On March 16, the inauguration ceremony of the Skin Clinical Science and Innovation Laboratory, jointly established by Proya Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, was held in Shanghai. With the establishment of the laboratory, the two parties will carry out all-round cooperation in areas including the research and development of functional skincare products, basic research on skin science, professional talent training, and the transformation of research achievements, so as to jointly explore an innovative path for in-depth collaboration between the cosmetics industry and dermatological medical institutions.
Hou Yameng, General Manager of Proya Co., Ltd., and Li Bin, President of Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, signed the cooperation agreement and jointly inaugurated the laboratory. Enterprise representatives including Sun Peiwen, Chief R&D and Innovation Officer of Proya, and Chang Xiaowei, Director of Proya Shanghai R&D Center, as well as hospital leaders including Chen Zhongjian, Shi Yuling and Zhang Guolong, Vice Presidents of Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, attended the event.
At present, China’s functional skincare market is experiencing a period of rapid development. Data from Euromonitor shows that the market size of dermatological-grade skincare products in China is expected to approach 130 billion yuan by 2030, accounting for 22.9% of the total skincare market. Against this trend, integrating cutting-edge dermatological research with real‑world clinical experience and translating them into effective product solutions to meet consumers’ multiple demands for efficacy, safety and personalization has become a core capability that cosmetics companies must build. It is also an important direction for the high‑quality development of China’s skin health cause.
The collaboration between Proya Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital is an important step to follow industry trends, build consensus and deepen industry‑university‑research‑hospital synergy. Previously, the two parties have conducted joint exploration in multiple fields, including research on the skin basement membrane of the Chinese population, post‑medical‑aesthetic skin care, and adjuvant repair creams for atopic dermatitis. Together with Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Proya has carried out the first systematic study on the skin basement membrane status of the Chinese population, systematically analyzing the morphological characteristics of the basement membrane in Chinese people based on non‑invasive skin imaging technology. In addition, the two sides have also made progress in efficacy verification. Relying on the Skin Clinical Science and Innovation Laboratory, they have completed dual verification of efficacy and safety for some products under Proya’s main brand.
These early achievements have not only accumulated solid and valuable cooperation experience for both parties, but also laid a solid foundation for conducting higher‑level clinical research and promoting the efficient transformation of more innovative achievements in the future.
Moving from project cooperation to platform co‑construction and from single‑point exploration to in‑depth industrial integration, the official launch of the Skin Clinical Science and Innovation Laboratory marks that the partnership between the two parties has entered a new stage of systematic innovation. Going forward, the laboratory will focus on three major development directions:
First, deepen basic research, focusing on the skin characteristics of the Chinese population, and conduct joint research on skin physiology, aging mechanisms and barrier repair.
Second, accelerate clinical translation, tap into the professional value of the hospital’s clinical formulations and prescriptions, and combine consumer insights from the market to develop functional skincare products that better meet public needs.
Third, build a verification closed loop. Leveraging the professional qualifications of the hospital’s Cosmetics Evaluation Center, the laboratory will provide rigorous clinical verification and safety testing for related products, forming a complete “evidence chain” from research to clinic and from laboratory to consumers, and explore skincare efficacy evaluation standards and verification frameworks that are more in line with real‑world applications.
Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital is the only tertiary dermatological hospital in Shanghai. As a highly influential medical institution in the field of dermatology in China, it has 90 years of expertise in dermatological diagnosis and treatment, scientific research, education, and skin health services. It leads the country in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases such as psoriasis, ALA photodynamic therapy, and skin tumors. The hospital has established a world-renowned clinical research laboratory for cosmetics and is the first professional technical service platform for human efficacy testing of skin health-related products in Shanghai.
It also boasts profound foundations and extensive experience in the research, development, and application of specialized topical preparations. The hospital houses two core industrial innovation platforms: The Pilot Test Platform for Skincare Technology Application and Safety & Efficacy Verification, recognized by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization; The Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Innovative Traditional Chinese Medicine Topical Preparations.
At the signing ceremony, President Li Bin stated:
“This collaboration represents an important practice for our hospital to deepen industry-university-research-hospital integration and promote the translation of skin health research achievements. It is also a meaningful attempt to align dermatological medicine with the beauty industry and explore new pathways for science-based skincare. We hope that through this joint effort, both parties will strengthen exchanges, conduct more valuable research in basic skin health studies and industry standard-setting, jointly safeguard the skin health of Chinese people, and elevate China’s skin health cause to a new level of high-quality development.”
General Manager Hou Yameng commented:
“For many years, Proya has been grounded in skin mechanism research, focusing on core sectors such as skin repair and anti-aging, and has built a science-based skincare system covering multiple age groups and diverse skin needs. The significance of co-establishing the Skin Clinical Science and Innovation Laboratory lies in creating a stable and collaborative platform that connects basic research, clinical verification, and product commercialization. This allows scientific and innovative achievements to be applied continuously and systematically, rather than remaining as one-off breakthroughs. Such collaboration is, in essence, a concrete practice of integrating the innovation chain and the industrial chain.”
This year marks the start of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period. The state has clearly signaled its commitment to strengthening basic research, promoting the translation of scientific and technological achievements, and improving people’s health protection. Proya actively responds to national policies, achieving corporate growth through scientific and technological self-reliance and long-term value creation. The partnership with Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital is a practical step for Proya to further build its “industry-university-research-hospital” innovation ecosystem and implement the guidance of the 15th Five-Year Plan.
In the future, guided by the Skin Clinical Science and Innovation Laboratory, the two parties will jointly promote the efficient translation and application of more pioneering research achievements, explore the establishment of more rigorous and scientific evaluation standards and verification frameworks, and drive the domestic skin health industry toward greater scientificity, standardization, and high-quality development.
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