PCHI Series Interview- Mr. Liu Xiaonan, Sales Manager of Focus Chem Americas

At this PCHi Leadership Summit, ECHEMI was also fortunate to have invited the leading company in the domestic hyaluronic acid industry Focus Chem to receive our exclusive interview!

Regarding the current development and future trends of China and the global medical beauty market, experts in the field of Focus Chem gave professional opinions and answers!

Q: We know that Focus Chem is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the production of sodium hyaluronate. Can you give us a brief introduction to Focus Chem and reveal your company's recent developments?

A: Our Focus Chem is a factory specializing in the production of Hyaluronic Acid. We were established in 2012, and it has been eight years since the development. The development speed is relatively fast. Our company focuses on product development and talent training. Due to the epidemic this year, we cannot go abroad to participate in business activities this year. So now, we are paying more attention to e-commerce.

Q: The focus is on the R&D and production of sodium hyaluronate, which is already highly professional, and it is also a veritable leading enterprise in China. I can see that the products are widely used in cosmetics and nutrition and health products. What is the latest product? What are its characteristics and highlights?

A: As I mentioned earlier, we focus on talent and innovation. In fact, every year, our investment in innovation in hyaluronic acid is very large. Like we have made several new products today, we use oligomeric hyaluronic acid produced by the enzyme digestion method. In the past, the small molecule hyaluronic acid we produced used strong acids and bases to break long chains. Now we are cooperating with Jiangnan University to innovate and develop hyaluronic acid by enzyme digestion.

Q: In addition to sodium hyaluronate, Focus Chem also produces many nutrition and health products, such as vitamin series, plant extract series, Collagen, etc. Among them, do you think your company's plant extract products have any characteristics that attract consumers when they are launched on the market?

A: In fact, in terms of raw materials, we only make hyaluronic acid. When it comes to this plant extract, in fact, some European customers want their raw materials to be pure plant extracts, so we have also done research and development in this area. We extracted a kind of Tremella fuciformis-Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide, whose molecular formula is similar to the molecular structure and hyaluronic acid, so we call it phyto-extracted hyaluronic acid, and the active ingredient of Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide contains 23% glucaldehyde acid.

Q: We know that Focus Chem pays special attention to the investment in innovation and R&D, which has formed the core competitiveness of the company. It also has an engineering laboratory recognized as the "Shandong Engineering Laboratory". So what are the innovative projects currently focused on by Focus, can you tell us about it?

A: Our innovation is still in research and development. At present, our company has applied for more than 20 research and development patents, not only products, but also innovative equipment and production processes. Like we made a cationic hyaluronic acid, because our usual products are neutral, like our hair and skin are negatively charged, so that our hyaluronic acid can be better absorbed on the human body, we are Some innovations have been made on ordinary hyaluronic acid, grafting some cations, so that they can have a positive charge, which is very suitable for hair loss products and some beauty products.

Q: Thank you for your answer, it is very comprehensive. In fact, we can see that in recent years, the market structure of domestic hyaluronic acid has been eyed, and several leading companies have taken the Lead. However, due to the epidemic this year, will Focal Biotech's future strategic layout change?

A: In fact, our strategy is very clear. With hyaluronic acid raw materials as the core, we will transform and upgrade raw materials and some downstream medical aesthetics products. Although the epidemic will have a certain impact on our foreign trade exports, it is not absolute. From some positive perspectives, people's health awareness has also changed a lot. Hyaluronic acid is widely used in life and health products, and it is also an opportunity for us.

Q: We also found that many consumers in the market actually have some questions about hyaluronic acid. We have also seen that Focus Chem has products with different molecular weights. I would like to ask, what is the difference between different molecular weight hyaluronic acid in different application fields?

A: Yes, the most direct difference between hyaluronic acid with different molecular weight is the difference in viscosity. Hyaluronic acid with large molecular weight has a higher viscosity, and a small molecular weight has a lower viscosity. According to the needs of different customers, products with different molecular weights will be selected. For example, if a customer needs hyaluronic acid as a toner, a small molecule hyaluronic acid with a lower viscosity is needed. The main function of macromolecular hyaluronic acid is to form a water-locking film on the surface of the skin to lock in the loss of water. As for small molecules, they can enter the skin, so they can deeply hydrate. Nowadays, when many customers use it, they will enter a compound, combining large and small molecules, which can not only lock the moisture of the skin, but also replenish moisture.

Okay, this time I am very grateful to Mr. Liu Xiaonan, the sales manager for Americas from Focus Chem for accepting our interview, and I hope that the cooperation between echemi and Focus Chem will get better and wider in the future.