Recent reports have uncovered a series of issues with the hygiene products in mainland Chinese hotels, including severe bacterial contamination exceeding safety standards, suspicion of counterfeiting, and unauthorized repackaging. One particular shampoo tested had bacterial levels exceeding the standard limit by about 15,000 times. Out of the 15,000 units of hygiene products purchased by the hotels involved, only 111 units were seized, while the rest were freely provided to guests.
According to Consumer Reports, as of September 10th, at least 10 hotels or hotel management companies have been implicated in 21 instances of substandard hygiene products this year.
For instance, two batches of “Yanfang’s Flower Shampoo” from Gansu Jiaguan Jinyang International Hotel Management Co., Ltd. had bacterial counts of 380,000 and 15,000,000 per milliliter respectively, significantly exceeding the safety limit of 1,000 per milliliter, by 380 times and 15,000 times, respectively.
The hotel purchased a total of 15,000 units of shampoo and shower gel from various companies at a cost of 0.32 RMB per unit. Apart from the 111 seized units, the remaining implicated products were gratuitously handed out for consumer use.
Similar issues are not isolated cases. According to the special cosmetics inspection data for Guangzhou in 2025, the Niepoth brand hygiene products used by Boorman Hotel and City Convenience Hotel under the Domgent Group had bacterial counts around 100 times and 58 times the standard limit, respectively.
The Dongcheng Group attributed the contamination to the supplier’s self-inspection results, citing inadequate disinfection during the replacement of components in the production process.
Among the 21 batches of substandard products mentioned earlier, 10 batches had manufacturing companies explicitly deny production involvement, indicating potential counterfeiting. The remaining 11 batches were mainly flagged for bacterial levels exceeding regulations or improper use of the preservative “kathon.”
Bacterial levels are indicative of the extent of microbial contamination in the products. “Kathon” is a commonly used preservative in shampoos and shower gels, but its concentration is regulated. According to a previous report by China Food and Drug Network, Dr. Wang Shu from the First Hospital of Peking University’s Dermatology Department stated that excessive additives could raise the risk of allergies and contact dermatitis.
The in-house preparation and repackaging of hygiene products in hotels have introduced hygiene and source ambiguity issues. In a report by the Legal Times in October 2025, five hotels and inns in Haikou were found to be repackaging and labeling shampoos and shower gels on their own. The repackaged products lacked labels, and some establishments altered production dates or used expired products.
Industry expert Bai Yunhu told Consumer Reports that the hygiene products commonly used in regular hotels are usually manufactured by subcontracting factories, with product quality closely tied to procurement costs.
The public has expressed concerns over these revelations. A social media user on Weibo expressed difficulty in determining the bottling time, expiration date, and potential secondary contamination of the hotel’s repackaged hygiene products, opting to bring their own supplies when staying at hotels. Another netizen shared a similar sentiment, stating they usually bring their own products when going out and would purchase new ones even if they forget to pack them.