FAQs
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1. Which cosmetics brands does Plamed collaborate with?
Plamed has been deeply rooted in the field of natural active ingredients for many years. Renowned for outstanding product efficacy, rigorous scientific data, and mild, safe formulations, Plamed has established itself as a long-term ingredient supplier and strategic partner for numerous leading cosmetics brands both domestically and internationally. Our diverse clientele spans across market leaders and pioneering brands in various skincare segments, including:
Renowned Mass & Functional Skincare Brands: Perfect Diary, Lin Qingxuan (Forest Cabin), HBN, PMPM, One Leaf, Simpcare, Inoherb, GOSS, Maxam, Unifon, Kans, Proya, Springdale.
Leading Baby & Sensitive Skincare Brands: Baby Elephant, Winona.
Emerging Bio-Active & Clean Beauty Brands: UNISKIN, Grain Rain, XIMUJI, ZHI BEN, Biohyalux.
Celebrated Men’s Care Brands: gf (Gf).
Global Consumer Goods Giants: Unilever.
To date, Plamed’s flagship anti-irritation and soothing repair ingredients (such as PMSoothe® Kava97) have gained widespread adoption and high acclaim from over a hundred top-tier beauty brands and leading ODM/OEM manufacturers globally. We remain dedicated to empowering global beauty brands with highly effective and exceptionally safe core skincare solutions tailored for sensitive skin.
2. What quality certifications do your cosmetic ingredients hold?
To meet strict global standards and diverse market needs, our cosmetic ingredients are certified under major international systems:
ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System): Guarantees that our manufacturing processes—from raw material sourcing to final production—adhere to strict quality control standards. Ensures consistent batch-to-batch stability, which is essential for our clients in the Europe and US markets looking for premium, compliant, and reliable supply chains.
Halal Certification: Fully certified Halal, ensuring compliance with strict ingredient traceability and the absence of prohibited substances or cross-contamination.
Allows our partners to seamlessly enter and expand in the Southeast Asian (e.g., Indonesia, Malaysia) and Middle Eastern markets, meeting local regulatory mandates.
We are committed to providing fully traceable, high-quality, and compliant ingredients to support your brand’s global growth. If you need copies of our certificates or specific technical documentation (such as COA, MSDS, or compliance statements), please feel free to contact our team.
3. Are your active ingredients compliant with regulations in the EU, US, and South Korea?
Yes, absolutely. Regulatory compliance and safety are our top priorities. All of our premium active ingredients have standard, internationally recognized INCI names and are fully compliant with the stringent regulations of these major markets:
European Union: Fully compliant with the EU Cosmetic Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, including safety assessments, and banned/restricted substance lists.
United States: Formulated and manufactured in strict accordance with FDA guidelines and the latest MoCRA (Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act) requirements, ensuring smooth product registration and listing.
South Korea: Compliant with the regulations set by the MFDS (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety), meeting their strict standards for functional cosmetic ingredients and efficacy documentation.
Whether you are a distributor or a brand owner in Europe, the Americas, or Southeast Asia, you can seamlessly integrate our ingredients into your formulations. We provide comprehensive regulatory support dossiers (COA, TDS, MSDS, and Composition Statements) to facilitate your local product promotion.
4. Do you provide clinical data to support the efficacy of your ingredients?
Yes, we provide comprehensive efficacy dossiers for all our flagship ingredients (such as PMSoothe® Kava97, PCR® Supermolecule Escin, and PMRefresh® Willow). Our data packages include:
In-vitro (cell-based) test reports to demonstrate cellular-level activity and pathways.
In-vivo (human clinical) trial data to prove real-world visible results.
Safety assessments and clear Mechanism of Action (MOA) diagrams.
These rigorous, science-backed materials are designed to help our distributors easily convince formulation chemists and premium brand owners.
5. Can we request free samples for lab testing? Do you provide formulation support?
Absolutely. We support our partners’ R&D efforts through a two-step support system:
Free Samples: We provide complimentary samples for laboratory evaluation and pilot trials.
Technical & Formulation Support: To accelerate your application process, we will also provide formulation guides for you.
Our dedicated technical support team is also available to help your customers resolve challenges related to formulation stability, compatibility, and optimal dosage.
6. Do you pass customer leads or regional inquiries to your distributors?
Yes, we strictly adhere to a win-win, distributor-first channel policy:
Any direct inquiries, sample requests, or business leads received through our website or international trade shows from an authorized region will be precisely forwarded to our local exclusive or authorized distributor.
We protect your market efforts and actively help you convert local brand clients into long-term order.
7. What is the Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) and lead time for international shipping?
We offer highly flexible logistical terms to support your business:
Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ): For most of our active ingredients, the MOQ is as low as 1 kg, allowing high flexibility for your inventory management.
Lead Time: Our standard lead time is highly competitive. Products are typically dispatched within 3 to 5 working days upon receipt of payment, subject to specific product availability and shipping logistics.
8. What are your key product categories available for distribution?
We offer a high-performance portfolio categorized by key cosmetic efficacies, catering to the latest global clean beauty and functional skincare trends:
Anti-Aging & Peptide Series:
Copper Tripeptide-1 (Blue Copper Peptide),
Brightening & Antioxidants:
Soothing & Skin Barrier Repair:
Endogenous & Mild Exfoliating:
White Willow Bark Extract (Salicin).
9. How to be Plamed’s exclusive distributor?
We maintain an open, strategic, and highly supportive attitude toward building exclusive global partnerships. We evaluate potential distributors based on:
Local distribution channels and market expertise.
Annual purchase volume projections.
Market expansion and promotional plans.
If you are interested in growing with us, please click the [Apply Now] to contact our business manager, and we will answer everything you would like to know.
10. What marketing and sales support do you offer to international distributors?
We empower our global distributors with a comprehensive suite of “Turn-key” Marketing Kits to minimize your promotional costs and time-to-market. Our support includes:
Technial Documentation: Product brochures, white papers, and TDS, MSDS, and COA.
Visual Materials: Ingredient videos and ready-to-use social media posters.
Market Intelligence: Detailed competitive analysis reports and trend insights.
Co-Marketing: We also attend at major international cosmetics exhibitions to boost local brand awareness.
1. What is the core standardization strategy for your PMSoothe® Kava-Oil?
To ensure maximum biological efficacy and batch-to-batch stability, we employ a comprehensive fingerprint control system:
Public Specifications: We standardize and guarantee the active levels of Kavain and Yangonin on COA, and TDS.
Internal Quality Control: Our lab strictly monitors six core actives of kavalactone simultaneously to ensure that every batch delivers identical, powerful soothing and anti-aging performance.
2. Do all Kava extracts on the market offer the same anti-wrinkle and anti-irritation efficacy?
Not necessarily. The biological efficacy of Kava is highly dependent on the extraction process and compositional balance:
Our Technology: We utilize a proprietary extraction process that precisely preserves and controls the optimal ratios of six key active components.
Market Alternatives: Processes that only standardize a single component, or alter the natural component ratios, often yield uncertain or inconsistent anti-wrinkle and soothing results.
3. How does the cost-effectiveness of oil-soluble Kava (PMSoothe® Kava-Oil) compare to the water-soluble version (PMSoothe® Kava97)?
Both products serve as powerful anti-irritants but cater to different formulation designs with distinct advantages:
PMSoothe® Kava-Oil (Oil-Soluble): From an active ingredient perspective, its Kavain content is doubled compared to the water-soluble version with only a marginal cost increase, offering premium cost-performance for emulsion and oil systems.
PMSoothe® Kava97 (Water-Soluble): Uses advanced encapsulation tech to significantly reduce Kava’s inherent odor and delivers excellent transparency in water-based systems (toners, serums).
4. Is there any published paper or clinical trial available for your Kava extract?
Yes, our Kava extraction technology and its efficacy pathways are backed by published paper. The paper validates the component’s synergistic nature and biological action mechanisms of the extract. Please contact us if you require a copy of the paper.
1. What are the core advantages of our Kava (PMSoothe® Kava97) compared to other similar products on the market?
- Higher Activity & Batch Stability:The active kavain content is ≥4000ppm, significantly higher than the market standard (e.g., 1000ppm). We are the first supplier in China to upgrade from controlling a single component to internally controlling the ratios of six active ingredients, ensuring excellent batch-to-batch efficacy stability.
- Innovative Mechanism (Inhibiting Action Potential – AP):Unlike traditional single-target TRPV1 inhibitors, it directly inhibits the generation of Action Potentials (AP). Since all irritation signals must be converted into AP to reach the brain, inhibiting AP acts as the “master switch” for a broader anti-irritation effect.
- Excellent Water Solubility & Stability:Powered by upgraded SPEX extraction technology, its 1% aqueous solution shows no significant color change or precipitation over long-term storage across various pH levels and extreme temperatures (4°C to 45°C).
Extended Efficacy: Plamed is the first globally to explore and confirm its new breakthrough benefits in anti-wrinkle (significantly improving dynamic lines) and skin barrier repair (1:1 synergistic enhancement with madecassoside).
2. What is the relationship between Action Potential (AP) and TRPV1 in the irritation pathway? Which comes first?
TRPV1 triggers first, followed by AP. External irritants or undesirable signals released by internal immune cells first activate various receptors on skin nerve fibers (such as TRPV1 ion channels, histamine receptors, etc.). This activation causes potential changes, ultimately generating an Action Potential (AP) along the nerve fiber to transmit the signal to the brain. Therefore, TRPV1 is the peripheral trigger, while AP is the final gateway and master switch for signal transmission.
3. Does Kava cause nerve numbness or inhibit normal nerve signal transmission when mitigating irritation via AP inhibition?
Not at all under ideal and normal cosmetic use; the impact is negligible. Premium neural soothing ingredients exhibit “state-dependency,” meaning they selectively inhibit nerves that are “over-excited” by inflammatory stimuli while having minimal effect on normal nerves at rest. The goal is to eliminate discomforts like stinging, burning, and itching while fully preserving the skin’s touch, thermal sensations, and protective reflexes. It restores normal nerve signaling rather than numbing the nerves.
4. Does any Kava extract possess anti-wrinkle efficacy? What is Plamed's Kava anti-wrinkle mechanism?
Not necessarily. Anti-wrinkle efficacy can only be guaranteed when Kava is extracted via Plamed’s proprietary process, with the ratios and total content of six core active components strictly controlled.
Anti-wrinkle Mechanism: Expression lines (dynamic wrinkles) are caused by muscle contractions, where the SNARE complex plays a critical role in releasing acetylcholine (the neurotransmitter driving contraction). While traditional Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 blocks the complex by mimicking the SNAP-25 protein, Plamed’s Kava inhibits the expression of the VAMP protein on the synaptic vesicle membrane. Acting on different targets, the two ingredients complement each other to drastically reduce acetylcholine release and synergistically smooth dynamic wrinkles.
5. How is the safety of Plamed's Kava? Is it safe for pregnant women?
Extremely safe. Plamed PMSoothe® Kava97 has completed a full-version safety assessment and toxicological testing required by regulations (including a 90-day subchronic oral toxicity study at 3 concentrations). It shows no systemic, genetic, or reproductive/developmental toxicity risks and is perfectly safe within regulatory limits (e.g., up to 7.79% in face creams).
Regarding Pregnancy & Stretch Marks: From a toxicological perspective, it is safe for pregnant women in regular skincare applications. However, based on strict Chinese regulations, “stretch mark removal” is classified as a medical claim that cosmetics cannot use. Therefore, we do not recommend claiming pregnancy stretch mark removal for this cosmetic ingredient.
1. How to summarize the core advantages of PCR® Supermolecular Escin shortly?
Powered by China’s pioneering supramolecular extraction technology (not standard supramolecular encapsulation), this product features a high absolute content of total escin (HPLC≥6%). It significantly improves skin microcirculation within 28 days to precisely combat dark circles.
2. What type of dark circles does PCR® Supermolecular Escin target, and what is its mechanism of action?
It primarily targets vascular dark circles. It effectively and precisely fades vascular dark circles by improving vascular microcirculation and accelerating blood flow velocity in the delicate eye area.
3. Why is the INCI name of this product "Escin" instead of the conventional "Horse Chestnut Extract"?
This is because before undergoing supramolecular processing, the purity of total escin in our initial raw material already exceeds 90%. According to international nomenclature standards for cosmetic ingredients, its ultra-high purity qualifies it to be designated as “Escin” rather than a standard plant extract, reflecting superior activity and refinement.
4. What is the recommended dosage for this product? Is it still effective at a low concentration like 0.1%?
The recommended dosage is 0.1% to 2%. While in vivo test suggest a 2% addition for the most pronounced dark circle reduction, our in vitro tests show significant microcirculation improvement at 0.01% and soothing effects at 0.03%. Therefore, it is deduced that dosages above 0.1% are sufficiently effective to deliver results.
5. Apart from eye care, can this ingredient be applied to other areas, such as leg care products? What data supports this?
Absolutely. It can be successfully applied in creams or balms designed to enhance leg blood circulation or reduce puffiness. Zebrafish in vivo tests demonstrate that escin significantly increases intersegmental vessel flow velocity. Furthermore, authoritative literature confirms that escin possesses excellent efficacy in relieving leg edema and microcirculation barriers.
6. Does PCR® Supermolecular Escin contain caffeine? Does it exhibit synergistic effects when paired with caffeine?
The raw material itself does not contain caffeine or any caffeine-related compounds. In formulation applications, since caffeine also improves blood circulation to reduce dark circles, compounding it with escin provides a complementary and enhanced effect.
1. How does PMOil-control® Pueraria achieve a high concentration of puerarin while maintaining excellent water solubility?
Extracting high-purity puerarin (up to 80%) is a highly mature traditional process in China. To overcome its inherent dissolution limits in formulations, Plamed utilizes a proprietary supramolecular encapsulation technology. This ensures a high content of active puerarin while significantly enhancing its water solubility and stability in aqueous systems.
2. Clinical data shows a tested concentration of 0.5%. When adding 0.5% Supramolecular Pueraria to a formula, is it necessary to compound it with other anti-acne ingredients?
Clinical tests show that 0.5% PMOil-control® Pueraria alone delivers excellent results in human oil control and acne reduction. Since its primary mechanism targets the root cause of excess sebum (oil control), and acne is often triggered by multi-factorial causes, we recommend synergistically compounding it with exfoliating agents (e.g., Salix Alba Bark Extract), anti-inflammatory, or antibacterial ingredients (e.g., Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract) for a comprehensive, fast-acting anti-acne solution.
3. What is the difference between the commonly known "molecular imprinting technology" and Plamed's "supramolecular capture technology"?
The core mechanisms and targeting scopes differ: molecular imprinting technology focuses on the precise identification and extraction of a “single specific molecule.” In contrast, Plamed’s supramolecular capture technology efficiently enriches a “class of functional components sharing specific physicochemical properties,” such as low-polarity molecular groups with molecular weights between 400–600, linear structure or a number of fused rings around 5.
4. What specific components are included in the Pueraria flavonoids of PMOil-control® Pueraria? Which one drives the core efficacy?
Pueraria flavonoids generally consist of four core flavonoid components. In our PMOil-control® Pueraria, through directional capture and supramolecular processing, the primary active ingredient driving the core oil-control and anti-acne efficacy is high-purity Pueraria.
5. Is PMOil-control® Pueraria patented?
Yes. The core encapsulation technology and application of this product have been officially submitted to the National Intellectual Property Administration as an invention patent application, which is currently under official review and pending authorization.
1. Why does your PMAnti-AGEs® Silibinin emphasize a higher content of Silybin? What are its efficacy advantages?
Authoritative literature (Enhanced Anti-Aging Properties of Silymarin…) indicates that within the natural ratio of silymarin, a higher content of Silybin correlates with more robust anti-aging efficacy. Silybin exhibits significantly stronger activity in scavenging ROS and downregulating the key pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α compared to silydianin and silychristin. Therefore, our targeted enhancement of Silybin delivers superior anti-aging and anti-inflammatory performance for our clients’ products.
2. Can PMAnti-AGEs® Silibinin be claimed as "cellular-level anti-wrinkle"? What is the theoretical basis?
Yes. PMAnti-AGEs® Silibinin can promote the synthesis of the Extracellular Matrix (ECM). Since the ECM is the vital microenvironment for skin cells, targeting ECM synthesis to ameliorate wrinkles implies rejuvenating and stimulating from the cellular environment level, which perfectly aligns with the logic of a “cellular-level anti-wrinkle” claim.
3. If the collagen promotion of PMAnti-AGEs® Silibinin occurs at the "gene expression level"?
Yes. Collagen and other matrix fibers cannot be generated out of nowhere within the skin; they require the activation of relevant gene transcription and expression to guide ribosomes in synthesizing new proteins. The core mechanism behind PMAnti-AGEs® Silibinin’s endogenous collagen stimulation is precisely achieved by regulating and upregulating related gene expression levels.
4. Theoretically, PMAnti-AGEs® Silibinin and recombinant collagen form a synergy of "exogenous stimulation + endogenous replenishment." How is their compatibility in actual formulations?
They exhibit excellent compatibility and do not interfere with each other in conventional emulsion chassis. In practice, dissolve the recombinant collagen in water and add it to the system, then disperse PMAnti-AGEs® Silibinin evenly in polyols before introducing it into the batch, and stir thoroughly. Plamed is currently conducting more detailed compatibility validations and will issue an official report soon.
5. Silymarin is extremely difficult to dissolve. What technologies does Plamed have to address this pain point in its formulation?
To address the industry pain point of dissolving high-purity silymarin, Plamed is actively developing second-generation Silymarin products. We will utilize innovative “liposome encapsulation” or “supramolecular capture” technologies to launch a highly active, water-soluble Silymarin ingredient, completely shattering formulation application limitations.
6. Does Plamed have a patent for this high-purity PMAnti-AGEs® Silibinin?
Yes. To protect the unique extraction technology and formulation applications of this high-purity PMAnti-AGEs® Silibinin, Plamed has fully initiated the patent application process, and relevant invention patents are currently being arranged for submission to the National Intellectual Property Administration.
1. What is the mechanism behind the "endogenous exfoliation" of PMRefresh® Willow? How does it differ from traditional acid-based products?
PMRefresh® Willow utilizes a “biomimetic skin-renewing mechanism”. It achieves gentle exfoliation by regulating the skin’s endogenous enzymes, rather than forcibly stripping the stratum corneum like strong chemical acids. Specifically, It functions through a proprietary “one-push, two-pull” regulatory mechanism involving KLK7, SPINK5, and SPINK1.:
- “One-Push”: It upregulates the activity of human tissue kallikrein KLK7(the primary “molecular scissors” for exfoliation). This directly hydrolyzes desmosomal core proteins (such as Desmoglein 1), promoting the natural shedding of dead skin cells.
- “Two–Pulls”:It inhibits SPINK5 and SPINK1, two types of serine protease inhibitors. Inhibiting SPINK5 reduces the suppression of KLK7. Meanwhile, inhibiting SPINK1 safeguards the normal operation of Matriptase, a key initiator and activator of KLK5 and KLK7. This fundamentally and systematically regulates the physiological exfoliation process.
2. Will the use of PMRefresh® Willow cause visible skin peeling or barrier damage? Is it suitable for sensitive skin or ruptured acne lesions?
No, it will not cause visible pathological peeling or skin barrier damage.
- In Vivo Tests: In vivo tests conducted at concentrations of 0.5% and 2%, all subjects used the product continuously for 28 days without any instances of desquamation, erythema, or other adverse reactions. Furthermore, a human patch test at a6% concentration demonstrated zero irritation.
- 3D Epidermal Model Testing: Tissue morphology assessments showed that the epidermal model treated with PMRefresh® Willow maintained a completely intact structure compared to the control group, exhibiting only a reduction in the thickness of the stratum corneum. Because of its mild, safe nature and endogenous mechanism, it lacks the irritancy of conventional acid products. Consequently, it is highly suitable for sensitive skin formulations and can be safely applied even to ruptured acne lesions.
3. How should PMRefresh® Willow be applied in anti-acne formulations? What is the recommended dosage?
In vitro cellular assays indicate that PMRefresh® Willow exhibits robust anti-acne efficacy at a concentration of 0.1%. Its mechanism of action is well-defined: it significantly suppresses excessive lipid synthesis in sebaceous cells and downregulates the expression of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1α.
Correlating this with the human efficacy data at 0.5% for desquamation (as exfoliation provides an excellent auxiliary effect for acne clearance), we recommend a formulation dosage of 0.5% or higher. If PMRefresh® Willow is the sole anti-acne active in the formulation, a higher dosage is advisable. For optimal anti-acne performance, we suggest synergistic compounding with sebum-regulating agents (e.g., Pueraria extract), exfoliants, anti-inflammatory agents, and antimicrobial actives (e.g., Magnolia officinalis bark extract).
4. Does PMRefresh® Willow offer pore-minimizing and skin-smoothing benefits? Are there data supported by specific subject screening?
Yes, the product demonstrates significant efficacy in improving skin roughness and providing auxiliary pore-refining benefits.
- Subject Screening Criteria:In our human efficacy testing, dermatologists strictly screened and recruited healthy volunteers aged 18–60 with abnormally thickened strata cornea and no history of allergies (pathologically thickened strata cornea lead to disordered cell alignment, uneven skin surfaces, and a rough, hardened texture).
- Test Results: Compared to the placebo vehicle group, the application of PMRefresh® Willow led to a significant improvement in stratum corneum desquamation and skin roughness. While direct clinical data for pore contraction are not yet available, enlarged pores are typically driven by excessive sebum secretion (physically stretching the pores), hyperkeratosis (keratin accumulation), and recurrent acne inflammation. PMRefresh® Willow significantly inhibits 5α-reductase and lipid droplet content (oil-control), promotes exfoliation, and suppresses inflammatory cytokines (anti-acne)—all of which strongly validate its auxiliary pore-minimizing functionality.
5. Can PMRefresh® Willow be claimed as "acid-free"? Is there any risk of it converting into salicylic acid?
Yes, you can confidently claim “salicylic acid-free”. We have conducted rigorous “acid-free” verification studies.
The stability reports demonstrate that a 1% aqueous solution of PMRefresh® Willow maintained across a pH range of 4~10 for one year showed zero detection of salicylic acid, proving it does not hydrolyze into salicylic acid even under high pH conditions.
From a biochemical perspective, the conversion of salicin into salicylic acid requires extremely harsh, specific conditions: it must undergo enzymatic hydrolysis via β-glucosidase followed by two successive oxidation steps. Therefore, it remains exceptionally stable within cosmetic formulation vehicles and will not transform into salicylic acid over time.
5. Will the exfoliating and skin-brightening effects be maintained if a user discontinues PMRefresh® Willow after 4 weeks of continuous use?
The effects will not vanish immediately; rather, they will gradually diminish in alignment with the skin’s natural metabolic cycle.PMRefresh® Willow functions gently by modulating the skin’s endogenous targets (KLK7/SPINK5/SPINK1). Since a standard human epidermal turnover cycle is approximately 28 days, a 4-week continuous application allows the skin to reach a relatively stable state of improvement. Human clinical trials demonstrate that PMRefresh® Willow at a 2% concentration significantly enhances the skin brightness value by 3.74%, showing excellent efficacy in combating dullness and reviving radiance. Upon discontinuation, we recommend a maintenance application frequency of 2 to 3 times per week to preserve a refined, smooth skin texture over the long term.