Chapter 152 Palace Jade Skin Powder
Liu Ran was ecstatic after receiving Su Ya's call.
She didn't go home and instead had Chen Yang ride his electric scooter with her to a KFC on the street.
Upon entering, Su Ya and Liu Xiaomei were already waiting at a window table on the second floor.
Liu Ran and Chen Yang joined them.
Liu Ran smiled apologetically and said, "Oh dear! Our company is opening, and we don't even have an office, so you all have to bear with meeting in a KFC."
Liu Xiaomei next to her chuckled, "It's okay. Didn't New Oriental start their business in KFC too?"
The three women burst into laughter simultaneously.
Soon, Su Ya took out a small white bottle from her backpack and placed it in the center of the table. She said, "Look, this is the product I've investigated. I got this product from an obscure cosmetics factory in Qingzhou City. You locals in Qingzhou should know its former name, which was the Palace Cosmetics Factory."
Liu Ran exclaimed, "Ah!" and nodded, "I do have an impression. It seems like more than ten years ago, my family, the Liu family, often bought simple soaps and face creams from that cosmetics factory. So, this cosmetics factory is still around!"
Su Ya nodded and smiled, "Yes, it's still here, but its business hasn't been very good lately. I've thoroughly investigated, and their Palace Cosmetics Factory's flagship product is this Palace Jade Skin Powder. I've interviewed over ten customers who have been using this product for years, and I was truly surprised by how effective it is!"
"These ten-plus people have different incomes and jobs. There are vendors selling vegetables in the market, senior white-collar employees in companies, and even a leader in a foot massage parlor who gives pedicures. All these women have persisted in using this cosmetic, and I noticed their skin is very good, exceptionally good."
"Generally speaking, after using most cosmetics for many years, by the age of forty, once they go out without makeup, their skin will show signs of aging. I think this is most evident in my mother."
"My mother isn't very capable, purely a decorative piece. She started using all sorts of the best cosmetics in her twenties. Now in her forties, when she doesn't wear makeup, her face is full of age spots and the like."
"Even though she uses high-end brands, applies masks daily for maintenance, and regularly visits beauty salons, it's all been useless."
"But, the women who have used Palace Cosmetics clearly have much better skin."
"Of course, the drawback of this cosmetic is that its whitening effect isn't very strong during the day, and it's relatively expensive, leading to very poor sales. However, its effectiveness is absolute. A bottle like this costs about fifty yuan."
"Its current monthly sales are only a little over a hundred units, so very few people know about it."
Liu Ran's eyes lit up after hearing the introduction.
She picked up the cosmetic, squeezed a bit into her palm, and sniffed it. With a thoughtful expression, Liu Ran said, "The reason this cosmetic doesn't sell well is probably related to its packaging and scent. Generally, cosmetics need to have a fragrance, but this cosmetic has a noticeable medicinal scent."
Su Ya nodded, "Indeed. Of course, apart from these inherent factors, the bigger reason is that the Palace Cosmetics Factory missed out on an era."
"Actually, I learned that in the past, Palace Cosmetics had excellent business in Qingzhou City. Back then, their products were sold at high prices, but they accounted for half of the market share in Qingzhou."
"Later, some large manufacturers approached the owner of Palace Cosmetics to discuss acquisition agreements. However, the previous owner, Wang Wei, was likely a very ambitious man, and he never agreed."
"I guess he was preparing himself at the time, seeing the trend, and intended to make a breakthrough with the e-commerce era!"
"He spent a huge amount of money, all his savings, to expand production and build an e-commerce brand. Unfortunately, he suddenly passed away in a car accident."
"Many of his will instructions were not yet conveyed when the factory fell into his son's hands."
"His son, the current owner, Wang Hongwei, is unmotivated, idle, and a gambler. The factory is in his hands, and he has no idea how to manage it. He missed the era of Taobao e-commerce and is now missing the current development of live streaming."
"Most importantly, he's quite lazy. To make money, he chose to let his factory act as a contract manufacturer, producing products for well-known brands like Estée Lauder. This has led to the complete decline of their own Palace Cosmetics brand."
"Over ten years have passed, and the competition among contract manufacturers has become increasingly severe. He isn't making much money anymore. Now, their factory can barely afford to pay its workers, and this flagship product only sells a little over a hundred units a month, essentially being ignored."
"I thought that if we repackaged this product, redesigned its packaging, and added some commonly used perfume ingredients, it would not only ensure its health benefits but also maintain its whitening and effective properties. It will surely sell well."
Liu Ran nodded, her eyes sparkling, "Since Senior Sister Su Ya is so optimistic, our first product will be launched with this!"
Chen Yang took the cosmetic, squeezed a bit into his palm, and sniffed it.
Then, Chen Yang's expression changed, and his brows furrowed.
He looked at Su Ya and said, "This Wang family, is this product of theirs passed down through generations?"
Su Ya immediately smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes! The boss even said that their product, Palace Jade Skin Powder, is truly from the imperial palace. They also claim their ancestor served in the palace and obtained the formula from the concubines. It sounds quite mystical."
"Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but after investigation, it is indeed very effective in maintaining delicate skin."
Chen Yang smiled and said, "I think their ancestor wasn't serving in the palace, but was an imperial physician!"
"Imperial physician?" Liu Ran looked at Chen Yang curiously and asked, "Chen Yang, how do you know? How do you know their ancestor was an imperial physician?"
Chen Yang placed the cosmetic on the table and said, "I read an article that seemed to say an ancestor of the Wang family rose to the position of Chief Imperial Physician. However, due to some minor issues, he dared not continue serving in the palace and secretly ran away."
"When he escaped back then, they stole a healing divine medicine from the palace. After removing a few blood-activating and stasis-dissolving ingredients, they created a Palace Jade Skin Powder to maintain delicate skin and remove acne scars and age spots. I believe that article was about this product of the Wang family."
"The reason the Wang family is reluctant to publicize their ancestor being an imperial physician is probably that the imperial physician himself dared not speak of it, so he only claimed to be a guard serving in the palace."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ran excitedly stood up and said, "Chen Yang, where did you read this article? Is it reliable? If it's really reliable, then this cosmetic has a significant background!"
"If we can acquire it, then our first product for the Yangyangyang Design Brand Company will definitely become a huge hit!"