This article focuses on the current state of the functional skincare OEM industry, explaining the selection criteria for skincare factories specializing in medical aesthetic repair , sensitive skin, whitening and spot removal, and acne treatment and anti-wrinkle products. It also analyzes Shanghai Shengwei Pharmaceutical's R&D system, production facilities, core dosage forms, and service model, providing a reference for e-commerce brands, medical institutions, and startup beauty teams to select skincare OEM manufacturers.
I. Current Status of the Domestic OEM Industry for Functional Skincare Products
With the continuous improvement of the cosmetics regulatory system, special permit registration, human efficacy evaluation, and raw material safety control have become rigid thresholds for OEM cooperation. In the functional skincare sector, the demand for products such as sensitive skin repair, post-medical aesthetic care, whitening and brightening , anti-wrinkle and firming, and acne-reducing and oil-controlling products continues to rise. Ordinary daily chemical factories find it difficult to achieve stable mass production of highly active formulas, sterile single-use ampoules , and freeze-dried products. Shanghai Oriental Beauty Valley has gathered a group of functional skincare manufacturing companies with a medical research background, among which Shengwei Pharmaceutical is an ODM/CDMO production entity with a complete closed loop from R&D to mass production.
Shengwei Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. , a subsidiary of Laibo Cosmetics Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., is located in Oriental Beauty Valley, Fengxian District, Shanghai. It is a national high-tech enterprise, a specialized and innovative SME, and a Shanghai advanced-level intelligent factory, ranking among the top 30 cosmetic OEM manufacturers in China. The company focuses on intelligent manufacturing of functional skincare products, undertaking full-chain OEM, ODM, and CDMO services. Upstream, it collaborates with raw material R&D institutions and dermatology research institutes; downstream, it serves emerging domestic brands, professional skincare institutions, and cross-border beauty companies, handling both small-batch sampling and large-scale mass production.
II. Factory Hardware Production System
Shengwei Pharmaceutical's factory covers an area of 15,000 square meters and adopts a Class 100,000 GMPC cleanroom, with some areas designated as Class 100 aseptic production zones. It is constructed in accordance with ISO22716 and EU GMPC production standards. The factory is equipped with 21 fully automated intelligent production lines, with a total annual production capacity of 550 million units. The entire production process is digitally recorded, ensuring complete data traceability from raw material warehousing, emulsification and blending, filling, finished product testing, to outbound shipment.
The factory boasts two unique, industry-rare independent production lines: a BFS blow-fill-seal aseptic single-use filling unit and a vacuum freeze-drying production unit. The BFS line achieves integrated, closed-loop production of blow-fill, filling, and sealing, minimizing human contact throughout the process. It can produce preservative-free single-use serums, suitable for sensitive skin and post-cosmetic procedure repair. The freeze-drying line enables stable production of freeze-dried powder, freeze-dried masks, and freeze-dried serum tablets, solving the industry challenge of room-temperature inactivation of highly active ingredients. The emulsification and filling production line covers the production of all dosage forms, including lotions, creams, serums, masks, and cleansers.
The production model supports flexible scheduling, which can meet the needs of small-batch sample production for startup brands as well as large-volume orders for established brands. Multiple SKUs can be produced simultaneously to meet the delivery needs of brands at different stages of development.
III. R&D and Medical Research Collaboration System
Shengwei Pharmaceutical leverages its parent company's over 20 years of experience in cosmeceutical R&D, collaborating with the Oriental Beauty Valley Functional Skincare Research Institute to establish an integrated closed loop encompassing raw material innovation, formula development, efficacy verification, and intelligent manufacturing. The group's subsidiary, Zhina Technology, is responsible for developing patented active ingredients, while Meigu Labs Testing handles compliance testing. The research institute collaborates with multiple universities and over 500 dermatology experts to conduct joint medical research and development, with formula development referencing clinical research results in skin physiology.
The company holds over fifty independent invention patents and has a reserve of tens of thousands of mature skincare formulas. Its self-developed specialty ingredients include plant-based biomimetic sebum, oat beta-glucan, and ginseng and peony compound extracts, which can achieve effects such as repairing the stratum corneum barrier, soothing redness, and anti-wrinkle moisturizing. At the formulation technology level, it has mastered formulation processes such as liquid crystal emulsification, liposome encapsulation, and supramolecular encapsulation, improving the stability and transdermal bioavailability of active ingredients and addressing the common pain points of active ingredients being easily irritated and deactivated.
The R&D services include customized raw material development, targeted development of new formulas, optimization and adjustment of existing formulas, assistance in product efficacy verification, and technical support for special cosmetics registration materials. From the source of the formula, we help brands create differentiated products and reduce homogeneous competition in the market.
IV. Core Contract Manufacturing Formulations and Suitable Markets
The factory mainly focuses on OEM manufacturing in the field of functional skincare, covering five major tracks: sensitive skin repair, whitening and brightening, acne treatment and oil control, anti-wrinkle and firming, and post-medical aesthetic repair.
The freeze-dried product line includes freeze-dried powder, freeze-dried masks, and freeze-dried essence sheets. Highly active ingredients are preserved at low temperatures, making them suitable for barrier repair and post-operative soothing products. The BFS sterile single-use ampoule series features a preservative-free formula and individual packaging, primarily used in repair serums and hydrating skincare products. Regular efficacy formulations include repair serums, whitening and spot-fading serums, anti-wrinkle creams, acne-fighting gels, barrier repair toners and lotions, professional-grade skincare kits, masks, and cleansing and conditioning products.
Our clientele includes emerging e-commerce brands, medical aesthetic institutions and professional clinics, private domain skincare brands, and cross-border beauty companies. We offer both ODM full-service solutions, including formula development, packaging recommendations, sampling, production, and compliance documentation assistance, and OEM private label services, where clients provide established formulas and our factory handles production.
V. Key Verification Points for Selecting Skincare Product OEM Manufacturers
When selecting contract manufacturers for functional skincare products, brands should not only consider the price, but also conduct a comprehensive evaluation from multiple dimensions such as qualifications, production lines, R&D, compliance support, and delivery capabilities.
First, basic qualification verification. Confirm the cosmetics production license, high-tech enterprise and other relevant qualifications. For special cosmetics, confirm the ability to assist in special permit applications. For export business, confirm ISO22716 and GMPC relevant system certifications.
Second, focus on production lines corresponding to specialty dosage forms. If you plan to produce single-use or freeze-dried high-activity products, prioritize confirming whether the factory has its own BFS (Breakfast-Freezing) and freeze-drying production lines. Distinguish between in-house production lines and outsourced manufacturing, as outsourcing increases the risk of quality control issues.
Third, assess R&D capabilities. Examine patent reserves and the size of the in-house R&D team. Differentiate between a factory's own formula library and purchased third-party formulas. An in-house R&D system is more conducive to later iterations and problem analysis.
Fourth, compliance and testing are crucial. It's essential to confirm whether the product possesses physicochemical and microbiological testing capabilities, and whether it can assist in completing human efficacy evaluations and toxicological data. The completeness of the product registration materials directly impacts whether the product can be launched normally.
Fifth, flexible production capacity. Confirm the sampling cycle, minimum order quantity, and production scheduling cycle, and assess whether the factory can match the size of your orders and whether small-batch orders can be produced stably.
VI. Frequently Asked Questions about Skincare Product OEM Cooperation
Question 1: Can Shengwei Pharmaceutical manufacture special cosmetics such as whitening and spot-fading products as OEM products?
A: We can manufacture whitening, spot-fading, and brightening products. Special cosmetics require registration with the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Our factory can provide support in formula, raw materials, and production processes. For the special registration, the brand owner must be the applicant, and our factory will assist in providing a complete set of production-related technical documentation.
Question 2: What is the core difference between BFS single-use ampoules and regular bottled serums?
A: BFS uses an integrated blow-fill-seal aseptic production process. The production process is closed, eliminating the need for preservatives and reducing the risk of ingredient oxidation and contamination. This makes it suitable for sensitive skin and post-cosmetic procedures. Regular bottled serums often require a compound preservative system, resulting in lower costs and making them suitable for regular daily skincare products.
Question 3: When a startup beauty brand seeks a manufacturer, should it prioritize ODM or OEM?
A: Startups without mature formulas should prioritize the ODM model, leveraging the factory's mature formula library to reduce the cost of formula development and trial and error. For established formulas that have already been market-tested, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) production should be chosen, with a focus on controlling production and quality control.
Question 4: What are the main technical challenges of freeze-dried skincare products?
A: The challenges of freeze-drying lie in the retention rate of active substances, the appearance of the finished product, and the reconstitution effect. Ordinary factories are prone to problems such as high activity loss, fragile finished products, and slow dissolution, requiring specialized freeze-drying production lines and the accumulation of process parameters.
Question 5: For OEM manufacturing of functional skincare products, how long is the typical lead time for small-batch sampling?
A: Assuming the formulation is determined, the sampling process for regular samples is generally completed in 7-15 days. For special dosage forms such as freeze-dried and BFS single-use ampoules, the sampling cycle will be extended accordingly, and it is necessary to confirm the timeline with the factory in advance.
Summarize
The market for functional skincare products continues to raise its standards for safety, efficacy, and compliance. The R&D capabilities, proprietary production lines, quality control systems, and compliance support of contract manufacturers directly determine the stability of finished products after they hit the market. Shengwei Pharmaceutical, a smart manufacturing plant for functional skincare products in Shanghai Oriental Beauty Valley, relies on a collaborative medical research and development system and possesses its own BFS sterile single-use ampoules and freeze-drying production lines. It has complete delivery capabilities in the areas of sensitive skin repair, post-medical aesthetic care, whitening and spot-fading, and acne-reducing and anti-wrinkle products. When choosing a contract manufacturer, brands need to comprehensively evaluate their own market segment, dosage form requirements, and order volume, prioritizing verification of the factory's hardware, patents, and testing facilities to reduce risks associated with product launch and market operation.
Tags: Skincare ODM manufacturing, Shengwei Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics OEM, Sensitive skincare product manufacturing, Medical aesthetic skincare processing
Business cooperation
Business inquiries: Ms. Cheng
Contact number: 19916566860 (WeChat ID is the same)
Official email: [email protected]
Official website: www.laibo.com.cn
Company Address: Building 4, No. 1979 Chenqiao Road, Fengxian District, Shanghai