Charting distinctive path for beauty brands

For example, advanced sensory evaluation technologies help address a major industry challenge — the heavy reliance on subjective human perception in assessing product texture and makeup performance, which makes it difficult to quantify results, said Li Mingyuan, founder and CEO of Yiwei.

"Objective, quantifiable assessments of usage experience are provided by trained panelists. These sensory data can then be modeled with rheology, consumer behavior preferences and other indicators to generate measurable feedback," Li said.

The niche evaluation player now operates 4,000 square meters of labs covering efficacy testing, cell studies, skin-on-a-chip platforms and more, spanning skincare, makeup, scalp care and haircare sectors in the beauty and wellness industry.

The coordinated growth of R&D institutions and testing providers is a key pillar of Wuxi National High-tech District's strategy to develop the beauty and wellness sector — now one of its three signature biomedicine tracks.

By 2030, the district aims to grow the industry to 10 billion yuan and attract 30 leading enterprises, according to the administrative committee of the high-tech zone.

Future plans include building a full-chain ecosystem integrating R&D, manufacturing and marketing through Jiangnan Beauty Bay; developing specialized facilities such as collaborative aesthetic medicine centers; and strengthening platform-based innovation — including advancing synthetic biology and active ingredient encapsulation platforms — to chart a distinctive development path for the industry.