Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Natural Body Odor

Actually this is not a keyword you will find on Yahoo China, it is my personal experience. However, as the temperature hits record high on a daily basis, I feel compelled to talk about it.

When you go to China the first time, you may be mesmerized by all the nice and tall buildings, sighting of expensive cars everywhere and fashionably dressed women. You think: wow, China is so advanced! In big cities like Shanghai and Beijing, things can be even more expensive than back at home. But soon, especially in summer time, you realize that no one, and I mean absolutely no one, uses deodorant.

This really puzzles me. If you look at the market, Chinese women are not hesitant about spending huge dollars on expensive imported cosmetics and high end fashion accessories. But they don't care about how they smell. I tried to search for the word "deodorant" on Chinese search engines with very dismal results. The summer time has become more and more unbearable for me, someone who is hypersensitive to all olfactory stimulations, both good and bad. Just imagine this: 38 degree Celsius + huge crowds + high humidity + bad ventilation in subway + people raising arms to hold onto rings = you get what I mean.

What puzzles me even more is that no deodorant companies are interested in this huge uncontested market. Come on, I know a lot of business people read this blog, I beg you, please start selling deodorant in China. With the right marketing strategy, I am sure it can be quite profitable. If hamburgers and fried chicken can beat dumplings, and if carbonated drinks and coffee can sell better than soy bean milk, then one day deodorant will beat natural body odor in China!

3 comments:

Unbeing said...

Interesting comment. I'm just on the way out of Shenyang after 4 months here. I eventually found some anti-perspirant deodorant, but the expense (OK not much fo me to pay, but...) left me reeling. 45 yuan for a small roll-on bottle? Come on.

Maria og Anders said...

Chinese people tend to view at body odors as something that not should be hidden, but for people to experience. In their culture this symbolizes hard working people!

Unknown said...

You don't even know exactly about the phenomenon in China

We hate body odor especially the kind come out from under arms.

But we don't have treatment!!!! Only sellers promote their products and they are useless

With amoral surgeons marketing operation to treat B.O, Chinese suffer from Physical damage......

Whatever the treatment is , it still stink!!!!!!!!!!


D.E.O is not marketed in China.It is because government forbidden it to protect local manufactures