On December 12, 2025, the Network Communication Committee of the China Federation of Internet Societies, together with ten central media organizations—including the New Media Center of People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency New Media Center, Xinhuanet, CCTV.com, China Daily Website, China Youth Daily Website, Guangming Online, CNR News, China News Service, and Legal Daily—as well as platforms such as Douyin Group, visited GENCA Group in Shanghai. The delegation engaged in in-depth discussions and exchanges on topics including "Empowering National Brands with Scientific Research" and "Driving Positive Innovation Communication," contributing to efforts aimed at helping domestic brands overcome communication challenges and solidify a foundation for high-quality development.
It is understood that the China Federation of Internet Societies (CFIS), abbreviated as "Zhong Wang Lian," was established in Beijing in May 2018. CFIS is a national, joint, hub-type non-profit social organization voluntarily formed by social organizations and related institutions in the field of cybersecurity and informatization in China, and holds the status of a corporate social entity. Its supervisory authority is the Cyberspace Administration of China. Its main functions include: promoting Party building within internet social organizations, disseminating positive online energy, participating in comprehensive online ecological governance, safeguarding national cybersecurity, advancing informatization and digital economy development, promoting internet public welfare initiatives, maintaining order in the internet industry, and cultivating talent in the field of cyberspace. The Network Communication Committee of CFIS was established in Beijing in March 2019 as the federation's first specialized committee. It is dedicated to uniting and leveraging resources and strengths from industry and academia—particularly its nearly 100 member organizations—to support online publicity and guidance efforts, foster a "concentric circle" between online and offline spaces, and strengthen positive energy and the leading voice of the mainstream narrative.
The Rise of Domestic Brands: From Catch-Up to Innovation Leadership
"Eighteen years ago, we began with the mission of bringing the world's beauty to China. Nine years ago, we resolved to bring China's beauty to the world." At the start of the event, Shen Yu, Co-founder of GENCA Group, outlined in her welcome address the company's journey from international brand agency to proprietary brand creation.
Founded in 2007, GENCA Group initially focused on introducing high-quality global beauty products to the Chinese market. As its understanding of the Chinese market deepened and its capabilities grew, GENCA initiated a strategic transformation in 2017, shifting entirely toward building its own proprietary brands and independent R&D. This journey mirrors the broader evolution of China's domestic beauty industry—from learning and catching up to innovation and leadership.
Today, GENCA has built a multi-brand, multi-category portfolio of Chinese beauty brands. Its flagship brand KIMTRUE has surpassed RMB 1 billion in annual sales, establishing itself as a phenomenon in the market. ddg, focused on precision skincare, is experiencing rapid growth and demonstrating strong potential. Meanwhile, brands such as ONCUR and everbab are also gaining prominence in their respective categories. The group's overall revenue now approaches RMB 3 billion, placing it among the top ranks of domestic beauty groups.
Behind this achievement lies not a fleeting success driven by short-term traffic, but rather the cumulative strength of GENCA's long-term capabilities: a systematic brand incubation system, consumer-centric product innovation, robust R&D expertise, a digitally powered agile supply chain, and refined omni-channel operations.
Empowering with Science: Strength Within a High-Tech R&D Hub
During the event, attendees toured GENCA's end-to-end R&D process—spanning foundational research, ingredient innovation, formulation development, and efficacy validation—offering a close-up view of the laboratory details and capturing the core strength behind China's beauty industry transition from "manufacturing" to "intelligent manufacturing."
Inside the R&D center, regarded as the "heart of innovation," nearly 100 researchers work collaboratively alongside over 200 precision instruments within an open space spanning more than 4,200 square meters. The core R&D team boasts over 15 years of industry experience, with more than 80% holding master's degrees or intermediate professional titles.
Notably, GENCA has built an open and collaborative "industry-academia-research-application" integrated innovation ecosystem: it has established a provincial-level expert workstation in partnership with Fudan University, appointed Academician Zhao Dongyuan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as a scientific advisor, and conducted clinical and foundational research collaborations with top institutions including Shanghai University and Soochow University Medical College. To date, the group has accumulated 38 patents, participated in the development of 16 national and industry standards, and published multiple papers in SCI and core journals.
"R&D is not a cost center—it is a value creation center for the brand and a source of trust," said Yuan Minjia, Chief R&D Officer at GENCA. He presented several R&D case studies on-site, including patented mesoporous technology, iterative upgrades of olive extract, and in-depth research on dihydroavenanthramide, illustrating how GENCA translates cutting-edge science into product value that consumers can genuinely perceive.
Confronting Challenges, Building Consensus on High-Quality Development
During the thematic exchange session, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the topic "How National Brands Can Drive Positive Innovation Communication," directly addressing the common challenges faced by domestic brands in the pursuit of high-quality development.
GENCA candidly shared the dual pressures it currently faces: operationally, balancing high traffic acquisition costs with healthy, sustainable growth; and in terms of brand environment, confronting prominent issues such as malicious attacks from online trolls and organized rumor campaigns. "These challenges, rooted in unfair competition, not only consume valuable operational resources but also risk eroding consumer trust and undermining the very foundation of long-term brand building," said Li Jianing, Director of Group and Brand PR at GENCA.
Attendees also engaged in discussion and exchange on this topic, offering a series of targeted suggestions and recommendations. These included encouraging proactive communication, properly safeguarding legitimate rights and interests, uniting efforts across various parties to optimize the business environment online, collectively promoting positive energy, and contributing to a healthy public opinion atmosphere and a clean cyberspace.
With the combined efforts of multiple stakeholders, the future landscape of China's domestic beauty industry is coming into sharper focus: the competitive arena is shifting from marketing battlegrounds to a comprehensive landscape defined by scientific research capabilities, sustainable operations, and collaborative ecosystem building. Represented by GENCA Group, Chinese beauty companies are injecting the core drivers of sustainable development into domestic brands through continuous R&D investment and open collaboration—shaping a new image for "Chinese brands" in the global competitive arena.
