GUYU

GUYU (谷雨) is a Chinese skincare brand founded in 2016 and positioned as a pioneer and leader of "scientific whitening" for Chinese skin. The brand name comes from the traditional Chinese solar term Guyu, meaning "rain brings forth a hundred grains," and the brand frames its identity around Chinese aesthetics, Chinese botanical resources and Chinese skin physiology. Its official site describes a decade of research into Chinese skin types and a full-chain R&D system covering raw materials, formulas, testing and production. The brand's core technology story rests on three self-developed "Chinese core" ingredients: Aurora Glabridin (极光甘草), a whitening complex based on glabridin with patented purification and nano-encapsulation; rare ginsenoside CK (稀有人参皂苷CK), an anti-aging active derived from ginseng; and cell secretin HME (细胞泌素HME), described as the industry's first highly biomimetic human-derived cell secretin ingredient. GUYU states that it is one of the very few skincare companies to self-develop and self-produce all of its core raw materials. Product lines include the Light-Sensing Whitening series, the Aurora Ginseng Collagen series and the Cell Secretin HME series, with hero items such as the whitening cream (美白奶罐), amino acid cleanser, light-sensing essence water and collagen products. The brand has been recognized by Euromonitor International and Frost & Sullivan as No. 1 in the whitening market for two consecutive years, according to its official site. Commercially, GUYU grew rapidly through Chinese e-commerce and social platforms. Its brand history page records annual sales surpassing RMB 1 billion in 2021, RMB 3.5 billion in 2023 with a three-year compound growth rate of 90%, and celebrity endorsements including Zhou Dongyu and Lu Han. It has been featured by People's Daily and CCTV as a representative new domestic brand. In 2026, its tenth anniversary, GUYU upgraded its vision to "using Chinese technology and Chinese culture to create health and beauty for humanity" and announced the upgrade of its Qingnang R&D center into a research and raw-material subsidiary, Qingwen Pharmaceutical, alongside the establishment of a Chinese Skin and Constitution Research Center.

GUYU was founded in 2016 as a Chinese skincare brand focused on whitening products suited to Chinese skin. Its name is taken from the solar term Guyu, and from the beginning the brand built its story around Chinese botanical ingredients, especially glabridin from licorice, which it says it has studied for 18 years. In 2017 the brand was featured in the documentary "Herbal China" (本草中华) on Dragon TV, described on its site as the only skincare brand included, highlighting its research into Chinese plant extracts. In 2018, its 420 brand anniversary sale ranked it among Tmall's top domestic beauty brands. In 2019, its amino acid cleanser became the No. 1 amino acid cleanser across online platforms and topped Xiaohongshu's domestic goods list. In 2020, the GUYU whitening repair cream became a leading face cream online, and celebrities including Shen Mengchen, Zhao Lusi, Li Xiaoran and Zhang Xinyi recommended the whitening cream. In 2021, annual sales surpassed RMB 1 billion and the brand maintained high growth, while Li Xiang from "Call Me By Fire" became a brand ambassador. In 2022, GUYU received the "2021 Most Competitive Brand" award, was featured in People's Daily and CCTV as a new domestic brand force, and announced Zhou Dongyu as spokesperson for its mask series. In 2023, it again appeared in People's Daily and CCTV, completed sales of over RMB 3.5 billion with a three-year compound growth rate of 90%, and announced Lu Han as global brand spokesperson on its seventh anniversary. In 2024, it was selected for People's Daily's "Brand Power Program · Growth Brand" as the only domestic skincare brand chosen, and repeated its People's Daily China Brand Innovation Case honor. Technologically, GUYU developed proprietary ingredients including Aurora Glabridin, rare ginsenoside CK and cell secretin HME, and states it is one of very few skincare companies to self-develop and self-produce all core raw materials. It has collected over 50,000 dynamic operating samples and 1.6 million skin indicators, led the drafting of four group standards, and applied for more than 300 patents. In 2026, its tenth anniversary, GUYU upgraded its vision to "using Chinese technology and Chinese culture to create health and beauty for humanity," announced the upgrade of its Qingnang R&D center into Qingwen Pharmaceutical, and established the Chinese Skin and Constitution Research Center and a research foundation. The brand also runs social responsibility programs such as the "Rain and Wood Symbiosis" empty-bottle recycling plan and a women's mental health charity hotline.

• 2026

  Tenth anniversary; vision upgraded; Qingnang R&D center upgraded to Qingwen Pharmaceutical; Chinese Skin and Constitution Research Center established.

• 2024

  Selected for People's Daily "Brand Power Program · Growth Brand" as the only domestic skincare brand chosen.

• 2023

  Sales exceeded RMB 3.5 billion with 90% three-year CAGR; Lu Han announced as global brand spokesperson.

• 2022

  Won 2021 Most Competitive Brand; featured in People's Daily and CCTV; Zhou Dongyu named mask series spokesperson.

• 2021

  Annual sales surpassed RMB 1 billion; Li Xiang became brand ambassador.

• 2020

  Whitening repair cream became a leading face cream online; celebrities including Shen Mengchen endorsed the brand.

• 2019

  Amino acid cleanser became No. 1 online and topped Xiaohongshu's domestic goods list.

• 2018

  420 brand anniversary sale ranked among Tmall's top domestic beauty brands.

• 2017

  Featured in Dragon TV documentary "Herbal China" as the only skincare brand included.

• 2016

  GUYU brand founded in China.

Chinese domestic efficacy skincare

• Aurora Glabridin Light-Sensing Whitening Essence Water (3rd gen)

  Whitening essence water with over 200 million active extracts, described as creating a "light-sensing filter" for skin.

• Light-Sensing Whitening Repair Cream (Whitening Milk Jar Pro)

  Whitening and repairing cream positioned as "whitening without burden, more stable whitening with repair."

• Aurora Ginseng Collagen series

  Anti-aging collagen line using rare ginsenoside CK, claiming 4h collagen boost and 2-week firming.

• Cell Secretin HME series

  Anti-wrinkle line featuring cell secretin HME, described as cell-gene-level anti-aging.

• Amino acid cleanser

  Hero cleanser that became No. 1 online in 2019.

• Light-Sensing Whitening Repair Eye Cream (Light Frequency Eye Cream)

  Eye cream claiming 3-minute precision sculpting around the eyes.

• Whitening Essence Mask Combo (Whitening Milk Skin Mask)

  Mask combo for post-sun spot care, claiming 7-day whitening.

• 2021

  Guyu '15-Minute Whitening' Efficacy Claims Spark False Advertising Dispute

  Beauty brand Guyu's glabridin whitening series was questioned by bloggers for using phrases such as '15-minute whitening' to imply that ordinarily filed products had whitening and spot-removing efficacy; it had previously been involved in a fluorescent-agent controversy. In 2024, the National Medical Products Administration reported that a batch of essence creams labeled Guyu tested positive for an undeclared whitening agent, but Guangdong drug regulators determined that the batch was not produced by Guyu. The brand denied violations and presented a special cosmetics registration certificate, and deleted the '15-minute' wording; no administrative penalty has been seen.

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1. 1谷雨官方网站-更适合中国人肤质的科学美白品牌guyu.com.cn
2. 2品牌历程_谷雨官方网站guyu.com.cn
3. 3品牌故事_谷雨官方网站guyu.com.cn
4. 4护肤系列_谷雨官方网站guyu.com.cn
5. 5Guyu '15-Minute Whitening' Efficacy Claims Spark False Advertising Disputem.aejournals.cn
6. 6Guyu '15-Minute Whitening' Efficacy Claims Spark False Advertising Disputenews.qq.com