L’Oréal apologizes for its new cosmetic brand promotion asserting Chinese 24 solar terms as ‘Asian’
L’Oréal Photo: CFP
Cosmetics group L’Oréal apologized after the company’s newly launched beauty brand said in its marketing promotions calling the 24 solar terms of traditional lunar Chinese calendar as “Asian” wisdom, drawing complaints from some Chinese web users.
L’Oréal China said on its official Weibo account on Friday that the company “loves and respects China’s long history and culture”, and it would like to apologize for the fact that the press release issued by the new brand of its South Korean JV did not accurately state that the 24 solar terms originated in China.
“We always believe that the 24 solar terms are a precious cultural heritage from China, an important part of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, and have also had an important impact on other Asian cultures,” it said in a statement.
L’Oreal North Asia has recently launched a luxury beauty label called Shihyo through a third-party JV Loshian, under the partnership with South Korean hotels and duty-free shops operator Hotel Shilla and Anchor Equity Partners.
Shihyo, which means “the wisdom of time,” is a newly created skincare beauty brand inspired by “the Asian wisdom of the 24 seasons”, embodying the healthy energy of nature, powered by herbal sciences, the company’s press release reads.
Some Chinese web users accused the French cosmetics conglomerate of lacking common sense, asking it to respect traditional Chinese culture.
The solar terms represent the 24 periods in the Chinese lunar calendar that show the changes in nature and climate. The ancient Chinese developed the calendar to guide agricultural production and reflect some natural phenomena and human life.
Sales of L’Oréal, the group behind Maybelline mascara and Lancome skincare, said it has strengthened its position in e-commerce in China, topping the rankings on the emerging TikTok platform, with L’Oréal Paris being No.1 in skin care.
In North Asia, which consists of markets like China, Japan and South Korea, L’Oréal posted like-for-like sales growth of only 0.3 percent due to a combination of pandemic restrictions and lockdowns in China, one of its largest markets.
On October 11, L’Oréal China said it started the construction of an intelligent operation center in Suzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province, which will improve the warehousing and logistics efficiency of its local plants. It is expected to enter operation by the fourth quarter 2023, in order to support online and offline sales of its cosmetics and hair care products in China.
Global Times
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