Chicecream sold ¥66 popsicles. The 'Hermès of ice cream' melted in 7 years.

Chicecream was founded on March 14, 2018 by Lin Sheng, a former advertising executive. It launched with a simple premise: sell Chinese consumers ice cream at prices five to ten times the market average. A single 'Ecuador Pink' cocoa popsicle cost ¥66 — more than a week's worth of regular ice cream. The brand was quickly nicknamed 'the Hermès of ice cream,' a label Lin Sheng leaned into.

The strategy worked for a while. In May 2021, Chicecream raised ¥200 million (approximately $30 million) in Series A funding. Its popsicles, typically priced at ¥13–18 each, were sold through high-end convenience stores and e-commerce, targeting young urban women aged 26–37. The brand cultivated a premium image with minimalist packaging, exotic flavors, and social media marketing.

The turning point came in summer 2022. Viral videos showed Chicecream bars failing to melt at 31°C (88°F) for 50 minutes. Consumers questioned what additives were in the product. The company responded with a statement saying the non-melting effect was due to a stabilizer — but the damage was done. The 'take it or leave it' attitude of Lin Sheng's public comments only deepened the backlash.

The company had also been fined ¥6,000 in 2019 for deceptive advertising, falsely claiming its ice cream contained no water and used imported Japanese tea leaves. The 2022 scandal compounded the reputational damage. Sales collapsed, retailers dropped the brand, and the funding that had sustained the burn rate ran out. On June 6, 2025, Chicecream filed for bankruptcy at the Shanghai Yangpu District People's Court.