Recently, the health product brand “优思益” has been exposed for fabricating origins and forging certifications, causing a continuous uproar. Three platforms, Douyin, Taotian, and Xiaohongshu, were summoned by the authorities, sparking widespread social attention.
According to reports from Chinese state media, on April 2, the State Council Food Safety Office, the General Administration of Market Supervision, and the General Administration of Customs held talks with the three platforms, Douyin, Taotian, and Xiaohongshu, regarding the improper marketing practices of the “优思益” health products.
This news has triggered discussions among netizens. Some questioned: after the talks, what’s next? How can consumers like us protect our rights? While others commented that the main responsibility for such incidents lies with whom? Regulatory oversight seems non-existent! A netizen by the username “酒劍仙不得道” questioned: who is responsible for summoning the three departments?
The “China News Weekly” reported that “优思益” has long dominated the sales charts for lutein products on Douyin and Tmall.
According to the “Interesting Report,” on the desk of a writer named Xiaoyan (alias) lies an unfinished bottle of “优思益” lutein. Due to excessive screen time, she was influenced to purchase four bottles of the popular lutein from “优思益” for 356 yuan during the Double Eleven shopping festival in 2024 after seeing a live stream by a celebrity endorsing the product. This endorsement, known as “planting grass,” is when bloggers and influencers share their experiences and effects of a product.
Xiaoyan’s experience mirrors that of numerous “优思益” consumers. The reason they are willing to pay a premium for a foreign “brand” is fundamentally based on the credibility of the platforms and influencer endorsements.
The cost price of a lutein capsule is around 20 yuan per bottle, but after branding, the selling price ranges from 293 to 434 yuan, a mark-up of over 10 times. Marketing expenses account for more than 50% of sales revenue, with 40% allocated to platform “investment” (spending money to purchase traffic).
Recently, CCTV News reported that “Australian优思益,” claimed to be imported, is actually produced domestically. The brand claims to be imported from Australia but is produced in domestic factories in Ma’anshan, Anhui, and Guangzhou, using bonded warehouses to disguise the products as imports. The registered address in Melbourne is actually an auto repair shop. Despite not having the “blue cap” mark for health food products on their packaging, they advertised and sold their products as health supplements.
An employee at the Hangzhou imaging company responsible for the brand’s marketing strategy stated: “This company is from Guangzhou, and the products are also from Guangzhou. We packaged it to look like it’s from Australia.” The entire marketing chain involves fabricating brand stories, purchasing international awards, hiring internet celebrities and experts for endorsements, and concentrating on planting grass and traffic investment on social media platforms.
The marketing company in Hangzhou admitted to fabricating the brand story, purchasing international awards (each costing 20,000 to 30,000 yuan), and hiring foreigners to pose as expert endorsers.
Following the exposure of the incident, as of the evening of April 2, numerous complaint platforms have seen a surge in related complaints. The purchasing channels involve several well-known e-commerce platforms and celebrity live streams, with amounts ranging from tens to thousands of yuan. Many consumers are demanding compensation. The related e-commerce stores have already been closed, making it difficult for consumers to seek recourse.
Many consumers have reported difficulties in seeking refunds, with stores being closed, unable to contact store customer service, and platform customer service refusing assistance citing “over 90 days.” This has made consumer protection challenging.
Some users have mentioned purchasing优思益 products on the Douyin mall. Currently, they are unable to reach the merchant or contact Douyin customer service. It is said that platforms usually have a limited time for post-sales service, and once the time limit is exceeded, the “after-sales” button for the product order disappears, hindering consumer rights protection.
Moreover, consumers expressing a desire to communicate with the company in person are facing barriers without the company’s permission.
Official flagship stores of优思益 on various e-commerce platforms have been entirely shut down.优思益 announced on April 1 through their official WeChat public account that they had removed all related products and suspended all external sales channels. However, their official WeChat public account is currently unreachable.
After the exposure of the fabrication of origins incident, the优思益 platform stores were found to have published illegal advertisements and have been under investigation. According to a staff member involved in the investigation as reported by the “Yangcheng Evening News,” there is a large amount of data that needs verification, and the determination of the “fabrication” behavior has not been made yet.
The health products of “优思益,” touted as imported from Australia, are actually produced domestically, involving an entire chain of counterfeiting, including fabricating brand stories, purchasing awards, hiring internet celebrities and “experts” for endorsements. Netizens are questioning who will put an end to the chain of counterfeiting.
“This is not an isolated case but a collective celebration of fake foreign brands. From packaging foreign shells, fabricating endorsements, to high-priced exploitation, this routine keeps repeating itself.”