Yatsen Holding Limited

Ladies and gentlemen, good day and welcome to the YAKSEN first quarter and earnings conference call. Today's conference is being recorded. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Irene Liu, Vice President, Head of Strategic Investment in Capital Markets. Please go ahead.

Thank you, operator. Please note that discussion today will contain four different statements relating to the and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability as established by the U.S. title security mitigation reform act. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks and self-servancies, assumptions, and other factors. Some of these risks are beyond the company's control and could cause actual results to from those mentioned in today's press release and this discussion. A general discussion of the risk factor that could affect YAKSEN's business and financial results is included in certain filing of the company with the Securities Exchange Commission. The company does not undertake any obligation to update its forward information except as required by law. During today's call, management will also discuss certain non-GAP financial measures for comparison purposes only. Please see the earnings release issued earlier today for a definition of non-GAP financial measures and a reconciliation of GAP and non-GAP financial results. Joining us today on the call from YAKSEN's senior management are Mr. Junfeng Huang, our CEO, CEO of YAKSEN Global and director. Management will begin with prepare remarks and the call will conclude with a Q&A session. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. In addition, a webcast replay of this conference call will be available on YAKSEN's investor relations website at .YAKSENGlobal.com. I will now turn the call over to Mr. Junfeng Huang. Please go ahead.

Thank you, Irene, and thank you everyone for participating in YAKSEN's first quarter 2025 earnings conference call today. I will begin with a macro overview and our key financial results followed by insights into our key strategy initiatives and operational highlights. China's beauty market saw modest growth in the first quarter of 2025. According to the China National Bureau of Statistics, beauty retail sales rose .2% -over-year, likely trailing the .6% -over-year growth in total retail sales of consumer goods. Online beauty sales reflected a similar trend. Combined beauty sales on T-Mall and Douyin recorded low double-digit -over-year growth. The Women's Day Shopping Festival delivered moderate performance. In terms of channels, Douyin outperformed T-Mall in both skincare and color cosmetics categories. Despite a soft market environment, we delivered results in line with our guidance. Total net revenues increased by .8% -over-year. Remarkably, our net revenues from skincare brands rose by .7% -over-year, driven by a 58% -over-year increase from our clinical and premium skincare brands, including the Lannick, Dr. Wu, and Yidlong. On the profitability front, for the first quarter of 2025, our overall growth margin increased to .1% from .7% for the prior year period, driven by the greater contribution from higher margin products. We also reduced our net loss margin by .5% each point to .7% from .1% in the prior year, through more strategic marketing spending and streamlined general and administrative expenses. Notably, we achieved a non-gap net income of RMB 7.1 million, representing a significant turnaround from the non-gap net loss of RMB 83.8 million for the prior year period. Our solid performance for the first quarter marked another milestone in our strategic transformation, which particular progress on two key fronts, accelerating the growth for our skincare brands and optimizing our cost structure to prepare us for profitable growth. Now, let me walk you through the key performance highlights this quarter that reflect the accomplishments we have achieved. Starting with skincare, our portfolio continued to show strong momentum. Primarily driven by Glynec and Dr. Wu, our skincare brands delivered -over-year revenue growth of 47.7%. Glynec saw another quarter of steady growth. Its number one vitamin C serum was the best selling product in the premium vitamin serum category in Afton Lee's live streaming room. While the Secret De-Astilence Active Cream ranked among the top six anti-aging creams on T-more in terms of retail sales value in the first quarter, the MicroMap series also contributed to the brand's strong performance. In May, we hosted an offline event in Yunnan, China to officially launch the upgraded, rejuvenating MicroMap, which recently obtained the special cosmetic registration certificate for whitening products. At the event, we also announced renewed actress Du Linchen as the brand ambassador for the MAP series. We aimed to further elaborate Glynec's awareness and recognition through continued product innovation and targeted marketing efforts. Dr. Wu also delivered robust revenue growth in the third quarter, supported by a broader product portfolio and a more balanced channel mix. We collaborated with a wide range of celebrities and KOLs to promote diverse products, including the Purifying Renewal Essence Toner, the Sun Care UV Protect Whitening Lotion, and the newly launched Targeted Acne Cleaning Serum. This approach helped us drive revenue growth on both T-more and BoE. In addition to strong sales performance, we remain committed to scientific research and collaboration. In March, we launched the third Dr. Wu Acnea Research Fund project led by 14 renowned dermatologists from top institutions. Since its inception in 2023, the project has reached over 20,000 doctors and received more than 360 clinical research proposals. We look forward to the insights this fund will bring to the field of anti-acne treatment. While continuing to invest in product development and brand building to boost revenue growth, we also made meaningful progress in improving profitability. Selling and marketing expenses as a percentage of total net revenues narrowed to .4% from .7% for the prior year period. The improvement was primarily due to more strategic marketing spending, particularly offset by higher traffic expenses as a result of growing revenue contribution from the BoE channel. More notably, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of total net revenues were 7.8%, down by .3% from .1% a year ago. This improvement reflected our distinct cost management and provided a solid foundation for our long-term growth. Lastly, I would like to highlight a few milestones at the corporate level. Our global R&D center in Shanghai, which we inaugurated last year, was officially accredited by the China National Accreditation Service for conformity assessment, placing it among the top tier of global testing institutions. This accreditation, alongside the CNAS recognition received by our R&D center in Guangzhou back in 2022, demonstrates our continued commitment to excellence in beauty research. Also in April, we were invited by the China show of Bloomberger and engaged in an in-depth interview on the topic of the future of beauty driven by technology. This opportunity reinforced our strategic focus on R&D as a core competitive advantage. Before I pass the call to Donghao, I would like to provide an update that our board of directors has approved a new share repurchase program, under which we may repurchase up to 30 million worth of our ordinary shares over the next 24 months, commencing on May 15, 2025. This further demonstrates our confidence in Yaxuan's future potential. To conclude, while market conditions remain complex, we are encouraged by the progress we have made in executing our strategic transformation. We remain focused on delivering innovative and effective products, building strong brand equity, and driving operational excellence, all of which we believe will proposition us well for long-term sustainable growth. With that, I will now turn the call over to our CFO, Donghao Yang, to discuss our financial performance. Thank you, everyone.

Thank you, David, and hello, everyone. Before I get started, I would like to clarify that all financial numbers presented today are in the NB amount, and all percentage changes referred to -over-year changes, and this otherwise noted. Total net revenues for the first quarter of 2025 increased by 7.8 percent, to 833.5 million from 773.4 million for the prior year period. The increase was primarily due to a 47.7 percent -over-year increase in net revenues from skin care brands, partially offset by a 9.9 percent -over-year decrease in net revenues from color cosmetics brands. Growth profit for the first quarter of 2025 increased by 9.7 percent, to 659.1 million from 600.9 million for the prior year period. Growth margin for the first quarter of 2025 increased to 79.1 percent from 77.7 percent for the prior year period. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in sales of higher gross margin products. Total operating expenses for the first quarter of 2025 decreased by 8.6 percent, to 693.2 million from 758.7 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, total operating expenses for the first quarter of 2025 were 83.2 percent, as compared with 98.1 percent for the prior year period. Fulfillment expenses for the first quarter of 2025 were 51.8 million, as compared with 51.4 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, fulfillment expenses for the first quarter of 2025 decreased to 6.2 percent from 6.7 percent for the prior year period. The decrease was primarily due to further improvement in logistics efficiency. Selling and marketing expenses for the first quarter of 2025 were 553.8 million, as compared with 539.2 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, selling and marketing expenses for the first quarter of 2025 decreased to 66.4 percent from 69.7 percent for the prior year period. The decrease was primarily due to the company's more strategic marketing spending, combined with the selective closure of offline stores. General and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2025 were 64.9 million, as compared with 140.1 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, general and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2025 decreased to 7.8 percent from 18.1 percent for the prior year period. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower share-based compensation expenses as a result of using the graded vesting period, a method, over the vesting term of the company's awards and lower payroll expenses resulting from a reduction in general and administrative headcounts. Research and development expenses for the first quarter of 2025 were 22.6 million, as compared with 27.9 million for the prior year period. As a percentage of total net revenues, research and development expenses for the first quarter of 2025 decreased to 2.7 percent from 3.6 percent for the prior year period. The decrease was primarily due to lower lease expenses resulting from more favorable terms under a lease agreement renegotiated during the first quarter of 2025, and lower share-based compensation expenses. Law firm operations for the first quarter of 2025 was 34.1 million, as compared with 157.7 million for the prior year period. Operating loss margin was 4.1 percent, as compared with 20.4 percent for the prior year period. Non-GAF loss from operations for the first quarter of 2025 was 14.9 million, as compared with 107 million for the prior year period. Non-GAF operating loss margin was 1.8 percent, as compared with 13.8 percent for the prior year period. Net loss for the first quarter of 2025 was 5.6 million, as compared with 124.9 million for the prior year period. Net loss margin was 0.7 percent, as compared with 16.1 percent for the prior year period. Net loss attributable to Yassin's ordinary shareholders per diluted EDS for the first quarter of 2025 was 0.06 RMB, as compared with 1.16 RMB for the prior year period. Non-GAF net income for the first quarter of 2025 was 7.1 million, as compared with non-GAF net loss of 83.8 million for the prior year period. Non-GAF net income margin was 0.9 percent, as compared with non-GAF net loss margin of 10.8 percent for the prior year period. Non-GAF net income attributable to Yassin's ordinary shareholders per diluted EDS for the first quarter of 2025 was 0.07 RMB, as compared with non-GAF net loss attributable to Yassin's ordinary shareholders per diluted EDS of 0.78 RMB for the prior year period. As of March 31, 2025, we had cash and short-term investment of 1.28 billion RMB, as compared with 1.36 billion RMB as of December 31, 2024. Net cash generated from operating activities for the first quarter of 2025 was 23.8 million, as compared with net cash used in operating activities of 121.8 million for the prior year period. Looking at our business outlook for the second quarter of 2025, we expect our total net revenues to be between 810.4 million and 889.9 million, representing a -over-year increase of approximately 2 percent to 12 percent. These forecasts reflect our current and preliminary views on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change. With that, I will now like to open the call to Q&A. Operator?

Thank you. We will now begin the question and answer session. To ask a question, you may press star, then 1. If you are using a speakerphone, please pick up your handset before pressing the key. To withdraw your question, please press star, then 2. For the benefit of all participants on today's call, if you wish to ask your question to management in Chinese, please immediately repeat your question in English. The first question today comes from Maggie Huang with CICC. Please go ahead.

Thanks for taking my question. This is Maggie Huang from CICC. Firstly, congratulations on achieving non-gap net income in this quarter. I have two questions. My first question is that how do we plan to promote the new products of Perfect Diary and Gannick, especially the foundation products of Perfect Diary and the anti-aging products of Gannick? My second question is about our performance of this June 18th shopping festival up to now. Is that in line with our expectation? That's my two questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Maggie, for the question. For your first question regarding the Perfect Diary and Gannick new products, we think product innovation and efficacy are the most important in driving consumers' repeat purchase and favorites. Basically, right now all our product pipelines are really with strong product innovation and are backed by very strong R&D capabilities, deep consumer insights, and very strong consumer communication. So right now for Perfect Diary and Gannick, so far we have seen very good initial achievement results from the consumer feedback in terms of the facial makeup products and the anti-aging products, which is the foundation and also our VA serum. So once we receive more positive feedback from the consumer and find through our consumer communication, then we can begin to enlarge our channel distribution and also further build this product into the serum product.

All right. Let me take your second question. Well, it's still a bit too early for us to predict our overall performance for the June 18 festival, but so far so good. I think the sales so far is pretty much in line with our expectations. Thank you.

It's very clear. Thank you very much. And I have no more questions.

Once again, if you would like to ask a question, please press star, then 1 to join the question queue. That's star, then 1 to ask a question.

Thank you again for joining us today. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at Yatsen directly. Our company information for IR in both China and the US can be found in today's press release. Thank you and have a great day.

The conference is now concluded. Thank you for attending today's presentation. You may now disconnect.