On August 28, 2008, "Daily Economic News" exclusively exposed that Marumi Cosmetics was cracked down by Wang Hai. Anti-counterfeiting celebrity Wang Hai questioned the Japanese background of Marubi's product promotion in Nanning, Guangxi. It was believed that Marubi had engaged in false advertising and took two Marubi sales stores to court.

Subsequently, the situation of "Marumi's origin" escalated rapidly. On August 29, Marumi expressed its position for the first time, insisting that it was a Chinese joint venture. On September 1, the China Consumers Association began to pay attention to the Marubi incident. On September 2, the court held a hearing on Wang Hai’s case against the seller of Marubi products. In the court, lawyers from both sides argued fiercely about the origin of Marubi in Japan. As the situation deepens, the truth behind Marumi's Japanese background gradually emerges. On September 8, Marumi finally publicly issued an apology statement in the media: it admitted that it was an "authentic Chinese brand" and "hoped that the public could forgive the children who admitted their mistakes."

Event Comments:

In fact, Marumi has taken a number of measures to shape its Japanese background, which is a common trick used by many local cosmetics companies to "wear sheep's clothing".

For example, registering a trademark overseas and disguising it as an imported product. Although Marubi has obtained a Japanese trademark registration certificate, its product development and production are all in the mainland and have no direct relationship with Japan. Marubi is even invisible in the Japanese market. Another example is claiming that the brand originated overseas and has a long history. Marumi claimed that the brand originated in Japan in Showa 54 and was as famous as Japan's Shiseido, but it was not registered at the time. In fact, Guangzhou Jiahe Cosmetics Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the manufacturer of Marubi, was established in 2002 and has a brand history of less than 10 years. Another example is claiming that the brand founder is an authoritative overseas expert. Marubi advertised that its founder was Japanese "Keio Kobayashi". In fact, "Keio Kobayashi" was confirmed to be the Japanese name of general manager Sun Huaiqing, who is Chinese.

Many local cosmetics brands such as Marubi have good intentions in order to put on a "foreign coat". It is shameful to deceive consumers, but why do local brands have to pretend to be foreign brands? In the final analysis, it is caused by the general environment of domestic cosmetics consumption that "advocates foreignness and favors foreign countries".

Modern cosmetics come from the West. Well-known cosmetics brands in Europe, America and Japan have a brand history of about a hundred years. Imported cosmetics from abroad are in an absolute leading position in terms of product quality, usage experience and usage effects. At the same time, the main consumers of cosmetics are women, and most women have a consumer mentality of advocating foreign brands. Foreign cosmetics have naturally become the favorite of Chinese consumers.

The real development history of local cosmetics companies is generally only a few years or decades. In the short term, it will be difficult to compete with foreign brands. In order to cater to consumers' preferences, many local cosmetics companies have adopted the brand marketing strategy of "wearing sheep's clothing". So, when I approached the cosmetics counter area of ??the mall, I saw a world full of foreign logos and brands. How many brands there are are truly foreign brands? Due to the asymmetry of information, few people can tell clearly. In recent years, the trend of local cosmetics brands "wearing sheep's clothing" has become increasingly popular and has become a tacit and unspoken rule in the industry.

Marubi and other brands should be condemned for their efforts to fake foreign investment backgrounds. In a deeper sense, we also hope that local cosmetics brands will work hard to mature as soon as possible and gradually gain the trust of consumers. In this way, local cosmetics brands can compete with foreign brands. One day, "selling domestic products under the brand name of domestic products" may also become a fashion