Author | Ai Meili
Edit | Perilla frutescens
Source | new consumption of tide watching (ID: tide)
"Hyaluronic acid is like the clay that God used to create Adam and Eve." In the book Beauty King 2 published in 2007, Da S introduced hyaluronic acid, which was not widely known at that time.
In recent years, the medical beauty in full swing has brought hyaluronic acid with the functions of filling, wrinkle removal and moisturizing to more consumers. Hyaluronic acid, which is indispensable for female stars, has gradually become a "beauty sacred product" for the public.
In the capital market, Huaxi Bio, Aimeike and Haohaishengke, known as the "three giants of hyaluronic acid", went public one after another within one year, which also created two rich women. At present, the total market value of the three major companies adds up to more than 275 billion yuan.
In terms of industry, China Manufacturing has delivered 75% of hyaluronic acid products to the world, almost monopolizing the global hyaluronic acid industry. At present, the top five suppliers in the world: Huaxi Bio, Focus Bio, Fufeng Bio, Chen Dong Bio and Anhua Bio, all come from Shandong, China.
The fierce consumption and capital market make people pay attention to and examine this magical molecule. From orthopedics and ophthalmic surgery to skin care products, medicines and functional foods, the application scope of hyaluronic acid is constantly expanding. From raw material production, medical packaging materials to end products, the ecology of hyaluronic acid industry is constantly improving.
Why is the hyaluronic acid of "Medical Beauty Maotai" so profiteering? Why did Shandong monopolize the hyaluronic acid industry? Behind this "printing machine" business, in addition to creating countless rich people, it also opened the era of "anything can be hyaluronic acid".
Hyaluronic acid was first discovered in 1934. Carl Meyer, an ophthalmologist at Columbia University, extracted a polysaccharide from bovine vitreous in an experiment and named it hyaluronic acid. Since then, it has been found in tissues such as pig skin, rabbit skin and cockscomb flower.
It is called hyaluronic acid because China scholars in Taiwan Province Province mistook uronic acid for uric acid and misinterpreted it as hyaluronic acid in translation.
From the perspective of international development, Andre balaz invented the process of separating hyaluronic acid from Celosia cristata and human umbilical cord in 1970s. In 1980s, hyaluronic acid was widely used in orthopedics, dermatology, surgery, cosmetics and other fields. Hyaluronic acid began to develop in the 1990s and entered the medical beauty industry. 2 1 century, hyaluronic acid has been comprehensively applied in various fields.
In China, hyaluronic acid for cosmetics was prepared from Celosia cristata, human umbilical cord, bovine eye and pig eye from 1983, and mass production of hyaluronic acid was started from 1988 for global market.
There is a saying in the industry that the world hyaluronic acid looks at China and China hyaluronic acid looks at Shandong. For every 10 piece of hyaluronic acid in the world, 7 pieces are from Shandong. Shandong enterprises first entered the field of hyaluronic acid, behind which we have to mention Ling Peixue, the "father of hyaluronic acid in China".
1983, Ling, a master student of Shandong Medical University, studied under Mr., one of the founders of biochemical pharmacy in China. He took the lead in finding the breakthrough point of hyaluronic acid extraction technology and developed a unique biological extraction technology of hyaluronic acid.
This major technological breakthrough not only reduced the extraction cost of hyaluronic acid, but also broke the technological monopoly in the west, laying a solid foundation for the large-scale production and application of hyaluronic acid in China.
From 65438 to 0986, Ling just graduated from graduate school and entered Shandong Pharmaceutical College. China hyaluronic acid industrialization research was officially launched in the venture capital of 30,000 yuan allocated by Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce and 1 old factory. The following year, another student, Guo, joined the study after graduation.
After many failures, Ling and his team finally developed a biological extraction technology to prepare hyaluronic acid, which realized the technical foundation of hyaluronic acid industrialization.
From 65438 to 0992, Ling's team took the lead in establishing Shandong Freda Pharmaceutical Group and Shandong Freda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (now Shandong Doctor Lun Freda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) by using the technology of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Shandong Freda Bioengineering Co., Ltd. and Shandong Freda Biochemical Co., Ltd. were established from 65438 to 0998 respectively.
In 2002, he wrote in the magazine Food and Drug that Ling et al. pioneered the industrial production of hyaluronic acid by biological fermentation in China on 1992. 65438-0998, the first industrial fermentation HA production line in China was put into production.
You know, in the 1970s, one kilogram of hyaluronic acid needed to be extracted from more than 200 kilograms of Celosia cristata, and the price of medical-grade hyaluronic acid per gram was as high as $ 100, which was extremely expensive. The appearance of microbial fermentation greatly improved the industrialization and scale of hyaluronic acid. Now the price of cosmetic grade hyaluronic acid has dropped from several thousand yuan per kilogram to several tens of thousands.
Thanks to microbial fermentation, China has gradually become the largest supplier of hyaluronic acid in the world. Sullivan released a "China hyaluronic acid industry market research report", showing that the total sales of hyaluronic acid raw materials in China accounted for 86% of the total global sales in 2065438+2008.
Among them, the sales of Huaxi Bio alone accounted for 36%. According to the data in the financial report, the production capacity of sodium hyaluronate of Huaxi Bio increased from 0.8 tons in 2000 to 320 tons in 2020, a 400-fold increase in 20 years.
According to the survey data of Tianyan, there are currently more than 200 hyaluronic acid-related enterprises in China. In terms of geographical distribution, Shandong Province ranks first in the country with 130 hyaluronic acid-related enterprises, accounting for nearly 60%. There are also more than 10 related enterprises in Hebei, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces.
Shandong has a rich foundation in the research and development of hyaluronic acid. In addition, as a big agricultural province, Shandong provides a stable raw material for the production of hyaluronic acid; Coupled with Shandong Duopharmaceutical Company, the steps of microbial fermentation are similar to those of pharmaceutical industry, and soon an industrial cluster has been formed.
Up to now, there are still many hyaluronic acid enterprises in Shandong that have direct or indirect relations with Freda. In recent years, Shandong has also expanded from raw materials and preparations to broader fields such as cosmetics and functional foods.
"1 hyaluronic acid molecules can lock 1000 water molecules." At the end of the Millennium, Zhao Yan, who had gained a lot in the real estate field, studied EMBA in Peking University, during which she met Guo, a researcher at Shandong Institute of Medicine, and marveled at the magic of hyaluronic acid.
At that time, the domestic medical beauty industry was still in its infancy, and hyaluronic acid was still a strange "new species". With keen insight, Zhao Yan foresaw its broad market in the future.
However, at that time, Freda's business situation was not good. Hyaluronic acid has not been popularized and is limited by the market. Freda Biochemical fell into a loss soon after its establishment.
In 2002, Zhao Yan bought 50% equity of Freda Biochemical at a price of 6.5438+0.5 million yuan. After that, Zhao Yan became the controlling shareholder of Freda Biochemical in 2004 through a series of equity operations. After twice renaming, Freda Biochemical has become a West China creature.
At the end of 2003, Sweden Chimeide's hyaluronic acid filler was approved by FDA. Jian Jun, the founder of Aimeike abroad, also saw the magic of hyaluronic acid. Injecting hyaluronic acid into facial subcutaneous tissue can improve facial wrinkles.
Jianjun once recalled: "beauty seekers can improve their skin and appearance very conveniently, and the effect is immediate." So I think this is a very good market. At that time, no one in China realized it, but we saw the potential of this market. "
After witnessing it with my own eyes, Jianjun has been obsessed with it. In 2004, at the age of 4/kloc-0, she resigned and returned to China to start a business, and established the predecessor of Aimeike, Beijing Yingzhihuang Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
At that time, West China's biology had not improved. European, American and Korean companies dominate the supplier market of facial fillers, and China hyaluronic acid can only rely on imports. At that time, domestic medical beauty had just started, and Putian cosmetic hospitals were everywhere. The army struggled hard and embarked on the road of independent research and development.
In 2009, Aimei, the first product independently developed by Aimeike, obtained the medical device registration certificate and went on the market, becoming the first enterprise in China to obtain the medical device registration certificate of related products. At the same time, Aimeike has also broken the situation that foreign brands monopolize the China market.
Since then, Aimeike has launched a series of iterative updates of hyaluronic acid injection products every 1-2 years, enriching the product line to long-acting microsphere hyaluronic acid and facial implant line products.
After a series of drastic reforms in Zhao Yan, in 2007, Huaxi Bio became the largest manufacturer of raw materials for R&D and hyaluronic acid in the world. And in 20 12 and 20 14, we cut into the fields of medical terminal and functional skin care products respectively, and launched Runbaiyan.
On the other hand, in 2020, Aimeike will become the largest supplier of hyaluronic acid-based skin fillers in China, with a market share of 27.2%.
The reason why it is called "medical beauty Maotai" is because hyaluronic acid and raw materials used in Moutai fermentation are similar. Of course, the profit margin is similar. Especially in medical and aesthetic institutions, the price of hyaluronic acid is 3,000-5,000 yuan per tablet, and the cost is around 20 yuan.
The financial report shows that from 20 18 to 202 1, Aimeike's revenue is 32 10/0 million yuan, 557 million yuan, 709 million yuan and 259 million yuan respectively; The net profit was1.1.50 million yuan, 297 million yuan, 433 million yuan and 1.66 million yuan respectively. In the first quarter of this year, Aimeike's gross profit margin was as high as 92.5%.
The revenue of Huaxi Bio in Q 18 -202 1 is12.63 million yuan,18.86 million yuan, 2.633 billion yuan and 777 million yuan respectively. In the same period, the gross profit margin of Huaxi Bio was 79.92%, 79.66%, 865, 438+0.465, 438+0% and 78.7% respectively.
When Huaxi Bio and Amy were in full swing, Jiang Weigang founded Haohai Co., Ltd. in 2007, when it was still a shell company. It is also aimed at hyaluronic acid industry. Under a series of capital operations, it has acquired more than 40 companies at home and abroad, which constitutes the present Haohai Ke Sheng.
However, the business of "Hyaluronic Acid Big Three" has its own characteristics: Huaxi's biological business involves raw materials, functional skin care, medical terminal products and so on. Aimeike mainly focuses on medical beauty filling products, and Haohaisheng mainly focuses on ophthalmology (intraocular lens, upstream materials of ophthalmology, orthokeratology mirror, PRL), plastic surgery and wound care (hyaluronic acid), orthopedics (viscoelastic supplement) and anti-adhesion hemostasis (.
From a scientific point of view, what is hyaluronic acid? Inside? Source material,? Is ubiquitous in the joint cavity? Skin, soft? In an organization like this. Although the content in human body is only 15g, it can play a key role in joint lubrication, vascular wall permeability regulation, wound healing and so on. However, with the increase of age, the ability of human body to synthesize hyaluronic acid gradually decreases.
The fear of "old age" and the pursuit of beauty have spawned a large number of demands, and the production capacity of each family is also constantly improving.
In 2020, Huaxi Bio acquired Dongying Foster, a subsidiary of Chen Dong Bio, the fourth largest supplier, for 290 million yuan. Committed to the research and production of cosmetic-grade, food-grade hyaluronic acid and other biochemical raw materials, with an annual production capacity of 100 tons. In addition, Huaxi Bio has built a new 300-ton production base in Tianjin. It is estimated that by the end of this year, the annual output of Huaxi Biological will reach 720 tons.
Hyaluronic acid raw material market is highly concentrated, and under fierce competition, the production capacity may be excessive. Ling once revealed that the price of hyaluronic acid raw materials has been declining in the past decade, with an average annual decline of about 5%. In his view, the global demand for raw materials will not exceed 1000 tons. "Now I will convince those who come to me for advice and want to invest in raw material factories, because there is already excess capacity."
There are not many opportunities for new entrants, but Huaxi Bio has been committed to developing new "food" machines.
In fact, China has also explored and applied hyaluronic acid as food for a long time. As early as 2008, China has approved sodium hyaluronate as a new resource food, but its application scope is limited to health food raw materials.
At the same time, in Japan, South Korea, the United States, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and other countries, sodium hyaluronate and its products have been allowed to be added to food or dietary supplements and are widely used.
The new turning point stems from the approval of "food-grade hyaluronic acid" by the Health and Health Commission at the beginning of this year.
202 1 17, National Health Commission officially approved the application of sodium hyaluronate (commonly known as "hyaluronic acid") declared by Huaxi Biotechnology Co., Ltd. as a new food raw material. Hyaluronic acid can be used in daily food, including dairy products, beverages, alcohol, chocolate and candy.
Luo Yunbo, a professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, said that after 30 years of changes, the supervision has been improved day by day, and the development of new food raw materials has ushered in new vitality. In-depth study on the food attribute orientation, safety and functionality of new food raw materials will promote the development of food industry and specialty food.
From raw materials to consumer goods, hyaluronic acid is ambitious. /kloc-registered hyaluronic acid snack brand in October, launched hyaluronic acid drinking water in March, and sold hyaluronic acid pet food in April. Although these products have been questioned by the media and peers as IQ tax, Huaxi is still firmly laying out the C-end.
Raw materials and products are no longer the biggest source of income for Huaxi Bio. According to the data of its 2020 annual report, the revenue of Huaxi's biological functional skin care products increased by 1 12% year-on-year, surpassing the raw material business for the first time and accounting for more than half of the operating income.
At the 2020 annual performance media communication meeting, Zhao Yan said that in 20021year, the company will extend its tentacles to the track of functional foods, and move from the "troika" of raw materials, medical devices and functional skin care products to the "four-wheel drive" of adding functional foods.
At the seminar on the application prospect of sodium hyaluronate in food field held in July, Zhao Yan clearly stated that "this year is the first year for sodium hyaluronate to be used in ordinary food."
Zang Hengchang, director of the Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Preparation Technology Research and Evaluation of the State Administration of Pharmaceutical Products and vice president of the Institute of Drug Regulatory Science of Shandong University, has publicly stated: According to literature reports, about 76.5% of oral high molecular weight hyaluronic acid is metabolized by the liver, and about 8.8% is transported to various tissues and organs to play a biological role. Oral hyaluronic acid can protect gastrointestinal health, protect eyes, relieve osteoarthritis and improve skin.
Many experts also have reservations about hyaluronic acid food.
Luo Yunbo, director of the Center for Characteristic Food Research of China Agricultural University and a professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, pointed out that while promoting the development and transformation of the food industry, new food raw materials also face several major challenges: First, the supervision of new food raw materials, how to ensure food safety while taking into account the sustainable use of resources is a regulatory problem; The second is the safety evaluation of new food raw materials, and the evaluation method, process and mechanism are the future research directions; The third is functional research. In the future, the application of new food raw materials in special medical foods should be fully verified through functional research.
Compared with overseas markets with rich categories and larger scale, the popularity of hyaluronic acid food in China is still very low. Head raw material suppliers and brand merchants compete to endorse with relevant research and data, which has set off an upsurge of "anything can be hyaluronic acid".
Nowadays, hyaluronic acid not only plays an important role in medical beauty, but also becomes the value-added secret of food, daily chemicals and household items.
Undoubtedly, the widening of new scenes has become a feast for hipsters.
Statistics show that the final market size of food-grade hyaluronic acid products in China may reach 20.6 billion yuan. Hyaluronic acid water, hyaluronic acid soft candy, hyaluronic acid pet food and so on emerge in endlessly.
But even giants like Huaxi Bio and Aimeike invest little in R&D every year. In the first quarter, the R&D expenses of Huaxi Bio-technology were 38.94 million yuan, and the sales expenses were 338 million yuan.
On August 9, People's Daily published an article pointing out that in recent years, the medical beauty industry has developed rapidly, and more and more people choose to realize their desire to become beautiful through medical beauty. However, the problem cannot be ignored. Some medical and beauty institutions only talk about "the best effect" and don't talk about "bad consequences" in the publicity process, which is easy for consumers to ignore security risks.
Whether the product is effective or not has become a kind of metaphysics, which depends more on the consumer experience. After hyaluronic acid, botulinum toxin is eager to try, and the story of making wealth continues.
References:
Anything can be hyaluronic acid. Who is making its myth? "people of the day"
"Shandong is sweeping the world" Facing "business", prism
"Why does Shandong hyaluronic acid raw material dominate the world? Southern Weekend