浸大中医药初创企业创香港先例成功取得国家药监局（NMPA）新化妆品原料注册许可

In August 2025, Gihon Biotech Limited—a start-up supported by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC)'s Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities (TSSSU) and founded by Professor Zhang Hongjie (Chair Professor in Chinese Medicine, HKBU School of Chinese Medicine), received approval (国妆原备字20250102) from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for its new cosmetic ingredient. The ingredient, dihydro-resveratrol (DR2), a naturally occurring compound, is derived from the Chinese herb Dendrobium (石斛). This approval marks a first for a Hong Kong entity under mainland China’s new cosmetic ingredient registration system.

The NMPA’s endorsement validates both the scientific rigour and high quality of Hong Kong’s research-backed innovation, signalling strong potential for global development of evidence-based skincare products derived from traditional Chinese medicine. This approval also aligns with HKBU’s research focus, particularly the Health and Drug Discovery cluster, and intersects with the Data Analytics and AI cluster through the use of multi-omics, network pharmacology, and bioinformatics pipelines in Professor Zhang's lab. Professor Zhang’s research on skin protection and whitening using DR2 has already led to commercial products available in Hong Kong (https://hksnl.com). The successful registration of DR2 as a new cosmetic ingredient with NMPA allows for the manufacture and sale of DR2-based products in mainland China, significantly expanding their market reach.

Professor Zhang has over 30 years of research experience in isolation, identification, structural elucidation, analysis, synthesis, and biological evaluation of small molecules from natural products. An expert in phytochemistry and natural product drug discovery, he is dedicated to advancing his research for the benefit of human health and public wellness.

The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of mainland China is the national regulatory body responsible for supervising the safety, efficacy, and quality of drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics, overseeing their research, registration, production, distribution, and post-market surveillance.