Hema (盒马) pulls “贵妃粉耳” after packaging is called insulting to women; 60% of netizens express discontent

What happened

Hema (盒马) has urgently removed a self‑branded product, “盒马菌菇星球贵妃粉耳”, after social media users said its packaging combined a female side‑profile silhouette with the pink wood‑ear mushroom texture and therefore evoked vulgar, sexualized connotations. The retailer issued a public apology and said it had taken down the product and related materials and would strengthen its product and label review processes. It has been reported that almost six in ten netizens expressed dissatisfaction with Hema’s handling of the matter.

Backlash and scrutiny

The controversy blew up after a user post and media follow‑ups pushed topics such as “Hema wood‑ear label with female silhouette” onto trending lists. It has been reported that 29% of respondents called the design lowbrow and insulting and demanded punishment for those responsible, 12% suspected the design was deliberate attention‑seeking, and another 19% voiced broader worries about Hema’s quality control and service. Critics asked bluntly: was there no one to review this packaging? Industry analysts say the issue reflects failures across design, sampling and internal approval layers for a self‑operated product.

A pattern, not an isolated case

The packaging flap comes amid a string of food‑safety and service complaints that have dogged Hema in recent months. It has been reported that consumers have found insects in desserts, foreign objects in dairy, pesticide over‑residues in produce, and even received toxic bulbs instead of edible lilies in orders — incidents that have repeatedly trended online. According to reports, consumer complaints on the Black Cat platform number in the tens of thousands. Hema’s recent rapid GMV growth under CEO 严筱磊 (Yan Xiaolei) has not insulated it from criticism that operational controls have not kept pace with expansion.

Why it matters

For Western readers: Chinese tech‑enabled retailers like Hema operate at massive scale and are under intense public and regulatory scrutiny domestically; missteps quickly become reputational liabilities. Consumers, analysts and some employees now say they want real fixes — stronger internal reviews, clearer quality controls and corporate accountability — not just crisis PR. Is this a one‑off creative misjudgment, or a symptom of systemic governance weaknesses at a fast‑growing platform? Many consumers appear to have already made up their minds.