From being found lacking in size to fake pads made from scraps, sanitary pads have faced scandal after scandal. People have taken to Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun’s comment section, pleading for the brand to make a pad that they can trust. Both Xiaomi and high street fashion brand VANCL (which also went viral after being worn by Lei) were found to have registered trademarks for their feminine hygiene lines. Yu Minhong (俞敏洪) of Eastbuy (东方甄选, Oriental Selection) has also announced plans to launch quality sanitary pads. However, the first new sanitary pad brand to the rescue is none of the above, but from rapper and singer Huang Zitao (黄子韬, sometimes Tao or Z.tao), formerly of K-pop boy band EXO.
On 9 April, Huang Zitao announced that he would be releasing 50,000 test sanitary pads for 0.01 RMB (0.0014 USD) on 11 April. He also introduced details about his product, from quality control to the production process. He is putting his reputation on the line to make a safe and high-quality product. He also mentioned on the stream that his wife, singer Xu Yiyang, has also tried 3 or 4 products from his line and is happy with the result.
- #黄子韬卫生巾1分钱试用5万单 Tao 50,000 0.01 RMB sanitary pads: 160 million views on Weibo, ranking number 5 on the Hot Search list
- #黄子韬做卫生巾 Tao makes sanitary pads: 2.6 million views on Rednote with 14,200 notes
However, some netizens aren’t entirely convinced as they found out that Tao is still outsourcing the sanitary pad production to OEM factories and not manufacturing them himself. Others find that his brand, similar to people asking Lei Jun, is a display of the “male-saviour” complex. It does not help with concerns around how male-dominant the feminine hygiene sector is, and is partially the cause of the recent scandals.
Need to boost your China strategy? Dao Pro delivers bespoke insights on marketing, innovation, and digital trends, direct from Chinese sources. Find out more from our Dao Strategy Team here.
