Meituan Releases 2025 Polaris Medical Aesthetics List: Avoiding 'Black Clinics' and Returning to Professionalism

August 22,Meituan Releases the “2025 North Star Medical Aesthetics List,” with 152 medical aesthetics institutions from 39 cities across China and 240 doctors from 26 cities successfully making the list。

Reportedly, the “Polaris Medical Aesthetics Ranking” is a professional and objective guide for selecting medical aesthetic clinics and practitioners, launched by Meituan based on the dual medical and consumer attributes of the medical aesthetics industry. It employs a dual-track evaluation system centered on “medical professionalism” and “user reputation.” The ranking was first introduced in 2023, and this year marks its third consecutive annual release.

Compared to the previous two years, the “2025 North Star Medical Aesthetics Rankings” have undergone significant changes: one aspect is reflected in the scale of the list,High-quality medical aesthetic institutions and physicians in third- and fourth-tier cities are increasingly coming into the public eye, reflecting an overall trend of brand expansion.On the other hand, it is reflected in the improvement and upgrading of professional evaluation criteria. First, the original “Institution Ranking” and “Sinan Doctor Ranking” have been merged into one;Secondly, the joint expert review panel established 927 evaluation criteria, an increase of nearly 500 compared to last year.; Finally, in terms of the evaluation mechanism, various methods such as on-site inspections by mystery shoppers and telephone surveys were adopted to further expand the scale of user research.

As is well known, China’s medical aesthetics industry is currently in a critical period of transformation, accelerating its progress toward greater professionalism, efficacy, and regulatory compliance.“Polaris Aesthetic Medicine Rankings” employs a standardized evaluation system to provide users with a “professional and objective guide for selecting aesthetic medicine clinics and practitioners” from a third-party perspective, while also creating a “practical and effective operational manual” for aesthetic medicine doctors and institutions. This helps them continuously improve their service and fulfillment capabilities, thereby accelerating brand building and performance growth.。

Although the market size of China's medical aesthetics industry has continued to grow in recent years, surpassing the 300 billion yuan mark in 2024, the industry’s penetration rate remains relatively low, currently standing at approximately 10%. This figure lags significantly behind the high penetration rates of 20%–30% observed in mature markets such as Europe, the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

There are numerous reasons for this,However, the most critical factor lies at the “trust level”; many people harbor significant concerns about the safety of medical aesthetics and are therefore hesitant to try these procedures.. This is not baseless; according to the “Black Book of the Medical Aesthetics Industry,” the number of unlicensed practitioners in China’s medical aesthetics sector is nine times that of licensed practitioners; the number of illegal clinics is six times that of legitimate clinics; and the annual surgical volume of illegal clinics is 2.5 times that of legitimate clinics, exceeding 25 million procedures.

In addition to safety,The lack of professional and authentic information channels is also a key factor contributing to the concerns of many medical aesthetics consumers.At 25, Liu Ying had just earned her first significant income since starting her career. Eager to address her facial asymmetry through injectable treatments, she, as a member of “Generation Z” well-versed in the digital world, spent a full month researching on various online platforms and even visited multiple clinics for in-person consultations. Despite these efforts, she still struggled to make a final decision, finding it difficult to sift through the overwhelming amount of information to identify truly reliable content and locate the most suitable physician and medical institution for her needs.

It can be seen that,A significant information gap currently exists between consumers and medical aesthetic institutions, and the “North Star Medical Aesthetics Ranking” serves as a bridge to close this divide.。

It is reported that since its inception in 2023, the “North Star Medical Aesthetics Ranking” has been committed to serving as “a professional and objective guide for selecting clinics and physicians.” This year, following the merger of two separate rankings into one, its evaluation criteria have been further enhanced. The ranking now not only bases its assessments on input from multiple authoritative experts, public reviewers, and user reputation data, but also systematically evaluates the comprehensive qualifications and practical capabilities of physicians and institutions across multiple dimensions, including clinical experience, aesthetic judgment, personalized treatment approaches, and treatment planning proficiency. This provides consumers with more reliable and transparent decision-making support, enabling them to quickly identify high-quality medical aesthetic options tailored to their individual needs.

In this regard, Song Jianxing, President of the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, stated, “Aesthetic medicine, as a convergence of medical technology, aesthetics, and commerce, is fundamentally an economy built on trust.“Meituan Medical Aesthetics has collaborated with various stakeholders to establish evaluation criteria for high-quality institutions and physicians. This objective, transparent, traceable, and improvable evaluation system holds significant value in enhancing consumer decision-making efficiency and ensuring service experience.”

It is reported that many institutions have been consecutively selected for the “North Star Medical Aesthetics List” for three years. Over this three-year period, these institutions have significantly enhanced and improved their professionalism and standardization, which ultimately translated into higher patient traffic and more substantial revenue.

Taking Boman as an example, since its selection in 2024, it has continuously improved its medical aesthetic service processes based on feedback and recommendations from Polaris. Significant upgrades have been implemented in product authentication and transparency of service procedures, effectively enhancing trust between the institution and consumers. In this regard, Fang Ruimin, founder of Boman Medical Aesthetics, stated, “Meituan’s Polaris Award is both an honor and a responsibility for medical aesthetic institutions. It not only helps reputable institutions gain visibility but also provides them with a clear direction for optimization and upgrading.”。

Specifically, the “North Star Medical Aesthetics Ranking” relies on authentic and objective evaluation criteria to continuously help institutions identify operational issues and implement gradual improvements, thereby enhancing the professionalism and standardization of their services. Furthermore, more frequent and efficient user feedback enables a greater number of institutions to gain insights into emerging industry trends, assisting them in targeted enhancements of their service fulfillment capabilities. Taking shifts in market demand as an example, Meituan data shows that the annual online transaction growth rate for non-invasive anti-aging treatments, skin booster hydrating therapies, and injectable contouring has exceeded 30% over the past year, rapidly forming a new high-potential market. This undoubtedly provides fresh guidance and pathways for institutions seeking new drivers of performance growth.

In addition to institutions, numerous physicians have also established reciprocal engagement with consumers through rankings. Take Dr. Wang Manji, Associate Chief Physician at Shanghai Boman Halo Medical Aesthetics Clinic, as an example.As a physician twice selected for the “North Star Medical Aesthetics List,” he has not only seen year-over-year order volume at his clinic increase by approximately 300%, but has also gained greater visibility in the market, attracting numerous aesthetic patients who have traveled hundreds of kilometers specifically to seek his expertise.。

This is partly due to the professional evaluation mechanism of the “North Star Medical Aesthetics Ranking,” which significantly enhances physicians’ competitiveness. Meanwhile, Meituan’s vast traffic pool ensures continuous exposure for high-quality physicians, accelerating the development of their personal industry IPs.

It is not difficult to see that,“Polaris Medical Aesthetics Ranking” is not merely a simple list; it serves as an industry benchmark and a “diagnostic tool” for doctors and institutions to optimize their services.In this regard, Qi Yanhui, Director of the E-commerce Department at Jinghe Medical Group, a Meituan North Star-listed institution, remarked, “The Meituan North Star program serves not only as a window showcasing high-quality medical aesthetic institutions but also as a mirror that reveals the benchmark for excellence in the industry, while providing institutions with clear directions for optimization and upgrading.”

In August 2017, Meituan’s medical aesthetics business was officially launched, primarily focusing on converting lifestyle beauty services into medical aesthetic treatments. This marked Meituan’s first step into the medical aesthetics sector. In the following years, Meituan’s medical aesthetics business became increasingly specialized, continuously integrating upstream and downstream segments of the industry to comprehensively support the rapid development of the medical aesthetics sector.As of August 2025, nearly 9,500 new medical aesthetics institutions have opened on the Meituan platform this year, maintaining a high year-on-year growth trend, with over 200 upstream brands now onboarded.。

As Meituan’s medical aesthetics business expands rapidly, the broader industry is increasingly exhibiting new trends characterized by rationality, professionalism, and segmentation, undoubtedly presenting fresh challenges and issues for the sector. In response to these evolving demands, Meituan has taken proactive steps, with continuous initiatives in the medical aesthetics field since the beginning of this year.

First, in May of this year,Bloomage Biotech’s first compliant Class III medical device mesotherapy product, “Runzhi·Titou,” debuts on Meituan, pioneering a new model of direct brand-to-platform collaboration.At the end of the month, Meituan Medical Aesthetics officially launched “Worry-Free Beauty · Hassle-Free Guarantee,” a further upgrade to its “Worry-Free Beauty” service system. This initiative is primarily designed to help users achieve a better experience and more satisfactory delivery outcomes, and for the first time, it establishes standardized offerings tailored to body contouring and shaping needs.

Entering July,Meituan Medical Aesthetics Upstream Brand Advisory Committee Officially Established, comprising 12 members including industry experts and representatives from upstream enterprises, this marks a new phase of closer, deeper, and strategically aligned collaboration between Meituan and upstream companies in the medical aesthetics industry. It enables more direct listening to partners’ insightful perspectives on market trends, user needs, and industry pain points.

Subsequently, in August, the “2025 North Star Medical Aesthetics List” was officially released. This marks the third consecutive year of its publication, and it has already garnered significant influence within the industry, gradually driving the medical aesthetics sector toward greater professionalism, efficiency, and safety.

Looking ahead, Meituan has higher aspirations in the medical aesthetics sector. It will not only help institutions build capabilities for digitalized operations and professionalized services to achieve sustainable long-term growth by publicly disclosing the evaluation criteria for its “North Star” clinics and physicians, establishing comprehensive profiles for medical aesthetics merchants and doctors, and scaling up user feedback mechanisms. On another front, Meituan will launch new AI-powered shopping assistants and AI consultants to leverage technological capabilities in enhancing merchant operational efficiency. Furthermore, Meituan will open up its platform capabilities and introduce new upstream procurement and sales models, helping institutions improve efficiency, reduce costs, and achieve more streamlined operations.

In response, Wang Dan, head of Meituan Medical Aesthetics, stated, “Meituan Medical Aesthetics will remain steadfast in its continued investment in building public trust, enhancing AI product capabilities, and innovating supply chain models, thereby empowering medical aesthetic institutions to undergo transformation and upgrading, and working together to take concrete actions for the healthy and sustainable development of the industry.。”

It is foreseeable that Meituan Medical Aesthetics and the trillion-yuan potential market are engaging in a mutual convergence.