Proya Wins IFSCC Podium Fundamental Research Award and Top‑10 Finalist
Proya Cosmetics Co., Ltd. (stock code 603605) announced that it received the 2026 IFSCC Podium Fundamental Research Award at the 36th Congress of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC) held in Perth, Western Australia from 28 September to 1 October 2026. The award marks the first time a Chinese beauty company has earned two awards simultaneously at an IFSCC Congress.
The company was also named among the Top 10 finalists for the same Podium Fundamental Research Award, bringing its total of four podium presentations out of twenty papers accepted for the Congress – a record number of podium presentations by a Chinese cosmetics firm at a single IFSCC event. In total, the Congress accepted 76 papers for podium presentation and 749 for poster presentation; Proya submitted twenty works, all of which were accepted (four podium, sixteen posters).
The winning research, titled “MGME1‑Mediated Mitochondrial DNA Replication Homeostasis Regulates Skin Fibroblast Aging via the cGAS‑STING Pathway,” was presented by Song Yaling of Proya’s Hangzhou Longwu R&D Center. The study demonstrated that reduced activity of the regulatory factor MGME1 disrupts mitochondrial DNA replication, causing mitochondrial DNA to leak into the cytoplasm, which activates the cGAS‑STING inflammatory signalling cascade, accelerates fibroblast senescence and disturbs collagen balance in skin. The findings are being used to guide R&D and efficacy testing for Proya’s Energy series and to underpin future anti‑aging ingredient discovery.
The second paper, “Fibroblast Senescence Induced by Melanosome Internalization: Insights Into Inflammation, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Dermal Pigmentation,” presented by Feng Zhe of the same R&D centre, showed that dermal fibroblasts that internalise melanosomes trigger cellular senescence, inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction, linking pigmentation, inflammation and ageing at the dermal level.
In addition, IFSCC named Proya a Technical Gold Benefactor, a distinction held by only three beauty companies worldwide, in recognition of its sustained and substantial investment in cosmetic science and technology. IFSCC President‑Elect Robert McPherson praised Proya’s scientific excellence and its progression from a Top 10 podium presentation in 2025 to the current awards.
Founder and Chairman Hou Juncheng highlighted that the honour reflects Proya’s long‑term commitment to scientific and technological innovation and its role in elevating China’s beauty industry. He noted that the company has been increasing R&D spend, expanding its global research network and benchmarking against international standards.
Since 2020, Proya’s R&D investment has grown nearly threefold, its research team has expanded to approximately 400 scientists—more than half holding master’s or doctoral degrees—and the firm holds 332 patents as of June 2026 (154 invention patents, 26 utility‑model patents and 152 design patents).
Proya reported revenue of RMB 10.597 billion for 2025, ranking first among Chinese cosmetics companies for the third consecutive year and becoming the only Chinese cosmetics firm with annual revenue exceeding RMB 10 billion.
The company’s portfolio includes brands such as PROYA, TIMAGE, O&Relax, Flower Knows, HAPSODE, CORRECTORS, INSBAHA, Awaken Seeds, SINGULADERM, UZERO and ANYA, covering skincare, makeup, body and hair care and high‑efficacy skincare. Proya’s “Double Ten” strategic vision aims to place the firm among the top ten global cosmetics companies within the next decade.
Media contacts: Hanbing Li (lihanbing@proya.com) and Min Gong (gongmin@vip.sina.com).