Chinese university professor turns collagen research into billion-dollar beauty empire

Fan Daidi, 59, and her husband Yan Jianya have drawn national attention after being named the richest individuals in Shaanxi, according to The Standard.

Fan, currently dean of Northwest University's chemical engineering school, built her fortune by commercializing innovations in collagen synthesis, growing her skincare company, Giant Biogene, to a valuation of 75 billion yuan (US$10.4 billion).

Chemistry professor Fan Daidi in a photo posted on the website of asset management firm Gemway Assets.

A report by Shenzhen-based New Fortune magazine on May 9 estimated that the couple's combined holdings are worth over 40 billion yuan.

The two own stakes in two major companies: Giant Biogene, which operates in the cosmetics and biotech sectors, and XiAn Triangle Defense, which is active in the aerospace and defense industries.

Born in Shaanxi in 1966, Fan enrolled at Northwest University in 1984 to studied inorganic chemical engineering, where she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. She later received a doctorate in biochemical engineering from East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai. In 1994, she returned to Northwest University to teach and conduct research.

Since 1998, her lab has focused on synthesizing recombinant collagen, created through genetic engineering rather than extracted from animals. In 2000, she developed a high-density fermentation technology to produce human-like collagen and filed China's first patent application for recombinant collagen. A year later, Fan and her husband founded Giant Biogene, according to the South China Morning Post.

By 2019, the company had become China's largest producer of collagen-based skincare products and one of the world's leading manufacturers of recombinant collagen. It was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2022, with the couple retaining a 56.5% stake.

Although Fan stepped down as CEO due to other commitments, she remains the company's controlling shareholder and chief scientific officer. Over the years, she has led the development of several innovations, including a method for formulating rare ginseng saponins - bioactive compounds found in ginseng. Her work has helped industrialize biomedical materials and established her as a leading figure in China's biochemistry sector.

According to a company announcement, Fan resigned from her executive director role due to work obligations but continues to serve as the company's chief scientific officer.

Her daughter, Yan Yubo, 29, currently holds the roles of executive director and chief product officer, SCMP reported.