In recent years, the oral beauty and anti-ageing health sectors have kept expanding, bringing industrial opportunities for a wide range of natural functional raw materials. Among them, eggshell membrane, a distinctive ingredient with over ten years of proven commercial success overseas, is building momentum in China’s wellness market. Supported by dual Chinese-Western application backgrounds, diverse health benefits and solid regulatory foundations, it is poised to become an innovative dark-horse ingredient for oral beauty and joint care.

Eggshell membrane, folk-known as “Phoenix Membrane”, is a thin film merely 0.07 mm thick situated between eggshell and egg-white. It boasts a long history of traditional medicinal use in China and is documented in classical medical texts including Compendium of Materia Medica and Records of Famous Physicians. Traditionally, it was mainly applied for skin ulcers and wound repair. Chemically, eggshell membrane is rich in bioactive substances: keratin, elastin, collagen, hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, lysozyme, as well as trace elements such as zinc, iron and selenium. Its complex composition endows it with application potential across oral beauty, anti-ageing skincare, joint health and hair care.

Overseas, eggshell membrane has already undergone full-scale commercial validation. More than twenty years ago, Japanese enterprise Almado took the lead in exploring eggshell membrane. Instead of pursuing diversified product lines, it concentrated resources on this single raw material and built a complete closed-loop covering basic ingredient research, product portfolio development and global market expansion. Backed by solid scientific evidence, Almado has marketed eggshell-membrane-based skincare products and dietary supplements in Japan, South Korea, North America and Europe. Some of its products have achieved market value of USD 5 million, fully proving the commercial viability of eggshell membrane. To this day, the global eggshell-membrane market maintains rapid growth. According to Precedence Research, the global market reached approximately USD 196 million in 2025 and is projected to hit USD 382 million by 2035, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.32 % from 2026 to 2035, indicating ample growth potential.

By contrast, the Chinese market has entered a critical window for eggshell-membrane development. In September 2024, eggshell membrane completed domestic review termination and obtained formal regulatory qualification for food-grade application in China. Popular ingredients such as ergothioneine and spermidine are still awaiting approval as new-food raw materials and are largely accessible only through cross-border purchasing. Benefiting from its traditional food-medicine homology background and clear regulatory status, eggshell membrane enjoys inherent competitive advantages in the domestic marketplace.

Core Advantages Underpin the Industrial Development of Eggshell Membrane

1. Dual-system Recognition: Bridging Traditional Herbal Knowledge and Modern Science

Eggshell membrane is one of the few functional ingredients validated both in traditional Chinese medicine and modern scientific research. Ancient records describe “Phoenix Membrane” as mild and nontoxic, effective for unhealed ulcers and tissue regeneration, laying public-cognition groundwork for its domestic commercialization.

Scientific literature retrievable on Pubmed includes more than 1 500 relevant publications, covering in-vitro cell assays, animal models and human clinical trials. Research published in Nutrients confirms that eggshell-membrane supplementation can modulate skin thickness and mitigate skin thinning in mice.

Jiangsu Fuyuan Health, a domestic raw-material manufacturer, has carried out systematic research on its proprietary branded ingredient Fengyisu® Eggshell-Membrane Polypeptide Powder. It has completed zebrafish efficacy assessments, cellular mechanistic studies and human clinical trials, accumulating comprehensive experimental data for skin firmness, elasticity improvement and anti-ageing, thus building scientific barriers for this ingredient.

2. Matrix-similar Composition Suited for Skin and Hair Care

Formed naturally during egg incubation, eggshell membrane is a biological protective layer whose components highly resemble the human extracellular matrix. Its key constituents include keratin, type-Ⅰ, type-Ⅴ and type-ⅩⅦ collagens, elastin and complex glycoproteins, sharing high homology with human skin and hair structures.

Unlike single-source collagen supplements on the market, eggshell membrane functions as a natural complex nutritional matrix. Synergistic effects among various proteins, polysaccharides and trace-elements comprehensively support skin health. It can be topically incorporated into skincare formulations or orally administered to deliver systemic benefits, realizing the value of “internal supplementation plus external care”.

3. Food-cosmetic Homology Expands Cross-sector Application Boundaries

Representative of food-cosmetic-homologous raw materials, eggshell membrane can be used both in foods / dietary supplements and cosmetic products, spanning food and beauty industries. Multiple mature overseas cases exist: South-Korean brand Dr.Ceuracle has launched eggshell-membrane beauty serum; German brand DILI SIBERIA has developed eggshell-membrane facial masks. In Japan, it appears in essences, toners and creams, alongside dietary supplements targeting sleep wellness, skin condition and joint comfort. Market education by overseas brands offers practical references for domestic enterprises to launch innovative finished products rapidly.

4. Maturing Domestic Industrial Chain Achieves Local Technical Breakthroughs

Alongside rising market interest, China’s eggshell-membrane upstream-and-downstream supply chain has gradually improved, with full-chain upgrades in extraction, process optimization, quality-control testing and scientific validation. Represented by Jiangsu Fuyuan Health, local suppliers have developed Fengyisu® Eggshell-Membrane Polypeptide Powder, a branded ingredient featuring highly-active small-molecule fragments. This material contains ≥ 60 % protein with an average molecular weight below 8 000 Da, and the recommended daily intake ranges from 500 mg to 800 mg.

To resolve the unpleasant inherent fishy odour of raw eggshell membrane, special Japanese enzymatic hydrolysis technology has been adopted to greatly improve flavour and consumer experience. Multiple domestic brands have adopted this ingredient for commercial finished-product launches.

Abundant experimental data support the functional potential of Fengyisu® Eggshell-Membrane Polypeptide Powder. Cellular assays show that eggshell-membrane polypeptides boost synthesis of type-Ⅰ and type-Ⅲ collagen and regulate AQP3 gene transcription in keratinocytes, generating positive outcomes for skin elasticity and firmness. Zebrafish anti-ageing model tests demonstrate its capacity to modulate β-galactosidase activity, suggesting anti-ageing potential.

Human clinical trials provide practical real-world evidence: after 28 consecutive days of polypeptide-powder supplementation, subjects achieved notable improvements in skin elasticity and firmness. The R2 skin-elasticity index increased by 16.74 %, while the F4 skin-firmness index decreased by 11.17 %. Participants also reported subjective skin-condition enhancement. This complete evidence chain combining cellular, animal and human-trial results delivers solid scientific endorsement for brand partners.

Flourishing Overseas Markets; Coexisting Opportunities and Challenges for China

Globally, regional application patterns for eggshell membrane differ. Japan balances cosmetic and functional-food sectors, with leading players such as Almado accomplishing full-category layouts. The North-American market prioritizes dietary supplements; well-known nutrition brands including NOW, Swanson and Webber Naturals have rolled out eggshell-membrane capsules and tablets focused on oral beauty and joint health.

Overseas successes offer valuable references for domestic industrialization, yet localized strategies remain essential for China. First, tap traditional herbal heritage and build consumer trust with scientific evidence. Leveraging the historical background of “Phoenix Membrane”, enterprises should translate traditional empirical knowledge into accessible scientific narratives supported by cellular, animal and human-clinical data, eliminating cognitive barriers and enhancing ingredient credibility. Second, drive formulation innovation for synergistic benefits. Given its complex composition, eggshell membrane can be scientifically combined with popular anti-ageing raw materials such as collagen, hyaluronic acid and glucosamine to create compound formulas for oral beauty and joint care and achieve synergistic effects beyond simple additive outcomes. Third, diversify product positioning beyond pure anti-ageing. Its value extends past skin rejuvenation; huge potential exists within joint care and sports nutrition. Many overseas eggshell-membrane products target middle-aged and elderly consumers for joint comfort. Compared with conventional glucosamine-chondroitin ingredients, eggshell membrane acts through multi-mechanistic pathways and delivers differentiated new options for joint-health market.

From an industrial perspective, China’s oral-beauty market is expanding rapidly. Consumers are no longer blindly chasing imported conceptual ingredients. Natural raw materials with formal regulatory approval, complete scientific-evidence chains and localized supply chains are entering a golden-development era. Eggshell membrane combines traditional-cultural heritage, more than ten years of overseas commercial verification, domestic regulatory clearance and mature local supply chains, making it an under-valued promising ingredient.

Industry insiders point out several unresolved challenges for the eggshell-membrane track. Domestic consumer awareness remains limited and market education requires time. Raw-material quality varies significantly across sources, with large discrepancies in molecular weight, protein content and bioactivity. Brands need to carefully select qualified suppliers. Going forward, with growing local research outputs, more finished-product launches and deeper market education, eggshell membrane (“Phoenix Membrane”) is expected to evolve from a niche ingredient into a home-grown innovative dark horse within oral-beauty and joint-health sectors, unlocking greater industrial value across food, cosmetics and related industries.

Disclaimer: This article serves as industrial news reporting. Functional descriptions are derived from publicly-available scientific literature and experimental data. It does not constitute product-efficacy promotion or medical advice.

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