Chinese singer Tao (Huang Zitao), formerly of EXO, directly confronted the controversy regarding the quality of the sanitary napkin brand he launched.
On the 17th, Tao explained through Chinese social media (SNS) platform Weibo, "The black spots in question were caused by the fibers carbonizing from heat during the spunbond production process, and they are not harmful substances to the human body." He further noted, "While the standard management criterion is 0.5mm, our company applies a stricter quality inspection at 0.3mm."
Recently, some consumers claimed to have found foreign substances such as black spots in Tao's sanitary napkins, leading to a quality controversy.
In response, Tao stated that "transparency is quality" and announced that he would fully disclose the production process. He has indeed inserted real-time production tracking codes on the sanitary napkin packaging, and has also been sharing images of the factory interior and inspection reports via SNS.
He previously declared his entry into the sanitary napkin business, outraged by the controversy over the recycling of sanitary napkins in China. At that time, Tao criticized those who made dirty money from sanitary napkins, saying, "It's disgusting!" He invested 1.1 billion New Taiwan dollars (approximately 51 billion won) to acquire a factory and fully engaged in the business.
The brand garnered significant attention right after its launch. During a live broadcast last month, approximately 450,000 boxes were sold within 30 minutes, generating sales of $3 million (approximately 41 billion won).
Tao debuted in 2012 as part of EXO, a boy group under SM Entertainment, with the support of his father, a real estate tycoon. However, after three years, he filed a lawsuit for a confirmation of non-existence of the exclusive contract against his agency and left the team to pursue independent activities in China. He later established Long Tao Entertainment under his father's name in 2016, expanding the business into entertainment, film, dining, and e-sports.