Flat eyelashes, ＂warping＂ the world.
A county-level city holds the "big eye secret" of beauty lovers all over the world.
Looking at Oriental Weekly reporter Shi Jiaqing editor Gu Jiayun
Models try on eyelash products of ciliary angel.
A county-level city holds the "big eye secret" of beauty lovers all over the world.
A few days ago, the 2023 China Eyelash Industry Development Summit Forum and the "China Beauty Products (Eyelash) Industry Capital Pingdu" development conference were held in pingdu city, Qingdao, Shandong Province. Industry professionals from all corners of the country and more than 200 enterprises gathered in Pingdu to discuss "beautiful events".
"Pingdu will take this summit forum as a new opportunity, actively explore a new path for the expansion and upgrading of the eyelash industry, and provide more Pingdu experience and Pingdu model for the scientific, technological, brand, digital and standardized development of the national eyelash industry." Zhao Xingji, secretary of Pingdu Municipal Party Committee, said.
Pingdu city is located in the west of Jiaodong Peninsula, with an area of 3175.63 square kilometers and a population of 1.368 million. Its geographical location is in the economic circle around Bohai Bay and the manufacturing center of Shandong Peninsula, and it is the hub connecting Qingdao, Weifang and Yantai. The local area produces 120 million pairs of hair and 1.33 million boxes of grafted false eyelashes a year, and the beauty eyelash products sold can go around Qingdao at least 5 times. Whether it is gorgeous false eyelashes in Europe and America or fresh false eyelashes in Japan and South Korea, 8 pairs of false eyelashes in every 10 pairs in the world come from Pingdu.
"pingdu city regards the false eyelash industry as one of the key industrial chains to enrich the people, and has set up a special class for the false eyelash beauty industry chain, and has played a combination of industrial park support, policy support, equipment research and development support, and e-commerce logistics support to build a chain, strengthen the chain, supplement the chain and extend the chain, and promote the false eyelash industry to become bigger and stronger in all directions." Fiona Fang, director of the Private Economy Development Center of pingdu city Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, told Outlook Oriental Weekly.
The capital of false eyelashes
False eyelashes are beauty products to beautify the eyes, which are used for daily makeup and stage effect. There are many kinds of false eyelashes, which are mainly divided into three types: opposite hair, close arrangement and multiple hairs. Because of the different materials, styles, lengths, curls and colors, a rich product series has been formed.
According to the data online query platform of the General Administration of Customs, there are three HS codes for beauty eyelash products, namely: 67041900, synthetic textile materials for fake hair, beard, eyebrows and eyelashes, etc. 67042000, human hair fake hair, beard, eyebrows, eyelashes and other hair products; 67049000, other materials are fake beards, fake eyebrows, fake eyelashes, etc. Almost all kinds of false eyelashes can be found in Pingdu’s factory.
In 1970s, false eyelash workshops appeared in Dazeshan Town, pingdu city. After more than 40 years of continuous development, from small-scale family workshops to large-scale production in enterprises, Pingdu has completed the transformation from industry participants to industry standard setters.
According to relevant statistics, by the end of 2022, there were 3,682 business entities of false eyelashes in the city, accounting for about 80% of the world’s production, producing and processing more than 3,000 finished products of different styles and categories, with an annual output value of about 10 billion yuan.
In June 2019, pingdu city issued 28 Opinions on Promoting the High-quality Development of the Real Economy, demanding the transformation and upgrading of foreign trade, cultivating independent brands, supporting the internationalization of brands and exploring the international market. With the false eyelashes products boarding the express train of cross-border e-commerce and speeding up to sea, in the same year, pingdu city received the business card awarded by Alibaba-the origin of false eyelashes.
In 2020, pingdu city achieved remarkable results in foreign trade transformation and upgrading, and was awarded "National Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Base (False Eyelashes) Pingdu", becoming a pilot city for foreign trade transformation and upgrading in Shandong Province.
In 2021, pingdu city was officially awarded the title of "Pingdu, the industrial capital of beauty products (eyelashes) in China" by China National Light Industry Federation and China Fragrance and Cosmetics Industry Association.
On February 13th, Beauty Cosmetics Online New Economy Industrial Park Beauty Cosmetics Operation Exhibition Center.
Complete industrial chain
Starting from Pingdu city, it takes more than 40 minutes to drive to Dazeshan Town. Dazeshan Town, located in the north of Pingdu city, is a dustpan-shaped basin surrounded by mountains on three sides. It is the origin and gathering place of Pingdu false eyelashes industry.
In April, 2023, pingdu city Beauty and Eyelash Industry Association will start with enterprise standards and group standards, study and formulate a set of industry norms for the production of false eyelashes, such as raw material selection, processing technology, processing site, employees and hygiene standards, gradually raise the entry threshold, standardize the development of the industry, and guide the production enterprises of false eyelashes to upgrade to a sterile and dust-free medical beauty factory.
In Dazeshan Town, you can see the signboard of false eyelashes every few steps. In the store, there are natural single clusters and thick rows; Artificial hair, mink hair, black, brown, color … All kinds of false eyelashes products are dizzying.
"This false eyelash is only 0.07 mm in diameter. From the beginning of processing to the final finished product leaving the factory, it has to go through many processes: catching hair, combing hair, cutting hair, curling hair, removing hair, setting, gluing, coming on stage, packaging, etc. Each process is inseparable from the careful operation of the workers." Yang Faguang, general manager of Qingdao Huarui False Eyelash Company, told Outlook Oriental Weekly while showing a new false eyelash product.
Yang Faguang led the reporter of Outlook Oriental Weekly to visit the production workshop. "Here, every female worker is responsible for different operation parts of false eyelashes. Like this, it is the wool cutting step of ordinary wool. Cutting a pair according to 2.5 points can complete 5000-6000 pairs in 8 hours a day, and our female workers can earn more than 5000 yuan a month. The false eyelash industry has effectively promoted local employment, especially for women. "
In Pingdu, fake eyelash products from semi-finished products to finished products, including auxiliary tools such as glue, cartons and packaging bags, are all made by specialized enterprises, and a detailed division of labor and complete supporting industrial chain has been formed. In fact, pingdu city’s beauty eyelash industry chain is one of the two major components of Qingdao’s beauty products industry cluster construction (the other component is jiaozhou city’s high-end hair products industry).
In the warehouse of Qingdao Yimenglian Trading Co., Ltd., the staff are packing and loading false eyelashes. "We mainly do domestic e-commerce and also take into account the production side. The finished false eyelashes delivered every day pass the acceptance test, and delivery will be arranged at 5: 30 pm. " An Fayi, general manager of Qingdao Yimenglian Trading Co., Ltd. told Outlook Oriental Weekly, "A new generation of young people like to refer to the online beauty blogger’s strategy, and Pingdu’s false eyelashes manufacturers and distributors are constantly studying consumers’ preferences and market trends to innovate more products that meet the current market."
"In 2019, we just started to do live broadcast, mainly to show the model’s try-on effect and wearing skills on the spot. In recent years, the popularity of false eyelashes has accelerated, and our live content has become a detailed introduction to the characteristics of various products, which is convenient for the audience to choose freely." An Fa translation said, "If we want to maintain the enduring competitiveness of our products, we must constantly bring forth the old and bring forth the new. We have our own R&D team. At present, we have independently hatched many brands such as Eyelash Angel and Eyelash Beauty Love, which are very popular among young people on platforms such as Taobao, Tmall, Alibaba, Pinduoduo, Tik Tok, Aauto Quicker and Xiaohongshu. "
"One data can explain the popularity of the false eyelashes market: in 2019, if the monthly sales of false eyelashes on the platform reached more than 10,000 pairs, they could rank among the top three in the country, and now there are many Pingdu enterprises that have reached this level." Anfa translation said that in order to adapt to the trend of consumption upgrading, many enterprises are doing private customization and high-end customization.
Exported overseas.
The history of women using false eyelashes can be traced back to 1916. In the film directed by David Griffith, the "father of American movies", the actress Sheena Owen put on false eyelashes. By the 1930s, false eyelashes "wiping their eyes like a fan" had become a must-have item for western fashionistas. According to the data of "Alibaba International Station 2021 False Eyelash Industry Trend Analysis", the annual growth of false eyelashes industry is maintained at 7%, and North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific region are the main consumer markets of false eyelashes, of which North America accounts for 36.7%.
Nowadays, hundreds of boxes of "Pingdu-made" false eyelashes cross the ocean every day, becoming a hot commodity in Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States. According to the data of Dunhuang Net, a cross-border e-commerce export platform in China, the United States accounts for more than 80% of the countries where fake eyelashes are mainly sold, and orders are mainly wholesale. Among the TOP10 countries in sales volume, the United States, Brazil and Canada have the fastest growth markets.
"The false eyelashes we produce are in the greatest demand in the European and American markets." Wang Haibo, general manager of Qingdao Boxiu False Eyelash Crafts Co., Ltd. told Outlook Oriental Weekly, "At the beginning of the enterprise’s business, the sales volume was good, but there was no independent brand and there was not much room for development. We realized that only by developing new products and having core competitiveness can we really go out."
On March 9th, Qingdao Boxiu False Eyelash Arts and Crafts Co., Ltd. exhibited artificial mink hair false eyelashes (photo by Shi Jiaqing).
Therefore, Wang Haibo led the team to develop and produce artificial mink hair false eyelashes with independent technology, which is low in cost and environmentally friendly, and its softness and comfort are very close to those of mink hair. Once it was launched, it was well received by European and American markets. "At present, we maintain the speed of developing a new product every two or three months." Wang Haibo said.
"Europeans and Americans prefer exaggerated, thick and slender false eyelashes, while Asians prefer more natural and thin false eyelashes." Luan Xichen, general manager of Qingdao Jiagang Cosmetic Crafts Co., Ltd. told Outlook Oriental Weekly, "Our company has been engaged in overseas markets since 2005, mainly exported to Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, and we are also manufacturers of well-known brands such as HELLO KITTY, LOVEBOAT, RUE21 and LILLY."
The production process of false eyelashes is fine and complicated, but the threshold of entry technology is not high and the market competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Luan Xichen said: "This urges enterprises to constantly innovate and upgrade their technology. If they don’t innovate and upgrade, they will soon be eliminated."
Intelligent upgrade
How to push the false eyelashes industry to a new level?
Nowadays, the major project of pingdu city-Beauty Online New Economy Industrial Park (hereinafter referred to as the "Industrial Park") is accelerating its construction. The investment of the industrial park is about 3 billion yuan, with a total area of about 308.5 mu. The park will build a beauty exhibition center, an incubation training center, a comprehensive service center for procurement and trade, a joint research and development center for intelligent equipment, and a comprehensive service center for logistics, so as to create a one-stop service platform for the whole industrial chain for enterprises entering the park.
Urban scenery in Pingdu, Shandong Province
"After the industrial park is completed and put into operation, it will complete the key supporting chains in the upstream, downstream and middle reaches of the false eyelash industrial chain, including the upstream raw material production, the midstream semi-finished product processing, the downstream packaging and the sales link leading to the C end and the B end, thus forming the world’s largest’ eyelash new city’ integrating industry, commerce, life, talents and education, and integrating production and city." Guo Hu, general manager of Qingdao Shangzhen Industrial Park Operation Management Co., Ltd., who is responsible for the construction and operation of the industrial park, told Outlook Oriental Weekly.
"After the completion of the project, it is expected that there will be more than 200 false eyelash production and related supporting enterprises, more than 200 trade e-commerce enterprises, and more than 300 entrepreneurial enterprises that produce and sell false eyelashes." Wang Xiaogang, development director of pingdu city Urban Development Group Co., Ltd., told Outlook Oriental Weekly.
Fiona Fang introduced that the false eyelash industry in Pingdu is constantly upgrading to intelligence, and intelligent factories are used to promote the high-quality development of the false eyelash industry and help the high-quality development of Pingdu and Qingdao’s economy.
"At present, we have jointly established a joint research and development center for intelligent equipment with the Robotics Research Institute of Zhejiang University. At present, we have completed the testing of the prototype of the automatic production machine for semi-finished false eyelashes, and promoted it in three false eyelashes production enterprises. Next, we will continue to cooperate with Zhejiang University to actively promote the construction of digital workshops. After the workshop is completed, we will realize the automation of packaging, coding and sorting, and help false eyelashes enterprises to achieve fully automatic, environmentally friendly, dust-free, high-quality and efficient production. " Guo Hu said.
"False eyelashes industry is one of the most potential industries in China’s’ beautiful industry’. At present, the number of people engaged in false eyelashes related industries nationwide has exceeded one million. False eyelashes seem tiny, but they play an important role in employment and people’s livelihood in the area where the industrial chain is located. In Pingdu, the development of false eyelashes industry has shown a blowout phenomenon. The attention and support of Qingdao and pingdu city governments to the false eyelashes industry is the epitome of local governments’ efforts to develop county industries and county economies. " Wang Yinsen, director of the Beauty Eye and Eyelash Committee of the Beauty Cosmetics Chamber of Commerce of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, told Looking at Oriental Weekly.
Observing the false eyelashes industry in Pingdu is inseparable from the perspective of county economy. In the domestic market, 30% of Hanfu is produced in Cao County, Heze, Shandong Province, 80% of cosmetic brushes are from Luyi County, Zhoukou, Henan Province, and 75% of glasses are from Danyang City, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province … Like Pingdu’s efforts in the false eyelashes industry, there are still many "individual champions" and "industry leaders" in the manufacturing industry from county industries.
Ye Zhenyu, director and researcher of the Regional Economic Office of the Institute of Industrial Economics of China Academy of Social Sciences, believes that counties should base themselves on their own advantages and development opportunities, fully grasp the conditions of factor resources, and seize some "county-established industries" that have the function of "detonating".
"For pingdu city, the next step is to make the eyelash beauty industry chain bigger and stronger. In addition to the construction of the platform of" two parks and two bases "(beauty online new economic industrial park, beauty supporting industrial park, Dazeshan production and processing base, and old shop production and processing base), it is necessary to further strengthen policy support services, promote production to strengthen standards, improve product quality, enhance the influence and industry image of the false eyelashes industry, and continuously expand the" China beauty products (eyelashes) industry capital ". Wang Yinsen said.
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