国产化妆品 国货当自强

国货护肤品，在国人眼中一度成为过时、老气、廉价的代名词，其实，这些国货品你只要耐心品味，自有它的迷人魅力。但是目前，一些国产化妆品也日益受到国人的追捧。这些品牌有的是中国上百年历史的护肤品鼻祖，有的将中药医学科学融入，或许，你也会发现原来身边这些古朴的护肤品也不会比一些国际大牌差。

Chinese people's views on the old brands were reinforced with cheap, easy and out-dated package designs. But today's old brands in China have found their own ways to express themselves. China's biggest cosmetics manufacturer, Shanghai Jahwa, recently relaunched its brand Shuangmei, or Two Sisters, under a new name: Shanghai Vive. Some Chinese customers say they find using such brands is a new fashion nowadays.

"I've been using international cosmetic brands for a long time. But today I came into this store and found the decoration and atmosphere here is traditional Shanghai style. I've always admired the celebrities' life in the 1930s."

"I know that my grandma's generation used this brand. I am very happy to enjoy the same fashion and products."

The brand targets luxury brand consumers, offering a symbol of nostalgic value with aristocratic style design. The brand was established in 1898 as a luxury for rich upper-class people who could afford its secret and expensive ingredients. In the early 20th century, the Shuangmei boutique became a landmark in the city's most high-end commercial area on Nanjing Lu. Movie stars like Ruan Lingyu and Hudie were quite fond of the brand. Today, it is trying to outshine international brands and label itself as a symbol of affluence. For lots of foreign buyers, Shanghai culture is what they want. A French buyer who can speak fluent Chinese says the product is receiving good reviews from her French friends back home.

"The products have Chinese cultural elements, and it is among limited number of high-end cosmetics brands in China. It has a special flavor of Shanghai, so I think my French friends would of course like them."

Before this, the Shanghai cosmetic industry was mainly focusing on the low-end market. Shower gel like Liu Shen, priced at 10 yuan per bottle, earned the Jahwa company more than half of its profit annually. Today, low end brands like Youyi or Friendship still occupy a large market share in rural areas. But a report from Eastern Securities shows, the cosmetics brands produced in Shanghai have a very low net profit annually and find it very hard to explore new markets. It's been a long standing question among domestic cosmetic producers how to come up with a high-end brand to compete with international brands. But President of Jahwa Company Ge Wenyao says they have also realized product quality is the first step to establishing a brand name with international recognition.

"For example, one of our products, face moisturizer, is better than our competitors in four category tests."

Time-honored brands hold a special place in consumers' heart. Besides cosmetics, other old domestic brands such as Yong Jiu bicycles are also selling more than in previous years. Good quality, fashionable designs, plus nostalgic sentiment have become the perfect combination for an old brand to find a new growth path.

For CRI, I'm Liu Min.