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Pop star Huang Zitao of EXO fame sells S$4 million worth of sanitary pads in 30 minutes

Chinese pop idol and entrepreneur Huang Zitao has just shaken up the feminine care industry in China.

In a record-shattering livestream on 18 May, the former EXO member sold over 450,000 boxes of his new sanitary pads brand, Domyway, in just 30 minutes, raking in more than 22.5 million yuan (S$4.02 million).

Each box retailed at 49.8 yuan (S$9), according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Following this achievement, hashtags related to his new brand quickly blew up on Chinese social media, hitting over 100 million views on platforms like Weibo.

Source: Weibo

From K-pop to manufacturing mogul

Best known for his K-pop days under SM Entertainment, Huang Zitao, known by his stage name Tao, inherited an estimated US$3 billion (S$3.8 billion) in 2020 after the passing of his father. Since then, he’s been steadily reinventing himself as a serious businessman.

Source: Tumblr

His latest venture came in response to public outrage earlier this year, when several Chinese factories were exposed for reselling used sanitary pads and baby nappies.

Calling the news “disgusting”, Tao invested 275 million yuan (US$40 million) to buy a factory and partnered with personal care company Duowei to create Domyway.

Today, his factory houses three fully automated production lines, churning out 3,600 sanitary pads per minute. Each pack comes with a QR code, allowing customers to watch their product being made — live.

Source: Weibo

‘I am doing this out of responsibility towards women, not for profit’

In a recent livestream, the 32-year-old emphasised that his mission wasn’t about money. It was personal.

“I am doing this out of responsibility towards women, not for profit,” he said.

Tao also credited his wife, singer Xu Yiyang, for pushing him to enter the feminine care industry. She reportedly tested multiple prototypes herself and vouched for their quality.

Source: Huang Zitao on Instagram

His previous trial run in April saw 49,500 boxes offered for just S$0.002 each, which sold out in under a minute.

Early reviews were mixed, SCMP said. Some praised the pads for being breathable and absorbent, while others noted they were “a bit short”.

Online, many praised Tao for his willingness to reform a scandal-plagued industry, while others said it felt “disrespectful” for a man to assume he understands what women’s needs are.

Pads sell out online

Barely had the dust settled when Domyway was completely wiped out online. But soon, resellers started listing the pads on third-party sites at eye-watering mark-ups.

A box that originally retailed for 49.8 yuan (S$9) was suddenly being listed for S$9.80, S$17.70, even S$34 — nearly four times the retail price, Tonboriday reported.

Source: Weibo

Tao was quick to address the issue. In a follow-up livestream, he urged fans not to buy from unauthorised sources and reassured customers that restocks were on the way.

“Don’t feed the scalpers,” he said firmly. “Domyway was created to be accessible, not exploited.”

He also revealed plans to launch offline retail availability, so customers wouldn’t have to rely on resellers.

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