Marubi Taps Pop Star Cai Xukun for Premium Eye Care Campaign

Marubi, a leading Chinese eye-care specialist, officially appointed international pop artist Cai Xukun as its global eye-care ambassador on August 11, launching a major marketing and R&D campaign around its flagship anti-aging eye-care line.

The partnership highlights a shifting strategy in how Chinese cosmetics brands approach high-profile talent endorsements. As C-Beauty players leverage proprietary ingredient R&D and premium positioning to compete with global beauty conglomerates, celebrity partnerships are moving beyond immediate traffic generation to reflect long-term brand equity and scientific positioning.

"Creating world-class products powered by cutting-edge science that exceed consumer expectations—that is the true definition of modern domestic beauty," said Dr. Sun Huaiqing, Board Chairman and CEO of Marubi Biotechnology.

During the brand's milestone event, Marubi debuted its upgraded Little Red Pen Eye Cream 4.0 alongside the new Little Red Pen Eye Oil, introducing a paired product regimen designed to advance scientific eye care.

Marubi Teams Up with Cai Xukun to Expand Eye Care Dominance

Eye care remains one of the most technical segments in prestige skincare due to the structural vulnerability of periocular skin, which is roughly one-fifth as thick as facial skin and lacks adequate sebaceous glands to form a protective lipid barrier. These characteristics make the eye area particularly prone to fine lines, sagging, and dark circles. High technical barriers, formulation complexity, and strict efficacy demands often deter smaller brands from entering the market.

Despite these technical challenges, market growth remains robust. Data from market research firm Frost & Sullivan projects China's eye-care market to reach 64.24 billion yuan ($9.55 billion USD) by 2028, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9%.

Founded in 2002, Marubi has consistently focused on peptide technology and eye-care solutions. The brand introduced micro-vibrating applicator eye creams to the domestic market with its original Little Red Pen release in 2020, followed by formulation upgrades in 2022 and 2024. Its proprietary Super Structure S-Peptide recently earned a Gold Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva and an active ingredient innovation award at the International Cosmetics Innovation Conference (ICIC).

Commercial performance reflects this product focus. According to figures from beauty analytics platform UserTalk, Marubi ranked first in combined eye-care category sales across major Chinese e-commerce platforms Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin (TikTok's Chinese sister app) between July 2025 and June 2026. Over that 12-month period, the brand sold 7.1 million eye-care units across the three platforms, including 4.55 million eye cream units.

Even as domestic market peers such as Chicmax, pivot strategies amid broader sector shifts, Marubi continues to double down on core peptide R&D, new product innovation, and premium brand storytelling.

The launch of the Little Red Pen Eye Cream 4.0 was paired with a campaign video titled Four Generations of Little Red Pen and marketing activations connected to Cai Xukun's concert tour. Offline promotions featured high-impact digital out-of-home advertising across major metropolitan retail hubs in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Beijing, and Chengdu during the Qixi Festival shopping period.

Proprietary S-Peptide Powers New Eye Duo

"Consumers should choose domestic brands not out of sentiment, but because the products are genuinely superior," Dr. Sun emphasized during the conference. Marubi reported that cumulative lifetime sales of its Little Red Pen eye cream line have surpassed 10 million units.

According to Chen Jiayang, Content Associate Director at Marubi Biotechnology, the 4.0 eye cream formula features a 25% Peptide Pro complex anchored by the proprietary Super Structure S-Peptide, combined with Cyclotetrapeptide-4, Tripeptide-105, Carnosine, and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8.

Independent third-party testing shows that the Super Structure S-Peptide achieves dermal penetration within one hour, delivering 12-fold higher skin absorption and sustained activity over 24 hours. Clinical evaluations indicated visible smoothing across 11 facial, eye, and neck line zones after 7 days of continuous use, with 28-day efficacy outcomes comparable to professional non-invasive tighteners like Fotona 4D laser treatments.

To target dark circles, the upgraded formula incorporates Nobel Prize-inspired autophagy technology utilizing "Huanliang Tai" along with patented medical-grade heparin sodium to address both pigmented and vascular discoloration. Packaging enhancements feature a vacuum-sealed dispenser designed to deliver a precise dose of 0.0625 grams per pump.

Expanding beyond single-product updates, Marubi introduced its first functional peptide eye oil to create a paired routine. Formulated via targeted fermentation and micro-particle processing, the eye oil utilizes Marubi's patented reverse micelle encapsulation technology to stabilize delicate peptide actives and improve skin penetration.

Third-party testing indicates that applying the eye oil prior to the cream boosts line-smoothing efficiency by 54.85% and skin-brightening performance by 62.17% compared to using the cream alone.

Building a Data Infrastructure for Skincare Research

Over its 24-year history, Marubi has established an integrated beauty tech infrastructure covering basic scientific research, active ingredient extraction, raw material production, formulation design, manufacturing, quality control, and clinical efficacy evaluations.

Yu Qiu, Senior Product Technology Manager at Marubi Biotechnology, noted that the company has focused on peptide research for 17 years. To date, Marubi has commercialized 53 distinct peptide ingredients, holds 59 authorized invention patents, and has earned 16 industry awards in peptide innovation.

Conventional peptides frequently suffer from enzymatic breakdown, poor structural stability, and short metabolic active windows. Marubi's Super Structure S-Peptide was engineered to resist enzymatic degradation while preserving structural integrity, extending active delivery within skin tissue.

In total, Marubi maintains a pipeline of over 80 reserve ingredients, has successfully commercialized more than 20 proprietary raw materials, and holds 871 patent applications.

At the launch event, Dr. Guo Chaowan, General Manager of R&D at Marubi Biotechnology, presented key findings from the company's multi-city study on Chinese female skin profiles. The study evaluated more than 5,000 subjects across six representative Chinese cities, capturing 475 anatomical and biological parameters to establish a comprehensive profile of East Asian skin characteristics.

Based on these findings, Marubi led the publication of the White Paper on Chinese Women's Skin Characteristics Insights, established the Grading Guidelines for Chinese Women's Eye Aging, and authored the Research Report on Chinese Women's Eye Skin Characteristics. These frameworks aim to transition product development in China's anti-aging and eye-care sectors from empirical formulation toward standardized, data-backed science.

As Chinese beauty brands expand their presence domestically and internationally, long-term investments in proprietary ingredient technology and clinical skin research are becoming key drivers of competitiveness in the global cosmetics industry.