HiSiaddi is an innovative foreign trade service provider driven by dual engines of technology commercialization and foreign trade services. We have established a "1+2+3+4=1" service system and can supply licorice extracts sourced directly from well-known original manufacturers. As a foreign trade enterprise with independent R&D capabilities, HiSiaddi has repeatedly collaborated with manufacturers on technology transformation and accurately captured market demands to resolve clients’ customized requirements for licorice extracts. Below is a case study of HiSiaddi’s customized licorice extract solutions.
For more customized service inquiries, please contact HiSiaddi customer service.
Client: SwissHerb AG (Switzerland) A mid-to-high-end natural skincare and dietary supplement group based in Switzerland, it specializes in organic, high-activity and low-sensitivity products. Its distribution channels cover premium beauty stores, organic pharmacies and private health institutions across Switzerland, France, Italy and other European countries, targeting high-net-worth women and professional dermatologists. All products strictly comply with ECOCERT organic certification, Swiss Vegan standards, cGMP and ISO22000. The client imposes stringent requirements on raw materials including precise active ingredient ratios, low impurity levels, zero allergen content and full organic traceability, and rejects generic low-cost raw materials.
The client planned to launch two new product lines: premium anti-irritation repair serums and liver-protective soothing compound capsules, requiring customized compound licorice extract with specified criteria: glycyrrhizic acid ≥20%, licorice flavonoids ≥8%, glabridin ≥0.5%. The raw material must be free of pesticide residues, heavy metals and allergenic impurities with organic certification, and meet dual application standards: high water solubility and pale color, mild odor for skincare use; high thermal stability and good compound compatibility for health supplements. The initial customized order was 300kg, with quarterly repeat orders of over 1 ton afterwards.
The client previously contacted 3 domestic manufacturers, all of which failed to meet three core customized requirements simultaneously: precise matching of active ingredient ratios, low-allergy purification, and dual-scenario compatibility. Some manufacturers only produced high-purity single-ingredient products, while others could not satisfy both skincare and health supplement standards. Additional issues included long customization cycles, unstable sample quality and incomplete compliance documents, putting the client at risk of delayed new product launches. The client therefore entrusted HiSiaddi with full responsibility for customized R&D, production implementation and compliant delivery.
1. Difficulty in precise active ingredient ratio control: Simultaneous maintenance of glycyrrhizic acid ≥20%, licorice flavonoids ≥8% and glabridin ≥0.5% at a stable ratio of 25:10:0.6. Conventional manufacturers struggle to precisely regulate three active ingredients in one extraction process, often resulting in imbalanced component concentrations.
2. Conflicting requirements for dual application scenarios: Skincare formulations demand water solubility ≥90%, pale yellow color (≤Color No.5), odorlessness and removal of allergenic impurities such as licorice saponins; health supplements require strong thermal stability (no degradation after heating at 100°C for 30 minutes), easy compatibility with vitamins and other plant extracts, and microbial count ≤100 cfu/g. Standard processes cannot satisfy both sets of criteria concurrently.
3. High barriers for low-allergy performance and organic traceability: Complete removal of allergenic polysaccharides and protein impurities with passing Swiss skin irritation tests; full organic traceability covering licorice cultivation to finished goods, together with ECOCERT organic certification and GAP planting certificates. Most manufacturers lack advanced purification technology and standardized traceability systems.
4. Risks of long customization cycles and unstable product quality: The client required completion of lab trials, pilot production and mass production within 45 days, with batch-to-batch active ingredient variation ≤3%. Competing manufacturers either took over 60 days or delivered samples with batch variation exceeding 8%, failing to guarantee consistent quality for premium products.
5. Fragmented compliance documents: Mandatory English-language documents including COA, MSDS, TDS, ECOCERT organic certificate, non-GMO statement, allergen statement and Swiss Pharmacopoeia compatibility report. Ordinary manufacturers either lack complete documents or provide non-standard formats that fail internal client audits and European customs clearance.
HiSiaddi assembled a dedicated team consisting of plant extraction R&D engineers, EU compliance specialists and production quality control officers. We selected two leading domestic manufacturers with premium customization capabilities — Gansu Fanzhi Pharmaceutical and Qinghai Beili Licorice — to co-develop customized processes in four phases: lab trial sampling, pilot optimization, mass production implementation and compliant delivery, fully resolving all client pain points.
· Premium Raw Material Selection: Licorice sourced from ECOCERT-certified GAP organic plantations in Yili, Xinjiang (mixed Glycyrrhiza glabra and Glycyrrhiza inflata). The plantations use zero pesticides and chemical fertilizers with balanced baseline levels of glycyrrhizic acid, flavonoids and glabridin to guarantee stable active ingredient concentrations from the source.
· Customized Three-Step Extraction & Bidirectional Purification Process: Step 1: Low-temperature ultrasonic extraction at 40°C to accurately control glycyrrhizic acid dissolution and secure a minimum 20% content. Step 2: Gradient macroporous resin separation to enrich licorice flavonoids to ≥8% while removing allergenic polysaccharides and protein impurities. Step 3: Molecular distillation for targeted glabridin enrichment to ≥0.5%, alongside decolorization and deodorization to meet skincare requirements of pale color and mild odor.
· Bidirectional Purification Treatment: Water solubility modification for skincare-grade material to boost water solubility to 95%; stability enhancement treatment for health supplement-grade material to retain ≥98% active ingredients after heating at 100°C for 30 minutes.
· Lab Trial Sampling: 3 rounds of lab trials completed within 20 days delivering 5 sample batches. Testing conducted by the client’s Swiss laboratory verified all indicators: compliant active ingredient ratios, dual-scenario compatibility, zero allergenic impurities and "non-irritant" skin test results, securing client sample approval.
· Scaled Process Parameter Standardization: Partnered with Gansu Fanzhi Pharmaceutical (global leader in licorice extract manufacturing with world-class glabridin mass production technology) to scale lab trial processes onto a 50kg pilot production line. Extraction temperature, duration and resin flow rate parameters were optimized to limit batch-to-batch active ingredient variation to ≤2%.
· Strict Impurity & Microbial Control: Two-stage filtration and sterile processing added during pilot production to restrict microbial count to ≤50 cfu/g. Heavy metal limits (Lead ≤0.5 ppm, Cadmium ≤0.1 ppm) and non-detectable pesticide residues outperformed EU standards.
· Cycle Shortening: Integrated R&D, production and testing workflows compressed pilot production to 15 days, cutting industry-standard lead time by 50%.
· Sample Re-verification: Pilot samples passed re-inspection by the client’s Swiss laboratory with all indicators stable and consistent batch performance validated, granting client approval for mass production.
· Flexible Production Scheduling: Allocated the factory’s 1000kg flexible production line to prioritize the customized order, completing 300kg mass production within 30 days with 10% spare production capacity reserved for subsequent repeat orders.
· Full Organic Traceability System: Established an electronic traceability system covering Xinjiang plantations, raw material harvesting, extraction and purification, finished product packaging and outbound delivery. Each batch supports inquiry of planting records, pesticide usage logs, production parameters and full testing data to satisfy ECOCERT organic traceability standards.
· Three-Tier Quality Inspection: Factory self-inspection → HiSiaddi random sampling → third-party testing by Eurofins (Switzerland). Full test reports issued for every batch to guarantee 100% compliance of active ingredients, impurities, microbial levels and stability.
· Customized Packaging: Food-grade light-proof aluminum foil bags with sterile inner liners, printed with organic certification logos, active ingredient concentrations, batch numbers, expiry dates and traceability QR codes, complying with European premium raw material packaging specifications.
· Full Compliance Document Compilation: Audited and organized complete document set including ECOCERT organic certificate, GAP planting certificate, English COA (detailing precise active ingredient ratios), MSDS, TDS, non-GMO statement, allergen statement, Swiss Pharmacopoeia compatibility report and skin irritation test report. All documents are original English stamped versions formatted to client requirements.
· Pre-Clearance Audit: Collaborated with local European customs brokers to pre-review documents and eliminate compliance risks for fast port clearance.
· Technical Handover: Supplied the client with customized process descriptions, active ingredient stability data and formulation compatibility recommendations to assist skincare and health supplement formula debugging.
1. 100% Compliance with Customized Indicators: Swiss laboratory testing of mass-produced material recorded glycyrrhizic acid at 22.3%, licorice flavonoids at 9.1% and glabridin at 0.58% with perfectly balanced ratios. Water solubility reached 96%, color measured No.3 with neutral odor, and thermal stability hit 98.5%. The material fully satisfied dual skincare and health supplement requirements with zero allergenic impurities, non-detectable microbes and heavy metal/pesticide residues passing skin irritation tests.
2. Exceeded Expectations on Lead Time & Stability: Full cycle from R&D to mass production completed in 42 days, 3 days ahead of the client’s deadline. Batch-to-batch active ingredient variation across three production runs was ≤1.8%, far superior to industry benchmarks.
3. Zero-Risk Compliant Delivery: The full document package passed client internal audits and European customs clearance without objections. The 300kg cargo cleared customs within one working day upon port arrival.
4. Successful Product Launch & Positive Market Feedback: The client’s dual product lines launched on schedule — the serum focused on anti-irritation repair while capsules targeted liver soothing. Three months post-launch sales exceeded projections, with recommendations from Swiss dermatologists, zero consumer allergy complaints and outstanding market reputation.
5. Deepened Long-Term Partnership: The client designated HiSiaddi as its exclusive Chinese supplier for customized licorice extracts. Subsequent cooperation expanded to high-purity glabridin and glycyrrhetinic acid derivative customization, with HiSiaddi invited to provide technical and compliance consulting for new product development. Annual procurement volume exceeded RMB 5 million.
For overseas mid-to-high-end brands sourcing customized licorice extracts, core demands break free from generic product limitations to achieve precise active ingredient calibration, scenario-specific customization and premium quality standards. This imposes extremely high requirements on suppliers’ R&D capacity, process flexibility, quality control and compliance expertise. Conventional manufacturers are constrained by limited technology, equipment and resources, making it impossible to meet multi-dimensional customized demands simultaneously. HiSiaddi’s core competitive advantage lies in integrating top-tier industrial R&D and manufacturing resources, in-depth expertise in EU high-end market compliance rules and full-process customized service capabilities. We deliver end-to-end solutions covering raw material selection, process R&D, production scaling, quality control and compliant delivery to fully resolve client customization pain points.
For mid-to-high-end brands based in Switzerland, France and other European countries, a supplier’s customized technical strength, product stability and compliance professionalism directly determine the success of new product launches and brand reputation. Through systematic customized solutions, HiSiaddi not only helped the client fulfill premium customization needs and launch blockbuster products on schedule, but also built long-term trust-based strategic partnerships, emerging as a core customized partner for overseas mid-to-high-end brands in China’s plant extract industry.
For more customized service inquiries, please contact HiSiaddi customer service.
+86-13120989737 
info@hisiaddi.com 
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