Can Domestic Brands Rise in the Wave of Localization? Insights from the Forum on Photonic Aesthetic Medical Innovation and Development
According to the "2022 Consumer Trends Report on the Photoelectric Medical Aesthetics Industry" released by the SoYoung Data Research Institute, among the medical aesthetic procedures most favored or most desired by consumers in 2022, 47.34% of surveyed users indicated that photoelectric treatments were their top choice or most wanted option.
In the upstream medical aesthetics device market, photoelectric procedures have seen a surge in consumer demand due to their advantages of high efficacy and low risk. This sector demonstrates strong growth potential and has attracted significant capital interest. Since 2021, Upstream of the Medical Aesthetics IndustryAmong the more than 30 companies that have secured financing, photoelectric medical aesthetics has emerged as a key sector heavily backed by capital. According to forecasts from LeadLeo Research Institute, the terminal market size for photoelectric medical aesthetic treatments is expected to maintain a year-on-year growth rate of approximately 10%, reaching RMB 50.159 billion by 2025.
As a sector with certain high-speed growth over the next decade, the high-end medical aesthetic optoelectronic equipment field presents a triple opportunity of compliance upgrades, domestic substitution, and source innovation, coinciding with a rare market window period.
The medical aesthetics optoelectronic device industry is a technology-intensive sector characterized by multidisciplinary integration and exceptionally high technical barriers. In the domestic market, nearly all mid-to-high-end optoelectronic devices used by compliant medical aesthetics institutions are imported products, with import manufacturers holding the overall market share in China’s regulated market.The rate exceeds 80%. As the domestic medical aesthetics market continues to expand and the industry undergoes a transformation driven by the wave of domestic substitution, expensive imported compliant devices have become an unaffordable burden for the vast majority of small and medium-sized medical aesthetics institutions., domestic manufacturers of medical aesthetic optoelectronic devices are witnessing a rise, yet they remain constrained by high R&D technical barriers, substantial capital investment requirements, core component supply chains, and regulatory compliance issues. Consequently, domestic equipment is predominantly concentrated in the mid-to-low-end product portfolio, with slower development in the high-end segment.
In this context,VCBeat VB100CombinedFumileiHostForum on Innovative Development of Photoelectric Medical AestheticsWhite Paper on Energy-Based Devices in Medical Aesthetics Released: Aggregating Core Resources for Industrial Innovation and Building a Communication Platform for the Medical Aesthetics Industry. The forum will focus on the high-demand sector of high-end medical devices—photoelectric and energy-based aesthetic equipment—bringing together top industry experts and leaders. Leveraging their keen insights into the industry and continuous innovative practices, they will jointly create a premier platform for industrial exchange.
(I) Trend Outlook: White Paper on Energy-Based Devices in Medical Aesthetics Released
According to incomplete statistics from VCBeat, since 2022 alone, more than 50 top-tier VC/PE firms have conducted due diligence or invested in this sector, sparking a wave of enthusiasm. Behind this “boom,” greater rationality and deep reflection are needed: how to adopt a more comprehensive perspective for macro-level strategic planning, clarify misconceptions, and gain insight into the core trends of industry development has become a key concern for market entrants.
To this end, VCBeat Research Institute dedicated six months to the project, with senior industry experts Xia Yuqing, Wang Guohe, Liu Fei, and Feng Qingyu serving as advisors. Through extensive research, they completed a report of approximately 100,000 words“White Paper on Energy-Based Devices in Medical Aesthetics”, offering a comprehensive overview of the industry landscape, identifying key variables within specific market segments, and outlining current challenges and future possibilities from multiple dimensions—including demand, supply, regulation, technology, business models, and talent. At this pivotal juncture marked by the explosive growth of domestically produced energy-based medical aesthetic devices, let us together feel, witness, and personally experience the industry’s rising tide.
(II)Development Opportunities: Rapidly Advancing Technologies in the Medical Aesthetics Industry
Professor Yang Rongya, Vice President of the Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics and President-Elect of the Medical Aesthetics Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, stated in an interview with So-Young Data Yanjiuyuan that the medical aesthetics industry has witnessed significant advancements in technologies represented by photoelectric devices. These innovations have replaced many traditional, labor-intensive, and time-consuming manual techniques employed by physicians, yielding remarkable results alongside the industry’s rapid growth.
Emerging technological innovations are highly likely to drive another wave of explosive growth in the medical aesthetics industry. Although the sector currently faces numerous challenges, industry players are actively seeking solutions and exploring pathways for innovative upgrades amid this transformation, having already achieved tangible results that lay the groundwork for subsequent market expansion. This forum has also invited many participants from the medical aesthetics energy-based device sector to share insights on cutting-edge topics, such as the development opportunities for combining pharmaceuticals with energy-based therapies in dermatology and the application of visualization technologies in the medical aesthetics industry.
(3)Industry Landscape: The Rise of Domestic Brands and Market Layout
China’s optoelectronic medical aesthetics industry started relatively late, and foreign giants have historically dominated the market share. Leading domestic companies in this sector have primarily entered the device manufacturing space through acquisitions, exclusive distributorships, and partial in-house R&D. Over the past two years, as the gap between domestic and international R&D capabilities has gradually narrowed, several Chinese optoelectronic medical aesthetics brands have begun to emerge. Compared with international brands, domestically produced optoelectronic medical aesthetics devices are priced relatively lower, which has led to their perception among the general public as “low-cost alternatives.”
In recent years, driven by factors such as the absolute technological superiority and brand equity of overseas companies, the domestic prices of flagship products from many international brands have risen rather than fallen. This trend has created an opportunity for high-quality Chinese brands to counterattack and break through. In the future, domestic brands in the field of energy-based medical aesthetics may rise to prominence, shedding the label of “affordable alternatives to major brands” and achieving genuine import substitution. At this forum, guests will share insights on the opportunities and challenges presented by differentiated overseas markets and the trend of domestic substitution, offering attendees a feast of ideas on the cutting-edge developments in the medical aesthetics industry!
Forum Name:Forum on Innovative Development of Photoelectric Medical Aesthetics & Release of the White Paper on Energy-Based Devices in Medical Aesthetics
ForumTime:May 5–7, 2023
ForumLocation:Shanghai · Zhangjiang Science Hall
Forum Hosted by:VB100, VCBeat, Arterial Orange, Eggshell Research Institute
Co-organized by:Fumailai
Guest Representatives:
Jiang Tianjiao | Dean of VCBeat
Li Changhui | Distinguished Researcher, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Peking University
Liu Fei | Founder and Chairman of Minovate
Xia Yuqing | Founder and Chairman of Fumilei
Zhou Shuyang | Founder of Yimu Visual
※ Listed in alphabetical order by surname; no ranking implied. More guests to be confirmed.
Forum Agenda Planning:
“White Paper on Energy-Based Devices in Medical Aesthetics” Released
New Momentum for the “Dual-Beauty Integration” Driven by the Appearance Economy
How to Leverage Innovative Technologies to Navigate the Major Transformation in the Medical Aesthetics Industry?
Development Opportunities of Drug-Combined Photoelectric Therapy in Dermatology
Applications of Visualization Technology in the Medical Aesthetics Industry
Multi-point Layout to Build a "Grand Medical Aesthetics" Ecosystem and Construct a Diversified Product Matrix
Exploring Paths for Corporate Innovation and Upgrading Amidst Transformation in the Medical Aesthetics Industry
Challenges and Opportunities for Photoelectric Medical Aesthetics Amid the Trend of Domestic Substitution
※The proposed agenda is for reference only; the final agenda shall be confirmed on-site.
