Sino Lion

What Sino Lion does

Sino Lion USA, founded in 1993 in New York State, is a specialty ingredient manufacturer that develops, produces, and markets green chemistry and biotechnology-based functional ingredients for the global cosmetics, personal care, health food, and pharmaceutical industries. The company operates two core technology platforms: (1) a Green Chemistry platform grounded in the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, focused on amino acid-based surfactants (glutamates, alaninates, glycinates, sarcosinates, taurates), natural preservatives (ethyl lauroyl arginate HCl, polylysine), green chelating agents (GLDA, MGDA), and emollients/conditioners; and (2) an Advanced Biotechnology platform leveraging fermentation, synthetic biology, systems biology, and enzyme engineering to produce bioactive ingredients such as fermentation-derived Vitamin K2 MK-7 (BioEssence), Glyceryl Glucoside (Evermoist AGG-50), postbiotics (BioYoung), and skin-brightening agents. The portfolio spans 100+ products across 10+ categories, backed by 130+ patents filed (55 issued as of end-2023) and extensive COSMOS/Ecocert/GRAS certifications. Manufacturing is anchored by a 30,000 ton/year automated amino acid surfactant production line at Nanjing Huashi New Material in China, with R&D and coordination in Shanghai and Florham Park, NJ.

Sino Lion generates revenue through B2B sales of formulated ingredient products to cosmetics and personal care manufacturers globally, using a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise field sales with regional distribution partners — Univar for the US market (since December 2018) and DKSH for exclusive distribution of 18+ surfactant brands across regional markets. The company also maintains a regional agent network including Chinese agents and participates actively in global industry events (In-Cosmetics Global, Korea, Asia, Latin America, NYSCC Suppliers' Day) to drive customer acquisition and technical engagement. Customers include multinational personal care and pharmaceutical companies (Unilever, P&G, L'Oréal, GSK have all engaged at industry events) alongside indie formulators and regional brands, with the customer base segmented across cosmetics/personal care manufacturers, green/clean beauty brands, skincare/anti-aging developers, sun care manufacturers, and baby care product manufacturers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated based on volume, customer relationship, and formulation requirements. The company is privately held, founder/management-controlled with no disclosed external funding, and operates through wholly owned subsidiaries including Shanghai Zhongshi Sci&Tech Development and Nanjing Huashi New Material.

Name

Sino Lion

Legal name

Sino Lion USA

Website

https://sinolion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sino Lion is a specialty ingredient manufacturer developing green chemistry and biotechnology-based functional ingredients (amino acid surfactants, natural preservatives, biotech actives like Vitamin K2 MK-7) for global cosmetics, personal care, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. It operates a 30,000-ton annual production capacity in China with global distribution via Univar and DKSH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Cosmetic Ingredients

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Surface Active Agent Manufacturing (325613), Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing (325411)

SIC

Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840), Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Bio-based Surfactants, Detergent Ingredients & Oleochemicals (EUAAAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preservatives & Antimicrobials (Sorbates, Benzoates, Natamycin, Cultured Dextrose) (CRADAOAF), Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends) (CRADAOAO)

Keywords

• Amino acid surfactants
• Cosmetic specialty ingredients
• Green chemistry formulations
• Biotechnology bioactives
• Personal care raw materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Florham Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Specialty Ingredient Sales: Sino Lion generates revenue by developing, manufacturing, and marketing innovative functional ingredients, polymers, sensory agents, and natural active ingredients to cosmetic, personal care, health food, pharmaceutical and related industries. Revenue comes from direct sales of formulated ingredient products and through distribution partners globally.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sino Lion develops, manufactures, and markets specialty functional ingredients (surfactants, preservatives, chelating agents, UV filters, sensory agents, conditioners, and bioactives) for cosmetics, personal care, health food, and pharmaceutical industries. The portfolio is built on two proprietary technology platforms — Green Chemistry (amino acid-based surfactants, natural preservatives, green chelating agents) and Advanced Biotechnology (fermentation-derived bioactives such as Vitamin K2 MK-7 and postbiotics). Products are supplied to brand owners, formulators, and contract manufacturers globally under brands such as Eversoft, EverGuard, Evermild, Olesun, BioEssence, and BioYoung.

Product overview

Sino Lion is a specialty ingredient manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of green chemistry and biotechnology-based ingredients for the cosmetics and personal care industry. The company's product ecosystem is built around two core technology platforms: amino acid-based surfactants and advanced biotechnology. Key product lines include: (1) Amino Acid Surfactants (Eversoft UCS/ULS/YCS/YCK/ACS/TCS/TLS Series, Glutamix A-50, Thickmate A) - mild, biodegradable surfactants derived from amino acids for cleansing applications; (2) Green Preservatives (EverGuard LAE-20, EverGuard PL, EverPro LCG, Evermild EHG/CG/HG/PG) - COSMOS/Ecocert certified preservatives and boosters; (3) Green Chelating Agents (Evermild GLDA-30, MGDA-30) - biodegradable alternatives to phosphates; (4) Sun Care (Olesun M, OT, EverMap 160K) - UV filters and emulsifiers; (5) Skin Brightening (Everwhite Vc-Et, BioWhite VCG/ABT, Kojic Acid variants) - tyrosinase inhibitors; (6) Sensory Agents (KOKO ML, SenseHot) - cooling and warming agents; (7) Conditioners (Everquat, EverLipid EFA, Eversmooth) - hair and skin conditioning; (8) Bioactive Actives (BioEssence K2 MK-7, Evermoist AGG-50G, BioYoung series, AgeGuard ingredients) - biotechnology-derived functional ingredients. The company also offers formulation solutions through its Earthsaver Toolbox platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BioEssence: Biotechnology platform ingredients including Vitamin K2 MK-7 and other fermentation-derived actives.
• Eversoft
• Everguard
• Evermoist
• BioWhite
• Evermild
• Earthsaver
• BioYoung

Products and services

• Eversoft Amino Acid-based Surfactants

Quantifiable outcome

• Salt impurities reduced by 90% in Eversoft NS/FNS Series compared to conventional amino acid surfactants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and strategic.

• Vitafoods Europe 2025minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2025Ascend Biotech, a Sino Lion company, showcased flagship plant-based ingredients including BioEssence Vegan D3 and K2 MK-7 at Vitafoods Europe 2025, the nutraceutical industry event, indicating cross-industry collaboration between nutrition and cosmetics.
• UnivarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 December 2018Sino Lion USA announced formal distribution agreement with Univar, making Univar the distributor for beauty and personal care ingredients in the United States. The broad portfolio includes mild and naturally derived amino-acid surfactants, preservatives, chelates and multiple specialty chemistries. The partnership leverages Univar's extensive supply chain network, commitment to customer success, and leading digital technology to serve customers across the US.
• Nanjing Advanced Biotechnology and Life Sciences Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018Led by Nanjing Huashi New Material Co., Ltd. (part of Sino Lion), this institute represents the formal completion of Sino Lion's two major technology platforms - Fine Chemicals platform and Hi-tech Biotechnology platform. It integrates high-tech R&D and industrialization, involving synthetic biology, systems biology, modern enzyme engineering, and fermentation technology for developing strategic materials in bio-pharmaceuticals, energy conservation, environmental protection, and life science applications.
• DKSHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2016Sino Lion signed exclusive distribution agreement with DKSH covering surfactant brands including Eversoft, Glutamix, Thickmate, Everguard, Everpro, Evermild, EverMap, Olesun, SuperGel, KOKO, SinoSphere, SenseHot, Everfoam, EverLipid, Everquat, Eversmooth, OleEster, and Evertouch.
• Ascend BiotechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated company that partnered with Sino Lion to pioneer the introduction of food-grade, high-purity bio-fermentation Vitamin K2 MK-7 into the cosmetics industry, establishing both compliance and scientific foundation for global brands.
• Chinese American Cosmetic Professional Association (CACPA)strategicOthersDr. Evelyn Su serves as first chairperson and fifth president of CACPA, actively promoting technical exchange and development between Chinese and American cosmetics industries. Sino Lion participates in CACPA forum activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ajinomoto: Ajinomoto is the historical pioneer of amino-acid-based surfactants (Amilite) for personal care, the exact category in which Sino Lion competes. It is the most direct rival to Sino Lion's glutamate, glycinate, alaninate, and taurate surfactant platforms serving global cosmetics manufacturers.
• Galaxy Surfactants: Galaxy is a specialty surfactant manufacturer serving global personal-care brands with mild and amino-acid surfactant ranges. Directly competes with Sino Lion on green surfactant technology at formulators of shampoos, body wash, and face cleansers.

Broad incumbents

• BASF Personal Care: BASF's personal-care ingredients division offers surfactants, preservatives, UV filters, bioactives, and polymers across all of the same categories Sino Lion addresses. It competes against Sino Lion at multinational brand owners with a much broader portfolio and deeper sales coverage.
• Evonik Personal Care: Evonik supplies specialty surfactants, conditioning agents, and bioactives to personal-care formulators and is a known competitor in amino-acid-based and other mild surfactant systems. Comparable customer base of multinational cosmetics manufacturers.
• Croda International: Croda is a global specialty ingredients supplier to personal care with overlapping categories including surfactants, conditioning agents, UV filters, and bioactive ingredients. Targets the same brand-owner formulators as Sino Lion with a comparable sustainability narrative.
• Ashland: Ashland's life sciences unit supplies specialty polymers, preservatives, conditioning agents, and bioactives to personal-care brands, overlapping with Sino Lion's polymers, EverGuard preservatives, and bioactive lines.
• Clariant (now part of specialty chemical portfolios post-2024 divestment): Clariant supplies mild surfactants, conditioning polymers, and specialty additives to personal-care formulators, comparable to Sino Lion's Eversoft and Everquat/conditioning product lines.
• Stepan Company: Stepan is a major surfactant manufacturer whose personal-care portfolio (anionic, amphoteric, and specialty surfactants) overlaps with Sino Lion's amino-acid and mild surfactant platforms. Comparable B2B sales to cosmetics and personal-care formulators.
• Seppic (Air Liquide Healthcare/Air Liquide): Seppic supplies specialty surfactants, polymers, and bioactives for personal-care formulation with strong position in mild surfactants and skin care actives, overlapping with Sino Lion's Eversoft and Evermoist/Evermild portfolios.
• Lonza Personal Care: Lonza supplies bioactives, peptides, and specialty preservation systems to personal-care brands. Overlaps with Sino Lion's biotechnology platform (BioEssence, postbiotics, fermentation-derived actives) and green preservatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Sino Lion