Against the backdrop of the steady advancement of the Healthy China initiative and the accelerated evolution of consumer demand toward professionalism and scenario-based orientation, a new stride has been made in the ecological synergy between domestic beauty brands and pharmaceutical retail channels. On January 11, PROYA, the flagship brand of Proya Cosmetics Co., Ltd., and Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yixintang") jointly hosted a press conference in Kunming, Yunnan, announcing its official entry into the offline over-the-counter (OTC) medical research channel. The two parties will carry out systematic deployment centering on "empowerment through medical research and synergy between cosmetics and medical devices", enabling consumers to access more professional and reassuring skincare options at daily pharmacies.
Compared with shopping mall counters and online platforms, pharmacies represent professionalism, standardization and safety in the minds of most consumers. PROYA’s decision to partner with Yixintang to expand its footprint in the offline OTC channel is based on this consumer perception, with a focus on "scientific repair and professional anti-aging" to fill the gap in the high-end efficacious skincare market within the OTC sector. At the press conference, both parties stated that this collaboration is not a simple introduction of products; instead, the OTC channel is positioned as a "scenario for the implementation of medical research-backed skincare". Leveraging the professional scenarios and standardized retail terminals of pharmacies, the two sides will jointly build a comprehensive framework for the compliance system, service model and terminal operation mode of efficacious skincare products, allowing scientific research achievements to serve consumers in a more transparent and immediate way and jointly exploring "efficacious skincare solutions underpinned by a pharmacy-grade trust system".
This partnership marks PROYA’s systematic entry into the OTC channel, with a product system constructed around the "dual-track parallel development of cosmetics and medical devices". On one hand, medical-device-class products serve as the important cornerstone for entering the OTC channel; for example, PROYA’s first medical-device-class product, the Medical Recombinant Collagen Dressing, is mainly tailored to meet the clear scenario-based needs such as the care and repair of superficial non-chronic wounds and surrounding skin as well as emergency relief for sensitive skin. On the other hand, in response to the pharmacy sales environment, exclusive configurations are made for some cosmetic-class repair products; for instance, the selected Source Power Series will be labeled as "Pharmacy Exclusive Edition", with enhanced standardized presentation of ingredient information, efficacy verification and usage instructions, enabling pharmacists to understand product functions more intuitively. PROYA emphasized that all products entering the pharmacy system have passed the dual verification of skin mechanism research and clinical efficacy testing, and they are fully compliant with pharmacy sales regulations in terms of filing, labeling and terminal instructions, with the "Medical Research Recommended" logo on the packaging and accompanying recommended efficacy brochures to facilitate explanation by pharmacists.
In addition, to ensure that consumers at pharmacies not only select products but also obtain tailored and professional skincare advice, clearly understanding "why to use, how to use and who it is suitable for", PROYA has also established a dedicated team system of medical research trainers for the OTC channel, providing product training for pharmacists to enable them to make standardized recommendations accurately based on customers’ skin conditions and usage scenarios. Meanwhile, some stores will introduce skin testing and other experiential services to help consumers gain a more intuitive understanding of their own skin conditions before making subsequent purchasing decisions. This "purchase plus consultation" model can effectively reduce consumers’ decision-making pressure in choosing efficacious skincare products, making the skincare process more rational and evidence-based.
In terms of future brand planning, PROYA has formulated a clear phased blueprint for its OTC medical research skincare line. In the short term, the brand will focus on the dual implementation of channels and products, deepen its presence in core pharmacy chain networks, build benchmark cooperation stores, set up "PROYA Medical Research Skincare Zones", and gradually upgrade medical-device-class and pharmacy-exclusive cosmetic-class products to strengthen the dual-scenario coverage of "post-procedure repair plus daily skin maintenance". In the medium term, PROYA will deepen "industry-university-research-hospital" collaboration, co-create OTC skincare guidelines with dermatologists and pharmacy pharmacists, translate clinical experience into terminal service standards, and explore a "technology experience center" model in core stores to provide skin testing and customized skincare advice, expanding the service boundaries of pharmacies. In the long run, PROYA aims to drive the establishment of efficacy verification and compliance standards for domestic beauty brands in the OTC channel at the industry level, build the brand perception of "the leading domestic OTC efficacious skincare brand" and construct a full-cycle scientific skincare ecosystem through the linkage between online medical research popularization and offline pharmacy experiences.
As a representative brand of the scientific research-driven development of domestic beauty, PROYA has long focused on skin mechanism research, continuously deepened its layout in core tracks such as repair and anti-aging, and built a scientific skincare system covering multiple age groups and various skin needs. Yixintang, as a leading listed pharmaceutical retail chain enterprise in China, has over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical retail; as of the third quarter of 2025, it has established more than 11,000 directly operated stores nationwide, serving over 61 million members and building a high-density terminal network covering multiple provinces and cities. The collaboration between Proya Cosmetics Co., Ltd. and Yixintang provides a new constructive development direction for domestic beauty brands to achieve the balanced development of compliance operation, professional services and product value in the OTC channel system. Against the backdrop of rising health awareness and the continuous integration of channel boundaries, the "domestic beauty plus pharmaceutical health" model is moving toward systematic development, which also expands more sustainable paths for the market-oriented implementation of the Healthy China initiative.
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