Core Viewpoint - The investment by Proya (珀莱雅) in HuazhiXiao (花知晓) marks a strategic move to enhance its business ecosystem and capitalize on the growing influence of HuazhiXiao in both domestic and international markets [2][4]. Group 1: Investment Details - Proya's subsidiary, Proya (Hainan) Investment Co., acquired a 38.45% stake in HuazhiXiao, making it the second-largest shareholder [2]. - The specific financing amount for the investment has not been disclosed [2]. - Following the investment, Proya's representative on HuazhiXiao's board will be Jin Yanhua, who has been with Proya since 2018 [3]. Group 2: HuazhiXiao's Market Performance - HuazhiXiao, established in 2016, has successfully expanded into international markets, including Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, North America, and Europe [3]. - In 2022, HuazhiXiao achieved annual sales exceeding 400 million yuan and entered nearly 1,000 offline retail stores globally [3]. - The brand focuses on appealing to young consumers with its unique aesthetic and product offerings, including concealers, lipsticks, and highlighters [3]. Group 3: Proya's Strategic Goals - Proya emphasizes its commitment to international expansion, with a focus on markets in Japan and Southeast Asia [5]. - The company is planning a Hong Kong stock listing as part of its global development strategy, which includes both supply chain and brand expansion [5]. - Proya's financial performance shows a revenue of 5.362 billion yuan for the first half of 2025, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 7.21% [5].

Summary of Conference Call Industry Overview - The 2024 cosmetics market is showing a trend towards female-oriented consumption, with the high-end cosmetics segment performing exceptionally well, indicating significant potential for market upgrades [2][4] - Within high-end cosmetics, the base makeup category accounts for over 50% of the market share, making it the largest category, with structural upgrades driving the high-end trend [2][5] Key Insights and Arguments - The high-end base makeup price segment is growing faster than the mass price segment, with average prices across all price ranges on platforms like Tmall increasing [2][5] - Over the past five years, the overall average price of base makeup has consistently risen, with high-end brands on Tmall and Douyin showing a significantly higher market share compared to other categories, indicating a strong demand growth [2][5] - The company has seen a steady increase in its overall market share, with a growth rate from 2019 to 2023 that is only surpassed by USL and NAS. In 2023, the company achieved a 2% market share in the cosmetics sector, ranking 15th overall and 8th among high-end brands [2][6] Company Performance and Strategies - The company's online market share is increasing at a rate that far exceeds other foreign high-end brands, attributed to strong performances in traditional categories such as foundation, cushion, concealer, and highlighter, with these products ranking in the top ten [2][6] - The company is actively expanding into new product lines, such as black cream and skin clothing, which are expected to become new growth points and further solidify its position in the high-end base makeup market [2][6] Product Development Advantages - The company boasts a strong product development capability, led by a team centered around "Teacher Wang" and an artistic committee that deeply understands domestic consumer needs, continuously improving product quality [3][7] - This technical insight and research capability enable the company to launch high-quality products tailored to the characteristics of Chinese consumers, supporting its core competitiveness [3][7] Future Growth Drivers - From an investment perspective, the main drivers for the company's future development are the trend towards high-end base makeup products and the company's multi-faceted product layout strategy [2][8] - These factors together form the company's core competitive advantage, allowing it to maintain market leadership and achieve stable growth [2][8]

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for Minth Group (425.HK) and Top Group (601689.CH) [2][4] - Top Group is given an "Accumulate" rating with a target price of 59.1 CNY [8] Core Insights - Minth Group is projected to achieve total revenue of 23.15 billion CNY in 2024, representing a year-on-year increase of 12.8%, with a net profit of 2.32 billion CNY, up 21.9% [2] - Top Group is expected to realize operating revenue of 26.6 billion CNY in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 35.02%, with a net profit of 3.001 billion CNY, up 39.52% [6][8] - Both companies are focusing on optimizing operational efficiency and expanding into new markets, including electric vehicle wireless charging and robotics [3][7] Summary by Sections Minth Group - The company has improved its gross margin to approximately 28.9%, up 1.5 percentage points year-on-year, driven by increased profitability in its plastic and battery box segments [2] - Cash flow has improved, allowing the company to resume dividends and share buybacks, reflecting management's confidence in future growth [4] Top Group - The company has faced challenges such as increased competition and raw material price fluctuations, but has managed to maintain a net profit margin of 11.3%, up 0.4 percentage points year-on-year [6] - Plans for capacity expansion include new factories in China and Mexico, with a focus on the rapidly growing robotics sector [7][8]