Internet Celebrity Ten-Thousand-Yuan Wonder Drug Turns Out to Be Unlicensed Product, Involved Melay Medical Aesthetic Hospital Repeatedly Fined

“Exosomes have become extremely popular in the past two years, hailed as the darling of the anti-aging industry.” This is the most talked-about product in the recent medical aesthetics market. According to CCTV Finance, reporters learned from multiple medical publications and industry insiders that the “miraculous substance” promoted by hosts in videos, “exosomes,” are actually bioactive substances secreted during stem cell cultivation. However, in the medical and academic fields, their mechanisms of action and clinical testing are still unclear, remaining mostly in the realm of academic and theoretical research.

In online marketing videos, exosomes are being used by some aesthetic clinics for beauty and anti-aging treatments. But alongside the exaggerated claims made by hosts, there are many consumer complaints and complaints online about “exosomes for anti-aging”: “I only had exosomes, and my whole face got infected with severe acne.”

According to investigations, in June 2025, the National Medical Products Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation issued a draft for public comment, including exosomes with therapeutic functions relying on active ingredients under drug regulation. But this is only a draft for feedback, aimed at controlling the misuse or improper use of such substances in society. To date, no exosome-based drug has been approved for market sale in China. Even with regulatory red lines drawn, these unapproved “exosome anti-aging” products still circulate in some medical aesthetic fields at high prices.

To understand the situation, reporters found a product called “Qingcheng,” a so-called “product” sold widely in major aesthetic clinics. It claims to be a “Class II medical device.” However, reporters learned that currently, China does not permit the sale of medical devices containing exosomes. The manufacturer, Haolin (Tianjin) Biotechnology Co., Ltd., openly admitted that their product’s main ingredient is exosomes, but to evade market regulation, they used a collagen license. The illegal act of using a fake license was not concealed by staff.

Using cooperation as a pretext, reporters contacted Yuanchuang Gene Technology Co., Ltd., located in a city in Central China. The company’s general manager, Han, strongly invited reporters to visit. To showcase the company’s strength, Han took reporters to the tech exhibition hall and the so-called “laboratory.” Before entering the “laboratory,” wearing shoe covers, changing into dust-proof suits, and wearing hats are mandatory procedures. Han explained that their exosome products are divided into several grades, with the lowest grade being sold to the aesthetic industry, offering the least effective results.

When asked to see how the company administers exosomes to patients, Han said that injecting their “exosome” products carries significant regulatory risks. Since these products are not approved by the state, they do not inject exosomes into patients at the company, and thus refused the request.

Further investigation revealed that, besides Yuanchuang Gene Technology, in a southwestern city, Jieposai’er Biotechnology Co., Ltd., led by Tan, openly admitted that they also use exosomes to treat diseases.

Fake “three-no” products (no license, no approval, no certification) are disguised as “technological services,” allowing exosomes to flood the market. To prove the medical efficacy of their products, Tan took reporters to the company’s so-called “laboratory” for an on-site demonstration.

Just as he finished speaking, a call came urging Tan to deliver exosome products. Hearing that a patient was about to receive exosome treatment, Tan, to demonstrate his product’s strength, invited reporters to accompany him to deliver the product.

Following Tan, a group drove more than ten minutes to a local hospital. In the high-end medical area on the fifth floor, reporters witnessed a patient receiving intravenous injection of “‘three-no’ exosomes”!

Tan claimed that diseases like epilepsy, arthritis, and diabetes could be solved by injecting “‘three-no’ exosomes.” But when reporters asked to see data verifying the efficacy of exosomes, Tan refused. He also said that because the company lacks medical qualifications, exosome injections can only be done through cooperation with medical institutions, a practice industry insiders call “borrowing a platform to perform.”

Tan from Jieposai’er: “The first time, 150 billion particles; the second time, 200 billion; the third time, 250 billion. Gradually increasing, totaling 600 billion particles, charging customers 60,000 yuan.”

Yang Yue, a researcher at H University’s School of Pharmacy, stated: “All medical technologies and drugs must undergo rigorous preclinical and clinical research before being used in humans. This strict process is necessary to verify safety and efficacy. Using unapproved products on humans carries risks. Once injected, these products can cause damage to organs and functions, even permanent harm.”

Mila Medical Beauty Hospital, involved in the exosome incident, has been fined multiple times.

The CCTV 3.15 Gala exposed companies related to “万能” (万能 means “all-purpose”) exosomes, including Tianjin Chengxing Medical Beauty Clinic, Tianjin Hedong Meilai Medical Beauty Hospital, Hunan Lisei Pharmaceutical, and Zhengzhou Yuanchuang Gene Technology.

Tianyancha shows that Tianjin Chengxing Medical Beauty Clinic was established in February 2018, with Ding Yu as legal representative, registered capital of 1 million RMB, engaged in beauty and medical aesthetic services, jointly held by Tianjin Haojing Technology and Ding Yu. Its 2024 social insurance data shows only 3 insured employees. Its trademark applications have been rejected.

Tianjin Hedong Meilai Medical Beauty Hospital was founded in March 2014, with Qiu Changgui as legal representative, registered capital of 30 million RMB, engaged in medical aesthetic services, medical services, and beauty services, jointly owned by Meilai Medical Beauty Group and Xiamen Huayi Group. It has multiple administrative penalties, including fines for illegal advertising in July 2025, penalties for improper use of medical devices in June 2024, and warnings for not storing anesthetics and Class I psychotropic drugs properly in April 2021. The hospital has also been involved in numerous medical disputes.

Zhengzhou Yuanchuang Gene Technology was established in February 2016, with Zhao Yan as legal representative, registered capital of 22.2 million RMB, engaged in stem cell and immune cell collection, storage, preparation, and research, as well as clinical research and translational applications. It is jointly held by Zhao Hui, Rui Ji (Shenzhen) Investment Consulting Partnership, and Furevo Investment in Hainan. Its patents have been rejected, including methods for cryopreservation of immune cells and skin fibroblast preparation.

Hunan Lisei Pharmaceutical was founded in June 2021, with Xiao Jingyang as legal representative, capital of 3 million RMB, involved in medical device technology development and health industry management. It was fined over 220,000 RMB in June 2025 for violations of medical device regulations.

Haolin (Tianjin) Biotechnology, established in June 2019, with Zhang Cheng as legal representative, capital of 10 million RMB, engaged in human stem cell technology, gene diagnosis and therapy, and cell technology R&D. It has invested in three companies, including Haolin Biopharmaceuticals (Tianjin), Haolin (Beijing) Medical Technology, and Tianjin Que Ming Biomedical Engineering. It has applied for multiple patents related to collagen devices and MRI data optimization for sarcopenia.

In fact, CCTV’s 3.15 Gala revealed that in the medical and academic fields, the mechanisms and clinical testing of exosomes are still unclear. Yet, in the market, they are widely produced with fake certificates, illegally added, and sold, leading to many consumers suffering physical harm.

According to Tianyancha’s professional version, as of now, China has over 180,000 medical aesthetic-related enterprises. Regionally, Shandong, Guangdong, and Beijing have the highest numbers, with over 20,000, 19,000, and 11,000 companies respectively.

Tianyancha’s risk data shows that among medical aesthetic-related companies, 2.06% have faced legal lawsuits, 1.91% have experienced abnormal operations, and 2.12% have been subject to administrative penalties. Deep risk data indicates that 0.17% have been listed as persons subject to enforcement.

Judicial case data from Tianyancha shows that 16.12% involve labor disputes, 14.04% involve medical damage liability, and 12.84% concern sales contract disputes.