New Cosmetics Brand 'Sihyo' Faces Chinese Backlash Even Before Launch

Brand Launch Press Release Sparks Backlash for Saying '24 Solar Terms Originated in Asia'
Chinese Historical Research Institute States "24 Solar Terms Are Chinese, Listed as UNESCO Cultural Heritage"

The brand 'Shihyo (SHIHYO)' created jointly by Hotel Shilla, L'Or?al, and Anchor Equity Partners. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The global cosmetics group L'Or?al, together with Hotel Shilla, launched a new cosmetics brand 'Shihyo (SHIHYO)', which has faced fierce criticism in China for using the expression '24 Solar Terms of Asia'.

According to local Chinese media on the 28th, Shihyo used the phrase "Shihyo is a brand inspired by the wisdom of the 24 solar terms of East Asia (Asia)" in its press release announcing the brand launch. Chinese netizens strongly opposed this, arguing that the 24 solar terms are part of Chinese traditional culture, and that Shihyo distorted their culture by vaguely using the words 'Asia' and 'East Asia'.

In response, L'Or?al China expressed through its Weibo account, "We apologize for not accurately stating that the 24 solar terms originated in China," and added, "The 24 solar terms are a precious cultural heritage originating from China, an important part of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, and we believe they have also greatly influenced Asian culture."

However, even after this official apology, the anger of Chinese consumers has not subsided. Now, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Chinese Historical Research has joined the criticism, stating, "We cannot tolerate the theft of Chinese culture." The Institute posted on Weibo, "The 24 solar terms are an important part of China's excellent traditional culture, a product of ancient agricultural civilization, and were inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016," and asserted, "Since the 24 solar terms are Chinese culture, they should not be vaguely described as Asian or East Asian culture."

The 24 solar terms were established during the Zhou Dynasty in northern China by dividing the year into 24 periods based on the position of the sun. They were introduced to Korea during the reign of King Chungnyeol of Goryeo and widely used in agriculture, and are also used in Japan and Vietnam. In 2016, China received recognition of the 24 solar terms as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity at the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At that time, China introduced the 24 solar terms as "a knowledge system and social practice created by Chinese people observing the sun’s cyclical movement to understand seasonal, climatic, and natural changes throughout the year," and stated that "the international meteorological community has dubbed this system one of China's five great inventions."

Earlier, L'Or?al announced the launch of 'Shihyo' on the 21st. L'Or?al, Hotel Shilla, and private equity firm Anchor Equity Partners established the joint venture 'Loshian' in June and have been preparing to launch a cosmetics brand with an Eastern concept. Shihyo means 'wisdom of time,' and all products contain 'Shihyo24,' a patented ingredient made by blending rice water and ginseng water with 24 natural ingredients harvested seasonally at the right time. The marketing strategy linked this to the 24 solar terms.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.