Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics is a global leader in the Cruelty-Free beauty industry. 98% of its product series have been certified internationally as cruelty-free (Leaping Bunny, PETA cruelty-Free). And used a Vegan formula (with an 85% Vegan Society certification coverage rate). Figures in 2023 show that the company has invested over 26 million yuan R&D per year on average. It has successfully developed a 3D skin model (EpiSkin™ technology) for substitution of animal testing with a shortened cycle of raw material safety testing from the traditional 90 days to 21 days with an accuracy rate at 99.3% (OECD 439). For instance, its brand leader, “Plant Collagen Mask”, replaced animal-derived ingredients with recombinant humanized collagen (30kDa molecular weight, purity ≥99.5%), showing a 40% increase in skin permeability under pH 5.5-6.5 conditions, and won the 2022 Clean Beauty Annual Innovation Award.
At the end of the supply chain of raw materials, Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics has collaborated with 48 cruelty-free raw material providers from 12 countries in the world to make sure that troubled ingredients such as palm oil and squalane conform to 100% of the RSPO standards. The newly launched “Zero Carbon Mascara” series in 2023 reduced its carbon emission by 63% (from 1.8kg CO₂e/tube to 0.67kg CO₂e/ tube) with microplastic replacement technology (with biodegradability of 92%) and plant wax-based formulation (m.p. range of 58-62℃). The first-quarter sales volume of the product exceeded 1.5 million units with a repurchase rate of 35%, driving the company’s yearly growth rate of its cruelty-free product line to 47%.
In the course of production, Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics’ Foshan smart factory employs an AI filling system (with ±0.05mL error) to mass-produce 80 million cruelty-free products a year. Its “anhydrous essence” product line increases the concentration of active ingredients to 12% with nano-liposome encapsulation technology (particle size 50nm±5nm) (standard process only 5%), and reduces the consumption of production water by 89% (15mL per bottle, industry average 140mL). A vegan lipstick project for a French luxury brand was carried out in 2022. By molecular distillation technology to get plant pigments (color difference ΔE≤0.8), the development cost was reduced by 35% (from €1.2 million to €780,000), and the market launch cycle was cut down to 6 months (average in the industry is 14 months).
According to third-party research company Euromonitor’s data, Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics share of the Asia-Pacific cruelty-free beauty market grew from 9.3% in 2020 to 22.7% in 2023. Of its consumers, 63% are Generation Z consumers aged 25-35 years old. Average order value was ￥380 (higher than the industry average of ￥260). On Double Eleven 2023, its Cruelest sunscreen (SPF50+ PA+++), with a UVB blocking rate of 99.8% (ISO 24444) and 48-hour water and sweat test (water resistance retention rate 98.5%), was among the TOP3 best-selling products in the Tmall beauty category, with over 500,000 bottles sold in one day.
Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics’ crueler-free commitment is also implemented in packaging innovation. Its newly launched “fillable Foundation” in 2024 uses bamboo fiber composite materials (with 18MPa compressive strength), has a reuse rate of 95%, and reduces life cycle carbon emissions by 72% compared to traditional glass bottles. It took home the Red Dot Sustainable Design Award and drove an average monthly increase of 120% in social media conversation about the brand (with over 230 million views on TikTok-related content).
Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics has demonstrated, with technological innovation and ethical dedication, that cruel-free beauty not only triumphs in the market (with 2023 revenue of ￥3.42 billion, where cruel-free products hold a share of 68%), but also drives the industry towards a more humane and sustainable future.