Former Max Factor Scientist Toshiya Taniguchi Joins Tengyu Group

Tengyu Group has partnered with international cosmetics pioneer Toshiya Taniguchi to strengthen its base makeup capabilities, marking a significant escalation in the global beauty supply chain's R&D race.

In 2026, the Chinese beauty industry is entering an era of "deep value." As the era of rapid traffic acquisition fades, research and development (R&D) has become the ultimate moat for both brands and supply chain manufacturers. Recently, a major industry announcement turned heads: Toshiya Taniguchi, the former chief makeup engineer at Chicmax Group's Kobe Redway R&D Center and former chief makeup scientist at Max Factor, has officially joined Tengyu Group as a Special Makeup R&D Consultant.

With over 40 years of industry experience and more than 50 global patents, the "foundation master" is set to bring significant changes to Tengyu and the broader beauty supply chain. China Cosmetics sat down with the team to explore the strategic depth behind this high-profile partnership.

40 Years of Dedication: The Legendary Career of a Makeup Master

Taniguchi's name carries immense weight in the global cosmetics industry R&D.

In 1981, Taniguchi joined Max Factor under P&G Japan, kicking off a cosmetics R&D career spanning more than four decades. During his 30-year tenure at Max Factor, he spent nine years in production and 21 years in R&D, mastering the entire pipeline from formulation to mass production for lipsticks, eyeshadows, and liquid foundations. This dual expertise in chemistry and manufacturing process laid the foundation for his status as a top-tier base makeup expert.

Within the P&G system, Taniguchi developed several global best-selling foundations for prestige brands like Max Factor, SK-II, and CoverGirl. One of his crowning achievements was leading the development of P&G’s Solid Emulsion Compact (SEC) patented technology. This innovation revolutionized traditional cream foundations and remains a gold standard in the industry.

In 2016, Taniguchi was invited to China to join Chicmax Group as the chief makeup engineer at its Kobe Redway R&D Center. There, he oversaw formulation, process development, and quality control for Chicmax's makeup brands, including Hanasaka and Hanfen Shijia, driving the group's proprietary R&D capabilities.

Over his 40-year career, Taniguchi has led the development of more than 300 products, secured over 50 global patents, and specialized in Asian skin tones, water-in-oil emulsification, and advanced powder-processing technologies.

Partnering with a Global Expert to Drive Base and Color Cosmetics

Tengyu Group, one of China's leading beauty supply chain enterprises, has evolved from a single factory established in 2009 into a comprehensive OEM/ODM powerhouse integrating R&D, manufacturing, and services.

While Tengyu is widely recognized for its skincare achievements, it has quietly built deep expertise in base makeup over the years. Yang Qimei, Product Director of Tengyu Group, explained the move to China Cosmetics: "We have been manufacturing base makeup since our factory's inception. However, there is still a technical gap between domestic and Japanese powder-processing technologies. By bringing in a veteran Japanese engineer, we aim to elevate our powder processing and color matching to better serve mid-to-high-end clients with superior skin-feel experiences."

This pivot comes at a critical time. In China's highly competitive e-commerce landscape, base makeup has emerged as a highly resilient growth engine on platforms like Douyin, TikTok's Chinese sister app, even as other color cosmetics categories face a slowdown.

Formulating base makeup is significantly more complex than standard skincare. Every step—from balancing emulsifiers and selecting film-formers to refining powder particles—directly impacts the final wear and finish. "Base makeup technology is incredibly challenging," Yang admitted. "We wanted to find a seasoned industry veteran who has worked with global prestige brands to help lift Tengyu's R&D capabilities to the next level."

This reflects Tengyu's core strategy: rather than starting from scratch, the company is standing on the shoulders of giants to achieve a technological leap.

Dai Chengnan, Chairman of Tengyu Group, previously told China Cosmetics: "The globalization of China's beauty industry is not just about selling products overseas. Moving from 'Made in China' to becoming a 'global beauty manufacturing ecosystem hub' is the true path forward. We aim to build a global smart supply chain network through international production upgrades, globalized R&D systems, and global brand incubation."

Taniguchi's appointment is a crucial step in executing this vision. Moving forward, Tengyu's R&D team will work closely with him to focus on upgrading base makeup formulations, optimizing products for diverse skin types, and improving long-wear stability, ultimately delivering professional makeup solutions tailored to Asian skin tones.

Tengyu's technological ambitions extend beyond color cosmetics. Yang revealed that the company has invested heavily in sun care, developing its proprietary TENGYU Agel sunscreen technology to solve common pain points like heavy textures, white casts, and pilling. The company has also built competitive moats around its proprietary liposome encapsulation and microfluidic microcapsule technologies.

On the global front, Taniguchi's expertise will be pivotal. "In addition to serving leading domestic brands in the high-end market, we plan to expand into Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S. with our base makeup products," Yang said. "Every region has different preferences for price and skin-feel, so we need to invest in localized research to create region-specific formulations."

Additionally, Tengyu has partnered with the Swiss Institute of Skin Anti-Aging Sciences on overseas R&D initiatives, bringing European anti-aging technologies to the Chinese market. For brands, partnering with Tengyu means accessing a reliable, multi-category technology ecosystem.

The R&D War Begins: Technical Authority as the Rarest Strategic Resource

Tengyu's recruitment of Taniguchi is part of a broader trend. Over the past two years, a fierce talent war for top-tier scientific minds has been quietly reshaping the Chinese beauty industry.

In April 2025, Proya made headlines by appointing four international scientists: Sun Peiwen (former P&G Greater China Open Innovation R&D Director) as Chief R&D Innovation Officer; Huang Hu (a 27-year P&G veteran) as Chief Scientific Officer; Lieve Declercq (former VP of Basic Science Research at Estée Lauder) as Chief Scientific Advisor; and Chang Xiaowei (formerly of Unilever and Henkel) to lead its Shanghai R&D center.

Similarly, listed Chinese beauty giants like Bloomage Biotech, Shanghai Jahwa, Betanye Group, Yatsen Holding, and Chicmax Group have aggressively recruited global executives. The signal is clear: technical authority has become the most valuable strategic resource in the beauty industry.

Today, the globalization of Chinese beauty has evolved from exporting finished products to exporting core capabilities. To compete in mature markets like Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S., cost-efficiency is no longer enough; brands must possess the technical prowess to stand alongside global giants. Hiring top scientists with multinational experience and core patents is the most direct route to acquiring this capability. These experts bring not just formulas, but systematic knowledge of global skin differences, regulatory compliance, and trend forecasting—the exact "tacit knowledge" Chinese companies need to scale globally.

Tengyu Group's appointment of Toshiya Taniguchi is a landmark move in this era. For a supply chain company, this choice highlights that the R&D race is no longer exclusive to consumer brands; it is a collective upgrade of the entire industrial ecosystem. As Chairman Dai Chengnan noted, becoming a global manufacturing hub requires the global integration of R&D resources, not just manufacturing capacity.

In the coming years, more global R&D talent is expected to flow into the Chinese beauty sector. The companies that successfully integrate these global intellectual resources will lead the next wave of industry consolidation. The R&D war has only just begun.

From July 1 to 3, Tengyu Group will showcase its latest R&D breakthroughs and multi-category technology portfolio at Booth 2D19 during the iPDF International Future Packaging Exhibition, inviting industry peers to witness the evolution of the beauty supply chain.