So-Young International Founder Jin Xing Attends World Internet Conference: Intelligent Technologies Accelerate the Transformation of the Medical Aesthetics Industry from 'Marketing-Driven' to 'Delivery-Driven'

From November 6 to 9, the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit was held under the theme 'Building an Open, Cooperative, Secure, and Inclusive Digital Intelligence Future Together – Joining Hands to Build a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace.' Representatives from various sectors engaged in dialogue on topics such as AI technology, the digital economy, and inclusive applications. Jin Xing, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of So-Young International, was invited to attend the conference and shared insights on the use of digital intelligence technologies to enhance quality and inclusiveness in the medical aesthetics industry at the Digital Economy Forum held on November 8.

"AI and digitization are profoundly transforming various industries, and the medical aesthetics industry is no exception. In recent years, the trend of rational consumption has deepened, leading to a shift in the industry's supply and demand dynamics. The medical aesthetics sector is undergoing a transition from 'marketing-driven' to 'delivery-driven,' with a focus on user experience. In this process, digitalization and AI have significantly enhanced the safety, quality consistency, and accessibility of medical aesthetic service delivery," said Jin Xing, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of So-young International.

Image: Jinxing, the founder of the New Oxygen Group, was invited to be a speaker at the Digital Economy Forum of the World Internet Conference.

According to the 'Frost & Sullivan: 2024 White Paper on China’s Light Medical Aesthetics Products Industry,' in 2024, the scale of China’s medical aesthetics market reached RMB 312 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 14.8%. In recent years, society’s acceptance of diverse aesthetics has continued to grow, and the 'self-pleasure economy' has flourished, making medical aesthetics a representative of new consumer sectors. However, issues such as uneven distribution of medical resources and insufficient upstream supply have kept product prices high and service quality inconsistent, indirectly giving rise to the chaos of 'illegal medical aesthetics' and triggering a crisis of consumer trust.

"In China, the top ten cities account for more than 50% of the total number of medical aesthetics doctors. This indicates a regional imbalance in the quality of medical aesthetic services. Therefore, despite the medical aesthetics industry growing at an annual rate of 17%-22% over the past decade, consumers still face difficulties in decision-making and establishing trust," said Jin Xing, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of So-young International.

In response, as one of the earliest internet companies in China to apply digital technology to the medical aesthetics industry, starting in 2021, So-young International took the lead in promoting vertical integration of the industrial chain and optimizing cost structures within the industry. Through the deep integration of digitalization and AI technologies, it has improved the safety, quality consistency, and accessibility of medical aesthetic service delivery, rebuilding consumer trust. To date, So-young International has opened 41 stores across 10 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, becoming the company with the largest number of light medical aesthetics chain stores in China.

"To standardize service quality across all regional stores, So-young International has established standardized fulfillment procedures and dynamic service quality control mechanisms. It regulates treatment processes through more than 350 SOPs across three service stages and nine key steps, while rigorously training and assessing doctors. At the same time, So-young International uses a centralized platform to oversee core processes and provides real-time feedback through a 'digital dashboard' that reflects user evaluations, enabling stores to adjust services promptly and comprehensively ensuring consistent service quality," said Jin Xing, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of So-young International.

Image: Jinxing, the founder of New Oxygen Group, speaking at the World Internet Conference.

Addressing the long-standing issue of trust deficit in the industry, So-young International adheres to the principles of 'conservative product selection' and 'full traceability of products' throughout their lifecycle. Additionally, it matches projects of varying operational complexity based on a tiered doctor system. Meanwhile, So-young International has constructed a seven-layer compliance system and risk inspection mechanism. In the third quarter, it conducted nine online video inspections, six emergency incident drills, and 40 offline store inspections. Furthermore, So-young International has developed the 'Digital Twin User Journey,' which digitally represents personnel, items, and spaces, allowing users to view service stages, healthcare staff, and product information in real time online, achieving full transparency throughout the service process.

The wave of AI is sweeping across the globe and deeply transforming various industries; its application in the medical aesthetics field is gradually taking root. So-young International has been among the first to explore multiple AI-assisted diagnosis and operation scenarios, including intelligent skin testing, treatment plan design assistance, and cross-regional store management, with five AI algorithms passing the Cyberspace Administration of China’s algorithm registration. However, at the Digital Economy Forum, Jin Xing admitted that currently, most AI investments are concentrated in general-purpose large models, with scarce specialized domain models and significant challenges in data collection, posing considerable obstacles to the deep penetration of AI into traditional industries.

"The core challenge of AI for most traditional industries is cost, requiring 2-3 years of investment in scenario implementation, model training, etc., costing tens of millions or even hundreds of millions annually, creating substantial pressure for many businesses. Additionally, the deep application of AI relies heavily on vast amounts of multimodal data. For example, in the field of medical aesthetics, future scenarios such as laser beauty mechanical arm operations will face technical challenges in motion capture, labeling, and model training. If breakthroughs can be achieved, the potential applications of AI in the medical aesthetics industry will expand further," said Jin Xing, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of So-young International.

Figure: So-young Youth Clinic Storefront

Data from the So-young Research Institute shows that the average transaction value for light medical aesthetics in China has reached 3,146 yuan, nearly equal to the average monthly disposable income. The terminal prices of many popular products such as hyaluronic acid and PLLA injections are significantly higher than those in South Korea, Europe, and the United States. The high costs have indirectly fueled the proliferation of unlicensed medical aesthetic practices, creating significant health risks. Recently, an article titled 'People's Finance Review: Uniting Governance Efforts to Bring Medical Aesthetics Back to Rationality' pointed out, 'The key to promoting the healthy development of the medical aesthetics industry lies in building a governance framework involving multiple stakeholders. Eliminating the breeding grounds for various irregularities and ensuring that compliant medical aesthetic services are both affordable and of high quality will help restore market rationality. Achieving this goal requires joint efforts from regulators and business operators. Transparent consumption should become the norm in the industry.'

To address these issues, So-young International has implemented measures such as vertical integration within the industry, establishing its own marketing channels, and improving operational efficiency through digitalization to reduce non-treatment-related costs. This effort has lowered marketing and supply chain expenses, which traditionally account for 60%-80% of costs at conventional institutions, to below 20%, thereby establishing a reasonable and transparent pricing system. Meanwhile, So-young closely monitors user needs and focuses on developing 'blockbuster products,' delivering safe, compliant, and consistent-quality services that encourage repeat purchases and word-of-mouth referrals, making medical aesthetics an affordable and frequent option for daily anti-aging care. Currently, the repurchase rate at So-young Youth Clinics remains stable at over 60%, with customer satisfaction reaching 4.99 out of 5.

At present, the pricing system within the medical aesthetics industry is undergoing profound changes, with policy support and market dynamics working together to accelerate the reshaping of the industry landscape. The 'Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Regulation to Promote High-Quality Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry,' issued by the General Office of the State Council in 2024, explicitly states that pilot regions will reduce the clinical trial review and approval timelines for innovative medical devices from 60 working days to 30 working days. On the market side, several popular injectable products such as PLLA and hydrating needles have been approved more quickly this year. Additionally, Giant Biogene recently obtained a Class III medical device registration certificate for collagen, effectively breaking the previous dominance of single-product markets.

Jin Xing, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of So-young Group, stated, 'Recent media exposure of channel-based medical aesthetics by CCTV, combined with the approval of multiple medical aesthetic products this year, will accelerate the industry's shift from a seller's market to a buyer's market and from a 'marketing-driven' model to a 'delivery-driven' one. So-young will adhere to principles of transparency, standardization, and affordability, leveraging digitalization and AI technology to upgrade our quality control systems. While expanding store networks, we will ensure the quality of medical service delivery and user safety, creating a trusted medical aesthetics service ecosystem for consumers.'

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