What KanS does

KanS (韩束), legally Shanghai Shangmei Cosmetics Co., LTD, is a Shanghai-headquartered Chinese cosmetics brand founded in 2003 by Dehua Weng and Yixiong Lu, operating a multi-category beauty portfolio covering skincare, makeup, haircare, body care, and men's grooming. The company has repositioned itself around a "Scientific Anti-Aging" positioning since 2021, anchoring its differentiation in proprietary peptide technology — including the world's first brand-self-developed Circular Hexapeptide (new raw material filed in 2024), X-Peptide (created in 2023 for Chinese consumers), and patent-pending Huofu Yin™ — alongside a granted dual-bacteria fermentation ingredient first commercialized in 2018 that broke foreign raw material supplier monopoly. In 2023, KanS led the publication of China's first peptide category group standard, embedding its know-how into industry regulation.

The company's technology backbone includes a 1.2 billion yuan ($172.8 million) AI-empowered unmanned smart factory in Shanghai — the first of its kind among Chinese cosmetics brands — with 42 industrial robots, 12 fully automated production lines, 3.5 million bottles/day capacity, AI computer-vision quality control performing 20 product defect screenings per second, and a 75% reduction in manual operations. R&D is supported by approximately 1 million accumulated Asian skin samples and dual research centers in Shanghai. Manufacturing is anchored at the Shanghai Shangmei Technology Park (150 acres) and the original Suzhou production base (established 2006).

KanS generates revenue through direct-to-consumer sales of branded products across mass-market (Red Waist, 377 White Waist) and premium (PRO-XLANE, X-Peptide, Flash Charge) price segments, distributed via its own kans.cn site plus Tmall, Douyin, JD.com, Pinduoduo, and WeChat mini-programs. Its go-to-market motion is digital-first, sales-led, and heavy on micro-drama/KOL marketing on Douyin, where the brand achieved 374% YoY GMV growth and $417M in annual channel sales. The company is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under ticker hkg:2145 and operates with 501–1,000 employees.

Name

KanS

Legal name

Shanghai Shangmei Cosmetics Co., LTD (上海上美化妆品股份有限公司)

Website

https://kans.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

KanS (韩束) is a Shanghai-headquartered Chinese cosmetics brand founded in 2003, selling science-based anti-aging skincare, makeup, haircare, body care, and men's grooming products to Chinese consumers through Tmall, Douyin, JD.com, Pinduoduo, and its own DTC site, anchored by proprietary peptide ingredients and AI-driven manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Skincare Cosmetics

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

K-Beauty/J-Beauty & Global Skincare Regimens (CRABAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hair Care (Shampoo, Conditioner, Styling, Treatments) (CRADANAE), Personal Fragrances (Perfume, Cologne, Body Sprays) (CRADANAD)

Keywords

• Anti-aging skincare
• Peptide cosmetics
• Chinese beauty brand
• Cosmetics manufacturing
• Men's grooming products

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cosmetics Product Sales: Kans generates revenue through direct product sales of skincare, makeup, haircare, body care, and men's grooming products across multiple price segments including mass market and premium skincare lines.
2. Micro-drama Marketing Services: Revenue driven through micro-drama collaborations and influencer marketing on platforms like Douyin, generating $417 million in annual sales through this channel.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KanS (韩束) is a Chinese cosmetics brand that develops, manufactures, and sells a full range of skincare, makeup, haircare, body care, and men's grooming products centered on scientific anti-aging. Its portfolio spans mass-market and premium price segments, featuring proprietary peptide technologies and distributed via flagship stores on major Chinese e-commerce platforms. The company operates China's first AI-empowered unmanned smart factory among domestic cosmetics brands, with 3.5 million bottles/day capacity.

Product overview

KanS (韩束) is a Chinese cosmetics brand established in 2003, offering a comprehensive portfolio of skincare, makeup, haircare, body care, and men's grooming products. The brand operates multiple sub-brands and product lines centered on its scientific anti-aging positioning. Key skincare lines include the mass-market Red Waist Series (红蛮腰系列) and 377 White Waist Series, the high-end PRO-XLANE Series (玻色因紫金系列) and X-Peptide Series (X肽系列), and the Flash Charge Series (闪充系列) featuring proprietary circular hexapeptide technology. The makeup portfolio includes the Lucky Red Makeup Series (红运彩妆系列) and White Moonlight Makeup Series (白月光彩妆系列). Haircare offerings comprise Volumizing, Anti-Hair Loss, and Caviar series, while body care includes fragranced hand creams, body lotions, and shower gels. The men's line covers skincare, oil-control, whitening, anti-hair loss, and grooming products. The brand differentiates through proprietary peptide technologies including circular peptides and the Huofuoyin ingredient, supported by AI-powered smart manufacturing capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Red Waist Series (红蛮腰系列)
• 377 White Waist Series (377白蛮腰系列)
• PRO-XLANE Series (玻色因紫金系列)
• X-Peptide Series (X肽系列)
• Flash Charge Series (闪充系列)
• Blue Copper Peptide Firming Series (蓝铜胜肽紧致系列)
• Lucky Red Makeup Series (红运彩妆系列)
• White Moonlight Makeup Series (白月光彩妆系列)
• Volumizing Series (蓬松系列)
• Anti-Hair Loss Series (防脱系列)
• Caviar Series (鱼子酱系列)
• Perfumed Body Care Line (香氛身体护理系列)
• Men's Brightening Whitening Series (男士耀白净透系列)
• Men's Oil Control Series (男士控油系列)
• Men's Selenium Disulfide Series (男士二硫化硒系列)
• Men's Anti-Hair Loss Series (男士防脱系列)
• Men's Style Series (型男系列)
• Huofuoyin Activating Essence Water (活肤水)
• Golden Honeycomb Firming Mask (黄金蜂窝肌肽紧致抚纹面膜)
• 377 Whitening Anti-Wrinkle Essential Serum (美白抚纹精华液)

Quantifiable outcome

• 374% year-on-year increase in GMV on Douyin following influencer collaborations
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Proya Cosmetics (珀莱雅): Leading Chinese listed skincare brand (SHA: 603605) targeting young consumers with anti-aging, whitening, and repair ranges. Closest direct peer to KanS in positioning, channel mix, and mass-to-premium skincare portfolio.
• Marubi (丸美): Chinese skincare brand (SHA: 603983) with a strong eye-care and anti-aging positioning. Comparable as a domestic player competing on peptide/anti-aging efficacy and online channels.
• Botanee (贝泰妮 / Winona): Chinese dermocosmetics leader (SZSE: 300957) behind Winona (薇诺娜). Comparable as a science-led Chinese skincare brand using proprietary active ingredients and a domestic channel stack including Tmall and Douyin.
• Shanghai Jahwa (上海家化 / Herborist): Heritage Chinese beauty conglomerate (SHA: 600315) with Herborist (佰草集), Maxam, and other brands. Comparable as a multi-category domestic CPG beauty platform with R&D-led anti-aging and herbal skincare lines.
• Pechoin (百雀羚): Iconic heritage Chinese skincare brand. Comparable as a mass-market domestic anti-aging/moisturizing brand competing on Tmall, Douyin, and traditional retail against KanS.
• Florasis (花西子): Chinese color cosmetics brand built on Douyin/KOL marketing and micro-drama content. Comparable to KanS in its reliance on Chinese digital-first GTM and cultural-positioned product design.
• Inoherb (相宜本草): Chinese herbal skincare brand with strong mass-market positioning. Comparable as a domestic herbal/TCM-inspired skincare peer competing in anti-aging and whitening categories.

Broad incumbents

• L'Oréal China: China arm of L'Oréal Group, with Lancôme, L'Oréal Paris, Kiehl's, and Helena Rubinstein. Comparable as the dominant multinational incumbent competing directly with KanS in anti-aging and premium skincare in China.
• Estée Lauder China: China operations of Estée Lauder Companies, including Estée Lauder, La Mer, Clinique. Comparable as the premium multinational competitor KanS benchmarks against in the high-end anti-aging segment.
• Amorepacific (China): South Korean beauty group (KS: 090430) with strong China presence through Sulwhasoo, Innisfree, and Laneige. Comparable as a major Asian incumbent competing with KanS on peptide/anti-aging innovation and digital GTM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shanghai-chicmax-cosmetic-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KanS