% of the entries, reflecting the robust growth of China’s personal care industry. Dr. Huang emphasized the importance of active ingredients, which dominated both entries and awards, highlighting the market's urgent demand for efficient and innovative ingredients. He also encouraged ongoing technological innovation as the lifeblood of the personal care industry, urging companies to continue driving advancements that offer safer, more effective, and environmentally friendly products.

Award Winners List

Award Ceremony Highlights

During the 2024 Ringier Technology Innovation Awards for the Personal Care Industry, several distinguished professionals had the honour of presenting awards to the winning companies across various categories:

Moisturising & Repairing: Ms. Maggie Liu, President of Ringier Trade Media, presented the award to the winners in the "Moisturising & Repairing" category under the "Active Chemicals" section.

Smoothing & Calming: Dr. Huang Hu, CTO and Global Chief Scientist at Chicmax Cosmetic, and former Global Chief Scientist at Procter & Gamble, awarded the winners in the "Smoothing & Calming" category.

Spot Removal & Whitening: Dr. Liu Yuliang, Medical Doctor and Chair of the Cosmetic Science and Technology Society under the China Association of Fragrance Flavor and Cosmetic Industries, presented the award in the "Spot Removal & Whitening" category.

Anti-aging, Wrinkle Reduction, Firming: Ms. Amanda Chen, R&D Director for LVMH in Asia Pacific and former Global Research Director at L'Oréal and Chicmax Cosmetic, awarded the winners in the "Anti-aging, Wrinkle Reduction, Firming" category.

Anti-aging, Wrinkle Reduction, Firming: Dr. Jia Haidong, the Head of R&D at Shanghai Jahwa United Co., Ltd., had the honour of presenting the award for the "Anti-aging, Wrinkle Reduction, Firming" category within the "Active Chemicals" section.

Sun Protection, Hair/Scalp Care, Personal Cleansing, Oral Care, Other Active Ingredients: Dr. Bao Feng, Ph.D. in Physiology from Fudan University, and Executive Director of the Chinese Association of Integrated Aesthetic Medicine (CIAM), presented awards across several subcategories.

Functional Chemicals: Professor Yang Cheng from Jiangnan University, Director of the Cosmetic Innovation Center, presented awards in various categories including Surfactants, Rheology, Softeners, Emulsifiers, Colourants, Sensory Enhancer, Delivery System, and other Functional Ingredients.

Packaging Equipment, Packaging Design, Testing Equipment, Testing Technology, Manufacturing, Scientific Skincare: Ms. Shadow Yang, Industry Research Director at Ringier Trade Media, presented the awards in these categories.

Honorable Mention: Ms. Shadow Yang also presented the Honorable Mention awards.

Group Photo of Award-Winning Companies

These presentations celebrated the achievements and innovations that are driving the personal care industry forward, highlighting the importance of continued innovation and excellence in this rapidly evolving field.

Expert Jury Summary

Several industry experts shared their perspectives on the evaluation process, offering deep insights into the future development of the personal care industry and their expectations for innovative technologies:

Dr. Huang Hu, CTO and Global Chief Scientist at Chicmax Cosmetic, emphasized that active ingredients remain the focal point of the industry. He highlighted significant progress made by domestic companies in the development of new raw materials, particularly in the areas of synthetic biology, organic synthesis, and plant extracts. He also noted that moisturizing products dominated both the entries and the winning projects, reflecting the industry’s investment trends in recent years. Additionally, anti-aging and soothing products showed strong growth potential.

Dr. Bao Feng, Ph.D. in Physiology from Fudan University, praised the overall quality of this year’s entries, noting a marked improvement in the quality of submissions compared to the previous year, especially in the field of active ingredients. Dr. Bao also pointed out the increasing application of artificial intelligence in the development of active ingredients for personal care, which opens new possibilities for the discovery of ingredients unique to the Chinese market. He also urged the industry to pay attention to lipid metabolism, identifying it as a relatively neglected but highly promising research area for domestic companies.

Dr. Liu Yuliang, Chair of the Cosmetic Science and Technology Society under the China Association of Fragrance Flavor and Cosmetic Industries, acknowledged the increase in the number of participating companies, which he believes reflects the domestic cosmetic industry’s efforts to fill gaps in active ingredient research and reduce reliance on external technologies. He particularly emphasized the rapid advancements in biosynthesis technology, suggesting that this could bring new opportunities to the industry.

Professor Yang Cheng from Jiangnan University, provided valuable suggestions from another perspective. While recognizing the significant progress domestic companies have made in catching up with international standards, he stressed the need for further strengthening research on basic raw materials. Professor Yang urged the industry to focus on innovation in fundamental ingredients, such as sensory enhancers and formulation types, alongside popular active ingredients, to achieve comprehensive and balanced technological advancement.

Ms. Amanda Chen, R&D Director for LVMH in Asia Pacific, analyzed industry trends from a market demand perspective. She observed a decline in demand for high-end medical beauty products, a trend reflected in this year’s ingredient selection. Ms. Chen also highlighted the emerging field of "emotional skincare," noting that while the number of entries in this category decreased this year, it could indicate that the industry is moving towards practical application, warranting continued attention.

These insights collectively illustrate that the Chinese personal care industry is at a critical juncture, filled with opportunities and challenges. As domestic companies continue to advance in active ingredient research, new technology applications, and basic raw material innovation, the industry is poised for significant breakthroughs. The focus on both short-term trends and long-term development will be essential in shaping the future of the personal care market.

Selected Candid Photos from the Event

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Conclusion

The 2024 Ringier Technology Innovation Awards once again highlighted the dynamic and evolving landscape of China’s personal care industry. The awards not only recognized outstanding achievements but also provided a platform for the exchange of ideas and the promotion of future innovations. As the industry continues to advance, these awards will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping its future.

 

Prepared by John Xie