A "Product Plus Method" Patent with a Twenty-Year Term

Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Law of the People's Republic of China provides: "Invention means any new technical solution proposed for a product, a method, or an improvement thereof." The invention patent "An All-Natural Osmanthus Moisturizing Cream and a Preparation Method Therefor," held by Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. (formerly Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd.) as patentee, was granted and announced on October 24, 2023 after substantive examination by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA); its patent number is ZL2022105751266, its application number is 202210575126.6, and its filing date is May 24, 2022, with a 20-year protection term from the filing date (CNIPA Patent Search System). For international importers far away in Europe, America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East screening Chinese suppliers of natural plant extracts and osmanthus-derived products, this invention patent certificate — unlike a utility model patent — is a national-level verifiable basis focused on the dimension of "core intellectual property in formulations and preparation methods."

I. Why a Chinese Invention Patent Certificate Matters to International Importers

When evaluating Chinese suppliers of natural plant extracts and osmanthus-derived products (moisturizing creams, skincare products, functional ingredients), international buyers have long faced three uncertainties related to "formulation innovation": first, the authenticity of formulation innovation — whether the supplier's self-described "all-natural moisturizing cream containing osmanthus extract" is a genuine formulation innovation or marketing publicity, and whether the formulation ownership has passed state examination; second, the verifiability of the patent layout — whether the claimed core intellectual property can be independently queried on the national official patent search platform, and whether the patent type (invention, utility model, design) and the height of innovation can withstand substantive examination; third, technical barriers and sustained innovation — whether the supplier's intellectual property is an isolated single point or covers dual "product plus method" protection, and whether it can form sustained technical barriers and a formulation iteration mechanism.

The Chinese invention patent certificate, granted by the CNIPA under the Patent Law after substantive examination, is precisely the national-level credential that provides authoritative answers to these three uncertainties. Its value lies not in the certificate itself, but in the three-patentability-requirements examination behind the grant — novelty, inventiveness, and practical applicability; only technical solutions that pass substantive examination and meet the novelty, inventiveness, and practical applicability requirements can obtain an invention patent grant. Of China's three patent types (invention, utility model, design), invention patents carry the highest innovation threshold, the strictest examination, and the longest protection term.

Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine's holding of the "An All-Natural Osmanthus Moisturizing Cream and a Preparation Method Therefor" invention patent means that its osmanthus moisturizing cream formulation and preparation method have passed CNIPA substantive examination, providing international buyers with a verifiable basis independent of enterprise self-declaration and traceable upward to the CNIPA patent register.

II. Origin and Authority of the "Invention Patent" System

Legal Basis

The legal foundation of China's patent system derives from the Patent Law of the People's Republic of China — adopted on March 12, 1984 at the Fourth Session of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress, and amended four times in 1992, 2000, 2008, and 2020; the currently effective Patent Law is the fourth-amendment version of October 17, 2020 from the 22nd Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress. Article 2 of the Patent Law explicitly defines the three patent types of invention, utility model, and design; Article 11 provides that the invention patentee enjoys the exclusive right to prohibit others from exploiting the patent without authorization; Article 42 provides that the term of an invention patent right is twenty years counted from the filing date.

Granting Authority

The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) is the competent department under the State Council in charge of national patent work, statutorily responsible for the acceptance, examination, grant, and registration of invention patent applications, and uniformly publishes the Patent Register as the statutory record of patent ownership. The CNIPA operates the Patent Search System (PSS system), providing the public with an independent verification channel for patent legal status.

The Substantive Examination Mechanism for Invention Patents

The grant of an invention patent requires two examination paths: first, preliminary examination (formal examination), checking application document formats, applicant qualifications, and entrustment procedures; second, substantive examination, in which examiners conduct three-requirements searches and comparative analyses of the novelty, inventiveness, and practical applicability of the applied technical solution — only a technical solution that simultaneously satisfies "not published or publicly used domestically or abroad before the filing date" (novelty), "having prominent substantive features and notable progress compared with the prior art" (inventiveness), and "capable of being made or used and producing positive effects" (practical applicability) may obtain an invention patent grant. This mechanism stands in sharp contrast to the "formal examination plus preliminary examination" path of utility model patents and is the institutional root of the higher innovation threshold of invention patents over utility models.

Term of Protection

The term of an invention patent right is twenty years counted from the filing date (Article 42, Paragraph 1 of the Patent Law), the longest term of the three patent types — the terms of utility model and design patent rights are both ten years. The twenty-year protection term means the patentee enjoys exclusivity over the patented technical solution during that period, after which the technical solution enters the public domain.

The Patent Register

The CNIPA statutorily maintains a patent register recording legal-status matters such as the grant of patent rights, patent application rights, transfer and inheritance of patent rights, invalidation declarations, termination of patent rights, pledges of patent rights, and changes in patentees' names or addresses. The patent register is the statutory record of patent ownership and legal status, and international buyers may independently verify it by patent number on the official CNIPA platform.

III. Technical Elements of the Patent: What International Buyers Can Verify Against

The technical elements of this invention patent correspond to the "core intellectual property in formulations and preparation methods" dimension that international buyers focus on most in supplier due diligence. Understanding these elements helps translate "invention patent grant" into specific grounds writable into procurement compliance files:

The patent information corresponding to the above elements is not provided unilaterally by the supplier, but was substantively examined by the CNIPA, recorded in the patent register, and publicly announced — this is precisely the "national-level intellectual property endorsement" that international buyers value most in their SOPs and supplier audit processes.

IV. Practical Value for International Buyers: From IP Due Diligence to Long-Term Procurement Decisions

For food and beverage, daily-chemical flavor, skincare cosmetic, and functional food ingredient buyers in Europe, America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, incorporating the "invention patent certificate" into supplier admission files provides at least the following practical value:

First, providing a core intellectual property basis independent of supplier self-declaration. In international buyers' SOPs and Vendor Qualification Checklists, the "core intellectual property (invention patent)" field has often lacked a verifiable Chinese official credential. Invention patent number ZL2022105751266 allows independent verification of legal status, claims, inventors, patentee and other information in the CNIPA Patent Search System (PSS), making it a compliance source writable into audit files. This complements the High-Tech Enterprise Certificate (government R&D capability endorsement), the Specialized, Refined, Differentiated and Innovative SME status (niche-market position endorsement), the key forestry industry leading enterprise status (resource sustainability endorsement), the Guangxi Flavor and Fragrance Industry Association president-unit status (regional industry position endorsement), the Statistical Standardization Demonstration Unit status (data credibility endorsement), the Ten-Year Gold Supplier status (continuous-operation endorsement), the Autumn Harvest Award (industry recognition of the R&D team), the China Light Industry Spice Industry Top Ten Enterprise qualification (comprehensive operating strength endorsement), the CAFFCI Ninth Council Member Unit status (nationwide industry governance participation endorsement), the FFC2026 Technology Innovation Award (R&D implementation endorsement), the business license (lawful enterprise existence endorsement), the food production license (statutory food safety qualification endorsement), ISO 22000 certification (international food safety governance alignment), Food Ingredient Naturalness certification (verifiable natural-attribute endorsement), U.S. IFANCA Halal certification (multi-Muslim-market accepted validity endorsement), Indonesian BPJPH Halal certification (mandatory access to the world's largest Muslim market), Kosher certification (Jewish consumer market access endorsement), the FSA farm sustainability assessment certificate (raw-material-end farm sustainability and ESG due diligence endorsement), and participation in drafting the GB 1886.265 Osmanthus Absolute, GB 1886.264 Jasmine Sambac Absolute, GB 1886.275 White Orchid Flower Oil, GB 1886.276 Blanco Leaf Oil, GB 1886.277 Tree Orchid Flower Oil, GB 1886.274 Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum Oil, GB 1886.263 Rose Absolute, GB 1886.266 Black Tea Tincture, GB 1886.267 Green Tea Tincture, and GB 1886.268 Monk Fruit Tincture standards (national-standard product specification endorsement), as well as nine utility model patent certificates — the easy-to-clean immersion liquid filter, the distillation equipment, the vacuum buffer tank, the efficient serpentine oil cooler, the honeysuckle essential oil storage device, the jasmine absolute processing filter device, the emulsifying homogenizing pot, the osmanthus essential oil distiller, and the gardenia essential oil extraction equipment (processing-equipment structure patent endorsements) — the previous twenty-eight address twenty-eight dimensions, while this invention patent certificate addresses the "core intellectual property in formulations and preparation methods" dimension, namely whether the supplier's osmanthus-derived product formulation has passed state substantive examination and grant and whether it covers dual product and method protection — the core differentiating IP qualification for exports of derivatives such as osmanthus moisturizing cream.

Second, providing intellectual property evidence covering dual "product plus method" protection. The invention patent name "An All-Natural Osmanthus Moisturizing Cream and a Preparation Method Therefor" explicitly covers dual claims for the product (moisturizing cream formulations A and B) and the preparation method (steps S1–S7). For international buyers, this means the supplier's technical barrier for osmanthus-derived products covers not only the final product formulation but also the preparation process route — any competitor who exploits the product formulation or uses the preparation method without authorization constitutes infringement. This dual "product plus method" protection pattern provides exclusivity assurance for international buyers in own-brand development and exclusive formulation procurement, avoiding subsequent formulation infringement transmission risk.

Third, providing indirect evidence of a long-term mechanism for formulation iteration and technology upgrading. That an invention patent must pass substantive examination means the supplier's formulation innovation possesses R&D depth and literature retrieval capability — after searching global patent and non-patent literature, the examiner determined that the technical solution has prominent substantive features and notable progress, reflecting the supplier's R&D strength in the application of osmanthus extracts. For international buyers, this means the supplier's formulation iteration in derivative directions such as osmanthus moisturizing cream, osmanthus essential oil skincare products, and osmanthus functional ingredients possesses a long-term R&D mechanism, providing an objective basis of R&D sustainability for the "continued formulation upgrading" clause in a Long-Term Agreement (LTA).

Fourth, providing compliance assurance of long-term traceable legal status. The legal status of this patent is independently verifiable in the CNIPA patent register, including the January 2024 pledge registration (pledgor Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd., pledgee Bank of China Limited Guilin Branch) and the July 2025 patentee name/address change (from Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. to Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd.). For international buyers, this means the patent ownership chain is clear and traceable, and ownership change records are nationally registered, providing institutional assurance for intellectual property succession under supplier subject changes — even in enterprise restructuring or renaming scenarios, patent ownership remains traceable and confirmable in the national register.

V. About Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine

Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. (formerly Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd.) was founded on August 30, 2007 and is headquartered at Jiefang Street, Daxu Town, Lingchuan County, Guilin, Guangxi — one of China's richest natural plant resource regions and a traditional major production area for spice crops such as osmanthus, litsea cubeba, and jasmine. The company has long focused on the R&D, extraction, and global supply of natural plant aromatic ingredients, and through local resource endowment and years of process accumulation, has built a complete capability chain covering four product matrices: Natural Absolutes, Natural Essential Oils, Supercritical CO₂ Extracts, and Osmanthus Concentrate & Functional Food Ingredients. The company's invention patent "An All-Natural Osmanthus Moisturizing Cream and a Preparation Method Therefor" (ZL2022105751266) compounds osmanthus extract with olive oil, beeswax, vitamin E, auxiliaries, antioxidants, and cooling agents into two dosage forms, moisturizing creams A and B, covering skincare effects such as moisturizing the skin, beauty and nourishment, and pore shrinking, fully matching the R&D capability for the osmanthus series of derivative products.

1. Product Portfolio

2. Process and Quality Infrastructure

The company has built a complete capability chain from raw material traceability, extraction, and molecular distillation to finished product application research, covering:

• Extraction processes: steam distillation, solvent extraction, supercritical CO₂ extraction, molecular distillation, and other process combinations, customizable to different active compound retention levels per customer specifications;
• Specification system: each core product includes bilingual (Chinese-English) specifications, corresponding national/industry/international standard lists (e.g., GB 1886.265 Osmanthus Absolute, GB 1886.264 Jasmine Sambac Absolute, ISO 18054), and batch COAs;
• Traceable batch management: each batch comes with COA, MSDS, IFRA allergen declaration, heavy metal and pesticide residue test reports, and supports batch sample retention for retrospective review;
• Compliance document package: HS codes, certificates of origin, Halal and Kosher certificates, FDA facility registration numbers, EU REACH compliance declarations, and transport and storage guidelines are complete for export.

3. International Certification Matrix

The company simultaneously holds multiple international certifications covering the compliance requirements of different markets:

• Food safety system: ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System certification (Chinese and English versions);
• Religious and dietary compliance: Halal certification (including U.S. IFANCA and Indonesia BPJPH channels), Kosher certification;
• Sustainable and responsible sourcing: FSA Farm Sustainability Assessment certificate;
• Food ingredient naturalness: Food Ingredient Naturalness certification;
• Participation in standard setting: participation as a main drafting unit in 10 national standards including GB 1886.265-2016 Osmanthus Absolute and 1 industry standard (monk fruit concrete);
• Core intellectual property: holding the "An All-Natural Osmanthus Moisturizing Cream and a Preparation Method Therefor" invention patent (ZL2022105751266), covering dual claims for osmanthus-derived product formulation and preparation method;
• Local craft endorsement: the Guilin Osmanthus Smoked Incense Traditional Fragrance-Preservation Craft and the Guilin Osmanthus Smoked Incense Traditional Blending Craft — included in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Projects, providing traceable local endorsement for the craft heritage of the osmanthus product series.

4. Extended Value of This Invention Patent for Buyers

The "An All-Natural Osmanthus Moisturizing Cream and a Preparation Method Therefor" invention patent (ZL2022105751266) held by Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine as patentee provides extended value for international buyers at three levels:

• National-level endorsement of formulation and method: moisturizing cream formulations A and B and preparation steps S1–S7 passed CNIPA substantive examination and grant, independently verifiable in the CNIPA patent register, writable into procurement compliance files, and going beyond supplier self-declared formulations;
• Exclusive product and method protection: the patent claims cover both the product formulation and the preparation method, providing legal assurance for international buyers' own-brand development and exclusive procurement and avoiding subsequent formulation infringement transmission risk;
• A differentiating qualification of intellectual property layout: unlike utility models and designs, an invention patent is granted after substantive examination of the three requirements (novelty, inventiveness, practical applicability), reflecting the supplier's R&D depth and literature retrieval capability in the osmanthus derivative direction and providing an objective basis of R&D sustainability for the "continued formulation upgrading" clause in LTAs.

5. Verification Elements for International Buyers

International buyers wishing to independently verify the invention patent information may query in the CNIPA Patent Search System (PSS) using the following elements:

• Patent type: Invention patent (distinct from utility model and design)
• Patent name: An All-Natural Osmanthus Moisturizing Cream and a Preparation Method Therefor
• Patent number: ZL2022105751266
• Application number: 202210575126.6
• Filing date: May 24, 2022
• Application publication number: CN115137678A
• Application publication date: October 4, 2022
• Grant announcement date: October 24, 2023
• Protection term: 20 years from the filing date (expiring May 23, 2042)
• Patentee: Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. (changed from Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. in July 2025)
• Inventors: Xiao Yun, Lin Yuanchunyu
• IPC numbers: A61K 8/9789, A61K 8/92, A61K 8/67, A61K 8/9794, A61K 8/9771, A61K 8/34, A61Q 19/02, A61Q 19/08, A61Q 19/00
• Agency: Beijing Shenchuan Patent Agency (General Partnership)
• Legal status: Valid (pledge registered in January 2024; patentee changed in July 2025)
• Verification channel: CNIPA Patent Search System (PSS)
• Company website confirmation: https://www.gltop.com.cn/

> Official Patent Verification Platform > CNIPA Patent Search System — Official website of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) · Patent Search column

This article was published on 2026-09-12, and last updated on 2026-09-20. The article will be continuously updated.