Florasis (花西子), a Chinese beauty brand known for its traditional Chinese aesthetic and carved lipstick designs, had grown rapidly through livestreaming and social media marketing. Its products were priced at a premium for a domestic brand, positioning it as a 'Chinese luxury' cosmetics label.
In September 2023, top livestream host Li Jiaqi (Austin Li) was selling a Florasis eyebrow pencil for 79 yuan (~$11) when a viewer commented that the price was too high. Li responded by suggesting that viewers who found it expensive should examine their own work ethic, asking 'have you worked hard enough?' The comment went viral and triggered a massive backlash.
Consumers began calculating the per-gram price of Florasis products and comparing them to international luxury brands, finding that Florasis was often more expensive per gram than Chanel or Dior. The 'Florasis currency' (花西币) meme — using one eyebrow pencil as a unit of account — spread across Chinese social media. The brand's sales dropped, and the episode became a broader debate about whether Chinese domestic brands were charging luxury prices without delivering luxury quality.
The host's dismissive reply triggered a backlash; consumers calculated the per-gram price, finding it cost more than Chanel or Dior, and sales dropped.
Florasis priced its products at a premium that consumers had tolerated while the brand was novel, but questioned as it matured.
Li Jiaqi's dismissive response to a pricing question turned a product complaint into a class-sensitivity crisis.
Consumers did the per-gram math and found Florasis was priced above international luxury brands, undermining its value proposition.
The backlash tapped into broader frustration about domestic brands charging 'guochao' (national trend) premiums without matching quality.
A brand can price at a premium only while the consumer believes it's justified. The moment a spokesperson blames the customer, the justification evaporates.
Florasis issued an apology and Li Jiaqi publicly cried and apologized on a subsequent livestream. The brand's sales declined significantly in the months that followed. The episode prompted Chinese beauty brands to reassess their pricing strategies and their dependence on individual livestream hosts for sales.
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