From Lab to Bestseller Bottles: How Five Female Doctors Are Disrupting the Anti-Aging Market with Pharmaceutical-Grade R&D Logic
“Black-tech” in anti-aging, how much do you know about tech-driven skincare, insights into skincare technology, a comprehensive review of new skincare ingredients... These are hot topics that frequently appear on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), where “technology” seems to have become a new philosophy in the skincare industry.
From “brand-focused skincare” to “efficacy-driven skincare,” consumers are increasingly clear about their specific needs—whether acne treatment, hydration, anti-wrinkle care, or cleansing—and select products based on efficacy.
As the skincare market evolves from “efficacy-based” to “technology-driven,” consumers have become more rational and knowledgeable. According to a white paper released by Ocean Engine, individuals aged 24–40 constitute the core demographic for skincare products and represent the mainstream audience for technology-driven skincare. They increasingly focus on the scientific sophistication behind each ingredient and are highly familiar with raw materials such as collagen peptides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and arginine.
Among these, collagen, a star ingredient in the field of biomanufacturing, has gradually become a consumer favorite.
Collagen ingredients are widely applicable in functional skincare products, medical dressings, skin rejuvenation treatments, and health supplements. According to Frost & Sullivan data, the collagen market is projected to grow at a rate exceeding 40% from 2022 to 2027.
However, the collagen-based skincare market is complex and fragmented, making it difficult for consumers to comprehensively evaluate the technological sophistication of these products. In light of this, VBInsight will use the biotech brand “Five Female Doctors” as a case study to assess the R&D capabilities and technological strength underlying collagen-based products.
In recent years, the skincare market has remained robust, with collagen-based products emerging as “star products” in this high-growth sector.
According to Frost & Sullivan data, the market size of professional skincare products in China will expand to RMB 281 billion from 2022 to 2027, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36%, significantly higher than the 1% CAGR of the overall beauty and personal care market.
However, the growth rate of collagen-based products is even more “striking”—the market size of professional skincare products based on collagen is projected to increase from RMB 20 billion in 2022 to RMB 114.4 billion in 2027, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42.78%.
Collagen products are diverse. Classified by administration method, they include subcutaneous injections, dressing masks, and oral supplements; classified by raw material, they encompass natural collagen, recombinant collagen, and collagen peptides.
“Collagen has demonstrated strong growth momentum, thanks to its unique advantages in skin repair and anti-aging,” said Caixin Securities in a research report.
Anti-aging is a distinctive advantage of collagen and is becoming a key research focus for academic and research institutions.
For example, South China Normal University prepared high-purity collagen from SPF pig skin, innovatively explored anti-aging biomaterials, and published its research findings in the Q1 chemistry journal International Journal of Biological Macromolecules; a research team at Jinan University published a paper in the Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic Technology, examining the sources of collagen in the cosmetics industry and highlighting its frontier development potential in skin repair and anti-aging technologies.
From the perspective of specific products, the anti-aging effects of collagen peptides have attracted significant attention.
Collagen peptides are a mixture of low-molecular-weight peptides, with an average molecular mass below 10,000 Da, derived from the hydrolysis of high-molecular-weight collagen. They are also known as hydrolyzed collagen or collagen hydrolysate. According to statistics from CBNData and other sources, peptides have become the top-ranked ingredient in the biological/chemical category for new skincare products launched in 2024.
In the field of anti-aging, research published in the journal *Food Science* indicates that collagen peptides can delay and repair skin photoaging and skin aging through mechanisms such as alleviating oxidative stress, inhibiting inflammatory responses, suppressing the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), regulating cellular behavior, and maintaining extracellular matrix homeostasis. These effects are primarily attributed to their antioxidant activity and modulation of signaling pathway factors associated with skin aging.
However, it is important to recognize that while collagen-based ingredients offer anti-aging advantages, this does not guarantee that products developed by companies using these materials will necessarily deliver superior anti-aging efficacy. Achieving such results requires substantial technological expertise, which is closely tied to factors such as scientific research background, R&D investment, and a keen understanding of market demand.
Therefore, this article will focus on “Five Female Doctors,” a brand under Beijing Qingyan Boshi Health Management Co., Ltd., a biotechnology enterprise, and conduct a multi-dimensional assessment of its technological capabilities.
It is reported that the brand Five Female Doctors was founded in 2019 and jointly created by five medical doctors who graduated from Peking University. Its star products, including Collagen Peptide Vitamin C Drink and Collagen Peptide EGCG Drink, have repeatedly topped the collagen peptide sales charts on Tmall, Douyin, and JD.com. From December 2021 to April 2025, cumulative sales exceeded 400 million bottles.
① From a fundamental perspective, examine overall R&D investment
First, we will analyze the overall R&D investment of the five female Ph.D. founders from four dimensions.
According to the official website, all five founders hold doctoral degrees from Peking University: Jiang Jun, Ph.D. in Public Health from the School of Public Health, Peking University; Wang Yuchen, Ph.D. in Physiology from the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University; Yan Huimin, Ph.D. in Dermatology and Venereology from Peking University; Wen Jia, Ph.D. in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Peking University; and Chen Yuan, M.D./Ph.D. in Clinical Medicine from the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University.
From the perspective of its R&D team, the company's product and research team exceeded 60 members in 2023, with over 60% holding a master’s degree or higher.
Also in 2023, “Five Female Doctors” established the “Collagen Peptide Research Institute” and assembled a product R&D team of more than 60 members, with Professor Li Yong of Peking University serving as Chief Scientist.
Five Female Doctor has successively engaged in research collaborations with R&D institutions such as Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, achieving significant results in the basic science, product innovation, and process design of small-molecule collagen peptides. The company holds 51 patents, including several international patents.
② Rapid iteration of anti-aging demands: Can companies keep pace with market changes?
In the anti-aging sector, consumer demands continue to evolve rapidly.
According to white papers released by platforms such as Tmall Beauty, consumers’ skincare needs were relatively basic in the past. With the rise of the “ingredient-conscious” trend, an increasing number of consumers have begun to focus on specific ingredients and their efficacy, making ingredient-focused consumers the main force in the skincare market and ushering in the Skincare 2.0 era. As consumer awareness of skincare continues to deepen, scientific principles and technological methods have become new focal points of consumer attention. Moreover, skincare and anti-aging needs vary across different age groups, demographic profiles, and geographic regions.
Therefore, the alignment between R&D and the market determines whether a product’s technological prowess gains recognition. To this end, VCBeat conducts an evaluation across five dimensions and explores how Five Female Doctors adopts a needs-driven approach:
An analysis reveals that, whether from the perspectives of the founders’ philosophy, scientific research objectives, or market research and feedback, Five Female Doctors consistently adopts a user-centric approach, driving R&D and product development in response to genuine market demands.
Moreover, market trends indicate that “one-size-fits-all” anti-aging skincare products are struggling to win consumer favor. Since the core of skincare lies in adhering to the skin’s natural rhythms, consumers are increasingly inclined to address skin concerns precisely through scientific methods and personalized care regimens. The anti-aging skincare sector is shifting from the myth of “more is better” to an awakening centered on “precision equals efficacy.”
In this context, Five Female Doctors’ overarching philosophy and system demonstrate acute sensitivity to market dynamics, and its currently launched products all have relatively clear and segmented positioning.
③ Is the effect of compound formulations always superior? The key lies in achieving “1+1>2”
Ingredients and formulations are critical criteria for evaluating skincare and anti-aging products. Only by combining superior active ingredients with precisely balanced formulations can truly effective products be developed.
Judging from the formulations, the two star products of Five Female Doctors each contain eight or more main ingredients.
However, a rich ingredient profile does not necessarily guarantee superior efficacy; the interactions among ingredients must also be considered.
Taking the collagen peptide EGCG beverage as an example, its core ingredients are low-molecular-weight collagen peptides and elastin peptides, along with CollaShieldPro®, patented EGCG sodium hyaluronate, and GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid), among which:
GABA is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a crucial role in regulating sleep, while deep sleep helps promote collagen synthesis, maintaining skin elasticity and firmness.
EGCG is a catechin abundant in many famous teas, which can inhibit the degradation of another component, hyaluronic acid, by suppressing hyaluronidase.
CollaShieldPro® is a patented ingredient from Five Female Doctors that reduces AGEs (advanced glycation end products)-induced damage to collagen and elastin, thereby protecting basal collagen.
From this perspective, the different ingredients in the product formulation appear to have synergistic effects, thereby optimizing efficacy.
④ When conducting scientific research using medical methods, how high is the "medical" content?
“Deriving product development from pharmaceutical R&D logic” is a key highlight of the Five Female Doctors brand, but its practical implementation can be evaluated through the lens of journal articles.
According to an incomplete review, Five Female Doctors has published 18 studies in domestic and international journals, with full texts available for download for 17 of them.
Among the 17 studies, six were published in medical journals, including Experimental Dermatology, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Biogerontology, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Nutrients, and Phytomedicine; additionally, two other journals have scopes that significantly overlap with medicine.
Some papers published in non-medical journals conduct analyses based on medical evidence, including clinical trial data and animal models. For instance, the study "Preparation of Collagen Tripeptides from Tilapia Skin and Scales and Their Storage Characteristics" cites animal model research by Hata S et al., which demonstrated that administering collagen tripeptides at a dose of 80 mg/2 mL/kg promoted the filling of bone defect areas in rats with granulation tissue, blood clots, and abundant osteoblasts, thereby exerting a beneficial effect on the bone healing process.
⑤ Will it be a “one-hit wonder” or achieve sustained growth? It depends on raw material and technological reserves.
The detailed research on Five Female Doctors also reveals their characteristic of front-loaded R&D, with some research findings already published but not yet translated into specific products.
For example, in 2024, the Five Female Doctors Research Institute published an article titled “Structure and Physiological Functions of the Caenorhabditis elegans Cuticle” in Heliyon, providing new insights into the use of C. elegans as a valuable model for skin-related research; additionally, two studies on hydroxytyrosol were accepted by the renowned SCI-indexed journals Food Science & Nutrition and International Journal of Pharmaceutics, respectively.
It is understood that hydroxytyrosol possesses potent antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties when incorporated into formulations such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Consequently, interest in hydroxytyrosol has been growing, attracting extensive attention from the food, animal feed, dietary supplement, and pharmaceutical industries.
The Five Female Doctors research team conducted a comparative analysis of hydroxytyrosol extraction methods and the differences among them, and outlined the health benefits of hydroxytyrosol identified in current studies. Furthermore, the team carried out an in-depth investigation into the stability of hydroxytyrosol and proposed effective solutions.
However, according to public information from Five Female Doctors, the aforementioned technologies and raw materials do not appear to have been incorporated into existing products and may instead serve as reserves for future raw materials and technological development.
It is understood that the R&D team of Five Female Doctors focuses on future product development on a daily basis, screening active ingredients through biological simulations from multiple dimensions to build up raw material reserves for product upgrades.
⑥ How deep is the industrial chain, and can raw materials be “kept in our own hands”?
The controllability of raw materials reflects the depth of a company’s R&D capabilities and the breadth of its technological coverage across the supply chain.
Collagen tripeptide is a key ingredient in Five Female Doctors’ products. Tripeptides promote collagen synthesis and exhibit high inhibitory efficiency against matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), the key enzymes involved in collagen degradation.
Previously, Zhao Chunyue, Dean of the Five Female Doctors Research Institute, and her team focused their R&D efforts on the preparation process and products of collagen tripeptides. In 2023, the team successfully completed the final pilot-scale production of collagen tripeptide raw materials, transitioning from laboratory to factory within a short period. Moreover, relevant technologies have been patented, including “A High-Purity Collagen Tripeptide Containing Minerals and Its Preparation Method” and “A Method and System for Assessing the Quality of Collagen Tripeptides.”
⑦ Is there a risk of over-reliance on a single product or research direction?
In addition to its star products, Five Female Doctors is advancing a “diversified” portfolio, including astaxanthin gel candies and Bai Mima White Tomato Drink, all of which feature technological attributes. Examples include Bai Mima White Tomato Drink’s proprietary “Bai Mima Shield,” formulated with collagen peptides, resveratrol, glutathione, and ergothioneine; the patented levorotatory astaxanthin in the astaxanthin gel candies; and the five-fold organic iron in the iron-rich gummies.
It is evident that Five Female Doctors’ technological prowess is manifested across multiple dimensions. In fact, such technological strength not only underpins current products and market presence but also continuously expands the company’s boundaries.
Based on the research published by Five Female Doctors to date, their study subjects and findings are not limited to dermatology but also encompass mechanisms of aging, gastrointestinal health, and other areas.
For instance, a study published by Five Female Doctors in *Biogerontology* not only highlights telomeres—specialized DNA-protein complexes—as key predictors of the skin aging process, but also summarizes telomere-targeted strategies for addressing skin aging. These include the application of telomerase activators, antioxidants, and nutritional supplements, as well as the impact of lifestyle modifications (such as diet, exercise, and sleep) on telomere length.
Five Female Doctors also focus on the research of white kidney bean extract, in which the α-amylase inhibitor can inhibit the activity of salivary and pancreatic amylase in the gastrointestinal tract, hinder or delay the hydrolysis and digestion of major carbohydrates in food by the human body, and reduce the decomposition and absorption of starch and sugar substances in food.
Beyond daily product iteration and R&D, Five Female Doctors is also exploring the establishment of industry standards. In 2024, under the guidance of the China Association for the Promotion of Quality and Safety in Food and Drug Enterprises, Five Female Doctors collaborated with upstream and downstream partners to facilitate the implementation of the first group standard for Collagen Peptide Beverages.
Behind these R&D efforts and explorations, Five Female Doctors has not limited its positioning to that of a beauty and personal care or food and health supplement company. According to information on its official website, Five Female Doctors is committed to becoming an industry-leading biotechnology brand.
The backgrounds of the founders and the company team are not limited to dermatology but also span multiple fields, including public health, physiology, and obstetrics and gynecology. This suggests that Five Female Doctors may hold expansion potential across the broader field of women’s health.
As stated on the company’s official website, its vision and mission are to become an innovation-driven, industry-leading biotechnology company, with the aim of enabling every user to live a more beautiful, healthy, and confident life for 100 years.