CRI听力: [Report]: Old Chinese Cosmetic Brands Gaining Popularity Among Young People

Da Feng shopping center is one of the few shopping malls still selling old Chinese brand products and it usually attracts lots of elderly customers. For many years, they've been using the old Chinese products regardless of the many new foreign brands that have swamped the Chinese market.

"I've bought several packages of the apricots honey and the violets from here for my mom and my sister."

"My mother-in-law, for many years, she only uses these old brands. I myself also love them."

But since this year, the old shop has seen many young customers, many of them bringing some specific notes to look for particular cosmetic products mentioned on online cosmetic forums.

"Many people online say these products, such as the vegetable lotions, are very good. The old shop here also has a reputation for selling these products."

Young girls make up a large consumer group of famous luxury cosmetic products in China. Recently they have also been tucking old brands into their makeup kits, such as Shanghai-based Pehchaolin, a cream that dates back to the 1940s, and ordinary Vaseline. These brands often cost no more than 10 yuan each.

A young lady named Wu is one of them.

"In the past, I spent hundreds of yuan on buying imported foreign brand cosmetics. But I noticed lots of online comments in favor of the domestic brands and many of my friends also use them. So I started to buy these products instead."

The revival of these old brands among youngsters in China owes much to the internet. On one online forum, girls shared their experiences of using different cosmetic brands' and their advantages. Many of them claim that old Chinese brands are more competitively priced and user-friendly. Secretary in chief from the Chamber of Beauty Culture & Cosmetics of the All-China Federation of Industry & Commerce Xu Jingquan says:

"Online shopping is usually a lower-cost business model than shopping centers or other channels. A comment on a certain product is also spread much quicker than before over the internet. In addition, in the past several years, the old Chinese brands are increasing their quality and making their packaging more attractive to compete with the foreign brands."

Young girls have now found a new way to take care of their skin using a mixture of Western and traditional Chinese cosmetics to achieve the best effect. Most of the Chinese cosmetics are around 10 to 20 yuan each. So compared to traditional Chinese brands, why are the international brands so much more expensive?
Xu Jingquan explains.

"Most of the cosmetics are competing with brands from all over the world. They usually upgrade their products often by investing in more research while investing a lot in advertising. Domestic brands usually have little in the way of advertising. They usually follow the traditional methods of making the products. But I personally think domestic cosmetics' quality is no worse than the international brands."

Some older Chinese brands are also gaining favor in overseas markets. According to Taobao.com, Shanghai-based brand sandalwood soap, though not very popular in China, is currently hot in Europe as is made purely of plants. (www.hXen.com)

For China Drive, I'm Liu Min.