Recently, a new domestic personal care brand called MOSALY officially announced that Liu Tao, a well-known Chinese film and television star, will be the brand’s first spokesperson, aiming to expand the brand’s influence. Public information shows that MOSALY launched its hair care products in January 2023 and dominated the hair care rankings on Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok) in December, with sales exceeding 100 million yuan in the fourth quarter.
Who is MOSALY? How did this new brand break through the fierce competition in the hair care industry?
Eastern Aesthetics Leading the Trend in Hair Care
MOSALY is a scalp luxury brand that inherits the aesthetic principles of natural hair artistry. The name “MOSALY” symbolizes culture, while “snow” symbolizes nature. Embracing the brand philosophy of “natural selection and scientific effectiveness,” MOSALY is dedicated to bringing sustainable scalp health concepts to every user by combining high-quality natural ingredients with advanced technology.
As the national economy and cultural confidence continue to strengthen, the “New Chinese-style” aesthetic of the new era is beginning to lead the aesthetic trend among Chinese people. More and more brands are seeking inspiration from traditional culture and incorporating Eastern elements.
According to the “2023 New Chinese-style Trend Lifestyle Data Report” released by Qian Gua Data Platform, Chinese consumers have a natural affinity and preference for products with herbal ingredients and fragrances. In addition to distinctive Chinese-style packaging, the secret to many brands’ success in the New Chinese-style market is the combination of traditional herbal resources and modern scientific technology to create products.
CHAILEEDO has noticed that MOSALY incorporates Eastern aesthetic elements into its brand positioning and product line. The brand claims that inspired by the “tea polyphenols” extracted from ancient Chinese tea, MOSALY follows the Eastern hair care principles and integrates Eastern aesthetic factors into daily hair care, allowing users to nourish their hair and inner peace through the fragrance of tea, achieving a harmonious balance of inner and outer beauty.
The key ingredients in MOSALY hair care products include red tea essence, ginger root extract, black sesame, and black and white truffle enzymes. These raw materials are derived from Eastern natural herbal plants familiar to the Chinese people.
To select higher quality tea materials, the MOSALY team visited Menghai, Yunnan, renowned as the “Number One Ancient Tea Village in the World.” In 1985, Menghai large leaf tea was recognized by the China Tea Tree Variety Certification Committee as one of the first national-level excellent tea tree populations. It has plump buds and leaves, abundant trichomes, strong bud development, and high levels of active ingredients such as tea polyphenols and amino acids.
The MOSALY team explained that in Menghai, Yunnan, the Hani ethnic group has coexisted with tea for thousands of years. They are well aware of the importance of protecting tea trees and do not excessively cut or fertilize them or use pesticides. They have created a favorable ecological environment for tea tree growth. “During our investigation in Menghai, we saw Hani people picking tea leaves on the mountains while singing loudly. This spirit of loving life also inspired our team and made us more determined to choose this place as the origin of our raw materials, aligning perfectly with MOSALY’s commitment to the power of nature and culture.”
User appreciation for Eastern aesthetics is directly reflected in MOSALY’s achievements. In January 2023, MOSALY launched its hair care products simultaneously on platforms such as Douyin, Tmall, JD.com, Pinduoduo, and VIP.com, quickly gaining market recognition. During the 2023 Double 11 shopping festival, MOSALY rose to the fifth position in the hair shampoo category sales ranking on Douyin’s store, and during the Double 12 (December 12th) festival of the same year, MOSALY directly topped the list.
“Oil Control + Anti-Dandruff”: Creating Explosive Products
“Creating explosive products” is the winning strategy for new brands to quickly penetrate the market. However, launching a new product that becomes an instant hit in the hair care industry is hard to come by. Behind MOSALY’s seemingly overnight success lies its precise breakthrough in addressing the two major demands of oil control and anti-dandruff.
MOSALY’s star product, the “Tea Cleanse Oil Control Shampoo,” quickly rose to the top of Douyin’s e-commerce platform in categories such as oil control, anti-dandruff, refreshing, and itch relief, achieving second place on Douyin’s Hidden Gem Hair Care Ranking.
The birth of a best-selling product stems from an in-depth understanding of user demands. According to data provided by iMedia Data Center on “Chinese Consumers’ Preferred Hair Shampoo Effects in 2022,” the most significant demands for shampoo effects among Chinese consumers are anti-dandruff followed by oil control.
In fact, excessive oil and dandruff often go hand in hand. In the dense forest of hair, Malassezia thrives with optimal conditions, feeding on the scalp’s sebum. The excrement of Malassezia consists of unsaturated fatty acids, which we commonly refer to as dandruff.
To accurately address the core issues faced by users, the MOSALY team swiftly initiated a project in early 2022 and successfully developed the “Golden Oil Control and Anti-Dandruff Combination” with tea polyphenols and OCT as the technological core. They launched the “Tea Cleanse Oil Control Shampoo” at the end of the year.
The first issue addressed is oil control. The bioactive enzymes of tea polyphenols possess antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. MOSALY’s research engineer stated, “In the past, tea was used in products as ‘tea water’ or ‘tea extract,’ undergoing simple physical extraction. The content of active substances such as tea polyphenols and amino acids was relatively low, and in some cases, undetectable, resulting in unsatisfactory oil control effects.”
To overcome this, MOSALY developed a “Red Tea Dual Fermentation Essence,” which has eight times the active substance content compared to ordinary “tea water” in shampoo products. Reports from third-party evaluation agencies indicate that the “Red Tea Dual Fermentation Essence” can eliminate 99% of Malassezia, while providing antioxidant effects, strengthening hair roots, and repairing the scalp.
The second issue addressed is dandruff. To achieve effective synergistic oil control effects, MOSALY’s research team combined the Red Tea Dual Fermentation Essence with the broad-spectrum antibacterial agent OCT in a specific ratio. OCT has the ability to reduce sebum secretion, slow down sebum oxidation, and inhibit the reproduction and growth of Malassezia. Additionally, the dandruff agent OCT has undergone safety evaluations by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and has over 30 years of user experience, proving its safety and effectiveness.
MOSALY’s combination of oil control and anti-dandruff technologies effectively prevents the production of scalp oil and dandruff from the source, achieving long-lasting oil control. Multiple human efficacy testing reports from third-party monitoring agencies show that after using MOSALY’s Tea Cleanse Oil Control products, immediate scalp sebum reduction reaches 94.51%, and immediate dandruff removal index decreases by 81.66%. After six days of use, scalp sebum reduction reaches 66%, and dandruff removal index decreases by 80.6%, with significant differences observed.
Creating Products that Truly Impress Users
According to data from Douyin’s e-commerce platform, MOSALY has shown excellent product repurchase rates in the past 30 days.
While explosive products can bring quick growth, only high-quality products lead to repurchases. The quality of a product is determined by real feedback from consumers. “Putting the user at the center” is one of the core values that the MOSALY team adheres to.
MOSALY remains committed to this value. It is understood that what sets MOSALY apart from other daily chemical brands is its comprehensive IT team, which drives product iteration and optimization based on a digital mindset.
To better align with user demands, MOSALY developed a user positive-negative feedback system. This system captures real-time evaluations from each user and categorizes and analyzes them based on more than 50 dimensions, including product, quality, service, logistics, and promotion. The team conducts user follow-ups and provides solutions for key issues highlighted by the feedback.
User feedback helps the brand accurately assess market demand and iterate products that satisfy consumers. Within the MOSALY team, this system serves as an important tool to encourage product engineers to continuously optimize product formulations and user experiences. Whether it’s the initial product launch or subsequent product improvements, user feedback remains a key focus for the MOSALY team.
Industry experts in the personal care sector believe that traditional hair care brands mostly rely on distribution systems, making it challenging for brands to directly interact with consumers and collect timely feedback and suggestions. Therefore, by adopting a digital mindset in the development of daily chemical products, MOSALY can more efficiently and accurately address various sales-related issues, better understand consumer needs in a timely manner, and provide improved services. It is evident that a strong digital mindset serves as a competitive barrier for MOSALY as a pioneering brand in its early stages of development.
There is no doubt that MOSALY achieved remarkable results in 2023. As they face the new year, the MOSALY team is filled with confidence. In 2024, the brand will focus on multiple dimensions, including channels, product matrix, and research and development, to achieve comprehensive growth.
In terms of channels, the brand will implement a strategy of online and offline synergy. In online channels, MOSALY will make comprehensive efforts on various content e-commerce platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, Tmall, JD.com, Vipshop, and Pinduoduo. At the same time, MOSALY will promote product placement in offline supermarkets and brand concept stores. The brand revealed, “We expect to enter over 5,000 offline stores across the country in the first half of 2024, covering more than 80% of core commercial areas in provinces and cities nationwide.”
Regarding the product matrix, MOSALY will continue to expand based on existing categories, such as launching more functional products in the shampoo category to meet diverse user needs.
Although MOSALY is a relatively young brand, it has shown remarkable insights in consumer market understanding, product development, and the establishment of user feedback mechanisms. These are all essential strategic engines for MOSALY, as a new national trend brand, to break through the “red ocean.”
The concept of the national trend represents Chinese consumers’ recognition of Chinese culture, and its development ultimately stems from changes in consumer perceptions of China.
MOSALY, as an emerging personal care brand, has won the trust and affection of users through solid research and development capabilities and consistent high quality. By protecting the natural environment and contributing to cultural heritage, it strengthens the cultural confidence inherent in the Chinese people. These efforts continuously challenge the deeply ingrained perception of foreign brands among Chinese consumers, allowing rising brands like MOSALY to spread and thrive. It is no longer a call for cultural “awakening” but rather a self-driven exploration of Chinese brands by the Chinese people.
