Gooey fluid turned into $1.68b liquid gold for Jinan

An engineer checks the status of cosmetic ingredients at a plant of Freda Biotechnology Co in Jinan, Shandong province. Provided to China Daily

Weighing the options

The molecular weight of HA defines its application in end products, depending on their type and intended function. For example, HA with a molecular weight of less than 10 kDa is desirable for liquids that can be absorbed thoroughly by the skin. One kDa is equivalent to 1,000 daltons, a unit used to express molecular mass.

HA's biochemistry is highly complex, as it interacts with various cell receptors depending on its molecular weight.

Bloomage has been able to produce different HA molecular weights since 2011, the first company in the world to do so, by using an enzyme degradation method. The company can produce the largest HA molecular weight, over 4 million Da, and the smallest, 800 Da, in the world, Liu said.

With its enzyme degradation method, Bloomage now offers over 200 specifications of HA raw materials to meet various production demands. This innovative approach has won the company clients around the world.

The technology has obtained invention patents in China, the United States, the European Union, Japan, and South Korea, and expanded Bloomage's global markets.

HA raw materials generated 1.13 billion yuan in revenue for the company last year, a year-on-year increase of 15.22 percent, according to its annual report. Of the total, 517 million yuan is from overseas markets, representing year-on-year growth of 21.47 percent.

"I have always been proud of the fact that both the top global cosmetics producers and Chinese cosmetics producers are using our HA products," Liu said.

The company's products are sold in over 70 countries and regions including European nations, the United States, South Korea, and Japan.