The PCHi trade show kicked off on March 18 at the Hangzhou Grand Convention & Exhibition Center, with the Fountain Awards ceremony held on the same night.
The awards are a signature event of PCHi, which aims to honour achievements in product innovation as well as advances in formulation technology and applied science.
It recognises a wide range of ingredients across categories, including skin microbiome, anti-ageing, skin barrier repair, sun protection, hair and scalp care, sensory enhancement, and sustainability.
“China’s personal care market is playing an increasingly influential role in shaping global innovation cycles. For ingredient suppliers, formulators and brands, staying close to developments here is essential.
“PCHi brings the global industry together at a critical moment in the year to exchange ideas, examine new technologies, and understand the trends shaping product development,” said Reed Sinopharm Exhibitions.
This year, out of the 33 ingredient winners (Gold and Silver), 14 were awarded to products developed by Chinese companies.
This included Winkey Technology, Trautec Medical Technology, PAM2L Biotechnologies, Bloomage Biotechnology, Junrand Bio Technology, Youke Biotechnology, Viablife Biotech, Dieckmann Biotechnology, Rayting Biotechnology, ZhongYao BoYan Biopharmaceutical, Jayu Bio-Technology, JunLin Biotechnology Chemical, Coachchem Technology, and Moge um-Flow Technology.
Bloomage Biotechnology was the only Chinese firm to bag Silver awards in two categories — Whitening/Brightening for Hymagic-VCHA and Skin Barrier Repair for Hymagic-GluHA.
Other companies that walked away with awards that night included Givaudan, Ichimaru Pharcos, DKSH Performance Materials, Clariant Chemicals Technology, dsm-firmenich, Silab, Greentech, Exsymol SAM, BASF, Symrise, Momentive Performance Materials, Hallstar Beauty Company, Dow Company, and Evonik Specialty Chemicals.
In addition, the Awards also recognises individuals with exceptional contributions to the industry, with awards such as Rising Star Engineer and Outstanding Engineer.
Specifically, the Rising Star Engineer award went to Ruijun Wang from Winkey Technology, while the Outstanding Engineer awards were accorded to HanKun Ren from Nutri-Woods Bio-Tech and Jessica Peng from Winkey Technology.
This edition of the Fountain Awards received a total of 295 product submissions, up from 258 the previous year.
There were 19 nominations for the Outstanding Engineer award, underscoring sustained growth in research and development across the industry.
The submissions were evaluated by a panel of judges consisting of scientific researchers, industry veterans, and members of PCHi’s Cosmetics Science & Technology Innovation Committee (CSTIC).
The next edition of PCHi will be held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou from February 24 to 26, 2027.
CosmeticsDesign-Asia is a media partner of PCHi 2026. For more information, visit www.pchi-china.com/en or connect with PCHi on social media.
