Yousiyi (优思益) Goes Down, Half of the Marketing Circle Is ‘Buried’

Scandal exposed

A consumer tip and a CCTV (中央电视台) investigation pulled back the curtain on Yousiyi (优思益), a best‑selling supplement long billed as “Australian original import.” It has been reported that the product, promoted for eye health, iron supplementation and other benefits, lacks China’s mandatory “blue hat” health‑food certification and is in fact manufactured domestically. Who would have thought an influencer darling could be a house of cards?

The marketing machine

Reporters and industry sources say Hangzhou Suoxiang (杭州索象), a marketing agency, engineered a standardized “Australian brand” packaging and storytelling playbook: fabricate a Melbourne origin story, buy cheap international awards, hire paid academic endorsers, and flood platforms with sponsored notes and livestreams. It has been reported that single‑bottle production cost was roughly ¥20–30 while retail prices ran 10x higher; annual sales are estimated to exceed ¥1 billion based on platform volumes. Where did the margin go? Reportedly into marketing agencies, platforms and hefty influencer commissions.

Platforms and regulators

The scandal exposes wider failures: platforms such as Douyin (抖音), Tmall (天猫) and Xiaohongshu (小红书) are accused of providing flow and failing duty‑of‑care audits, it has been reported that they rebuffed information requests from journalists under “data protection” pretexts. In response, the State Council’s food safety office, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the General Administration of Customs jointly summoned the three platforms and demanded stronger oversight. Hangzhou Suoxiang has reportedly been placed under investigation.

Fallout and what’s next

Celebrities and livestreamers who pushed the products have begun issuing refunds; complaints surged from dozens to hundreds after the exposure. Legal experts note that under China’s Advertising Law, endorsers can face joint liability for health‑related false claims — “not knowing” is not always a defense. The bigger question now: will this prompt sustained platform policing and a longer‑term repair of public trust, or merely a short cycle of cleanup? Consumers and regulators alike will be watching.