浙產彩妝的萬變與堅守

朱子墨

2022年1月，擁有Youtube1000多萬粉絲、美國頂流美妝博主“J姐”Jeffree Star 在社交網站上推送了新年第一個美妝測評視頻，這是他時隔8個月之后的首次更新。沒想到這樣的“首秀”獻給了中國國貨、浙產彩妝品牌花西子——源自蘇軾那句流芳百世的詩詞：“欲把西湖比西子，淡妝濃抹總相宜”。

一些網友猜測，這次是不是“中國品牌給太多了？”熟悉“J姐”的粉絲可能會笑了，“這還真不是花錢能解決的事”。除了出色的業(yè)務能力以及自創(chuàng)的品牌成為美國十大彩妝品牌之一之外，敢說敢罵敢做從來都是讓他成為全球豪氣網紅的絕招，他曾經怒撕卡戴珊家族小女兒、人稱“金小妹”的凱莉 · 詹娜名下品牌的天價彩妝刷，讓吃瓜觀眾們看得那叫一個熱鬧。而且，Jeffree Star并不是向來都買中國產品的賬，他早在2018年的一次測評中就直言不諱地對一款美妝產品進行過吐槽;而在4年后，雖然不是對每款都予以好評，但他看到中國美妝產品從美學到產品力的提升，毫不吝嗇地給了其中幾款特色產品高度的贊譽。

其實，花西子并不是第一個“出圈”的浙產彩妝品牌。浙產美妝的品牌文化歷史最早可以追溯到清同治元年。

浙產彩妝溯源：宮粉首推孔鳳春

“胭脂彩奪孫源茂，宮粉首推孔鳳春。北地南朝好顏色，蛾眉淡埽更何人?！边@是清代《武林市肆吟》里對孔鳳春宮粉盛行的描述。公元1862年農歷三月十六的清晨，杭州河坊街四拐角的一家名為“孔記香粉店”的商鋪在鞭炮聲中熱鬧開張。蕭山人孔氏三兄弟換上新做的長袍馬褂，在商鋪門旁笑臉相迎，對著前來光顧的客人熱情作揖。

之后，“孔記香粉店”改店名為“孔鳳春”，孔即是孔雀，鳳即是鳳凰，春意味著萬物復蘇，山花爛漫，生機勃勃。在當時商鋪林立的河坊街上，店里的明星產品如珍珠膏、玉蘭粉、生發(fā)油和傳聞中深得慈禧喜愛的鵝蛋粉都供不應求。至此，孔鳳春成為中國歷史上記載的第一家化妝品企業(yè)。

鵝蛋粉是孔氏獨家研制，把石粉和鉛粉經過反復漂洗沉淀過濾，再融入蛋清，粉質細膩光滑，又融入了鮮花熏香，讓它一躍成為皇家貢品。據傳，一次鵝蛋粉用完了，慈禧在儲秀宮大發(fā)脾氣，李蓮英趕忙連夜電諭杭州制造局，火速將鵝蛋粉送進京，這才平息了風波。

20世紀初的二三十年里，是孔鳳春發(fā)展最輝煌的時代。有史料記載，每逢農歷二月農閑時，孔鳳春需要接待400艘香船，大概有1.6萬人，往往店門還沒有開，門口就擠滿了人，從大清早熱鬧到晚上，營業(yè)時間長達10多個小時。

還有一個有趣的故事，登載于1985年的《杭州日報》上，報道的是國家海洋局第二海洋研究所助理研究員蔣加倫在南極愛麗絲海峽考察時不幸落水，嚴重凍傷的手腳在孔鳳春珍珠霜的滋養(yǎng)下竟然得到恢復，避免了手指和腳趾因壞死而被截去。

在對美淺嘗輒止的年代里，能買到用上孔鳳春似乎是一件特別有面子的事，一些傳統(tǒng)杭州老太們至今仍是孔鳳春的死忠粉，依然對青春年少時捧著自家容器在河坊街排隊稱重買香膏的場景記憶猶新。那樣的畫面也成為這座城市集體記憶中的一個珍貴剪影。

浙產彩妝奮斗史：萬變與堅守

自孔鳳春揚名四海之后，浙產美妝又經歷了三個不同的嶄新紀元，每一個階段既是更迭史，也是奮斗史，更是中國女性不斷追求美的勵志史。

第一個階段發(fā)生在20世紀80年代，1988年，以孔鳳春與日本國株式會社高絲成立合資公司——春絲麗有限公司為標志，浙江開始出現(xiàn)一批國際化妝品大牌的代工廠，成為化妝界的富士康。而“高絲中國首家代工廠”這一身份又催生出如今年銷3億的代工巨頭——心悅化妝品有限公司，與歐萊雅、迪奧、LG等諸多國際大牌都建立了合作關系。前幾年，心悅還走出國門，在日本收購了一家擁有化妝品專利的化妝品貿易公司。

第二個階段則始于20世紀90年代末，一些代工廠和美妝從業(yè)者開始積極謀求轉型，因而誕生并涌現(xiàn)出一批如毛戈平、珀萊雅、歐詩漫等自主品牌，并逐步躋身國內頭部化妝品品牌陣營。

近幾年，由于既擁有成熟化妝品供應鏈，又在電商運營、推廣上占據先天優(yōu)勢，浙江美妝再次開啟第三個新紀元。如杭州高浪，陸續(xù)孵化了來自日本、韓國、西班牙等國50多個品牌，包括現(xiàn)在中國女性消費者中有一定知名度的韓國SNP、日本院線級品牌Bb laboratories、西班牙品牌sesderma等;再比如新晉國貨品牌、浙產美妝花西子、俊平JUNPING、花知曉等，讓越來越多的國內甚至國外年輕人通過小紅書、抖音、微博、Youtube等各大社交平臺頻頻被種草。

無論是縱向比較浙產美妝發(fā)展歷史，還是橫向觀察各個熱門品牌的特點，都不難發(fā)現(xiàn)其實有一條若隱若現(xiàn)的脈絡貫穿其中，也正是順著這條脈絡，讓我們在萬變的時代發(fā)展和個體進化中能一下子找到浙產彩妝那個不變的“根”，而之所以稱之為“根”，是因為它源于一種思想精神文化上的堅守，即崇尚專業(yè)匠心和推崇中華美學。可以肯定的是，這兩點在使我們對自己的品牌越來越自信這一過程中起到關鍵性作用。

在一次采訪中，“毛戈平”品牌創(chuàng)始人、中國知名化妝師毛戈平分享了產品開發(fā)背后的故事，把高光涂在自己臉上，取暖器開到最大檔，測試室溫40℃時，兩個小時會有什么變化?！爸袊说哪w質跟歐美人不一樣，是偏干和混合性為主，歐美人偏油，我們的基底粉底護膚品配料就應該不一樣。色彩更不一樣，歐美人白色偏粉，我們是黃色偏橄欖綠;但是中國審美以白為美，但應該是瓷白，有潤度，有光感，光感是透明的，在色彩上和歐洲系統(tǒng)是不一樣的?！泵昶浇榻B說。

2009年，取得美國麻省理工化學博士的葉琳琳放棄了在聯(lián)合利華的高薪待遇，回國創(chuàng)立杭州雅妍化妝品有限公司，并組建了自己的團隊和實驗室，在原料、配合開發(fā)和功能檢測等方面都擁有較強的競爭力。

這兩年，一些浙產老字號中醫(yī)國藥老店也紛紛試水“跨界”化妝品業(yè)。如百年老字號、由晚清“紅頂商人”胡雪巖創(chuàng)立并與北京同仁堂齊名的胡慶余堂，聯(lián)合浙江大學現(xiàn)代中藥研究所共同開發(fā)，已經推出了20個品類的中草藥方的化妝品。

專業(yè)是品牌的生命，而在如何向國內外市場推廣專業(yè)好東西上，浙產彩妝的實踐也提供了可借鑒的經驗。其中一個反復被提及的品牌就是花西子。

2021年3月，花西子正式開啟自己的出海之路，同心鎖口紅上線首日便挺進了日本亞馬遜口紅銷售榜小時榜前三。同心鎖口紅融合了傳統(tǒng)雕刻工藝與彩妝生產，口紅膏體描繪的是中國傳統(tǒng)文化故事，口紅色號也彰顯東方古典范兒——伯牙繡、絳仙繡和香妃繡。

再比如，主打少女心的花知曉曾被認為是小眾風格，難以與體現(xiàn)傳統(tǒng)文化的國風相結合，但從這幾年在產品設計方面的嘗試來看，如融入牡丹、蘭花、鳥等國畫元素，并選擇浮雕的彩妝盤邊緣和飽和度較低的莫蘭迪色系，至少能說明品牌特色——少女這個主題也可以包羅萬象，且收獲了不錯的效果。

近年來可以看到的一個令人欣喜的變化是，這些新晉浙產彩妝品牌在Youtube、Instagram以及Twitter等海外主流社交平臺上的曝光率和被認可度正在逐年提升。

“中國妝”：自我定義與走向國際

也正是因為中國彩妝品牌在海外知名度日益增長，引發(fā)了一些國外網友對“中國妝”特點的探討和興趣。

中國的妝容文化歷史綿長且多元，尤其受朝代風氣、地域文化、場景需求、民族特色等元素影響，可追溯到歷史的妝容非常繁多，因此去定義一個妝容標準也不是一件易事。

而讓這些中國彩妝行業(yè)領軍者心照不宣的是，這件難事必須我們自己去做，在擔負起自我定義“中國妝”這一任重道遠的使命上，每一個參與中國彩妝品牌奮斗史的個人和集體都責無旁貸且必不可少。

值得一提的是，一些浙產彩妝品牌已經開始了爭取對“中國妝”定義主導權的探索之路，有業(yè)內人士因此提煉出細長眉、眼下彩和點朱唇這三個具有東方時尚感的妝容要素。細長眉不同于歐美式的挑眉、韓式平眉，是彰顯溫和而自信的細長眉;眼下彩指的是中國古典妝容重眉妝而不重眼妝，又因胭脂廣泛應用于眼下頰上，故稱“眼下彩”;點朱唇則是因為大部分時期中國古代的唇妝都講究蓋住邊緣往小畫，打造櫻桃小口，取其邊去其型。

雖然目前行業(yè)對“中國妝”還沒有明確的定義，但隨著中國彩妝國貨品牌不斷走向國際，同時在這過程中不斷交流、學習、借鑒并縮小與國際大牌彩妝之間的差距，相信這一定義將越來越清晰地展現(xiàn)在世人面前。期待越來越多的世界友人能通過欣賞具有中華文化之美的“中國妝”妝容，感受到中國源遠流長、開放包容、富有魅力、充滿自信的文化土壤和審美情趣。

In January 2022， Jeffree Star， one of the US cosmetics reviewers on Youtube with more than 10 million followers， posted a new year review video on his YouTube channel. This was his first update in eight months and his fans wondered why this “first show-up” was about a Chinese makeup brand named Florasis （Huaxizi）. Jeffree called it the “MOST beautiful makeup” in its title. Florasis is an emerging Chinese cosmetic brand made in Zhejiang province. Its name is derived from a famous Chinese verse written by Su Dongpo （1037-1101）， one of the most renowned Chinese poets， in the Song dynasty （960-1279）. “The West Lake looks like the fair lady at her best. Whether she is with light or heavy makeup.”

Why did Jeffree choose Florasis as his first release in the new year？ As the founder and owner of one of the top 10 American makeup brands， Jeffree is not only recognized for his outstanding marketing skills， but more importantly， for his brutal honesty. He never gets paid to say something on his channel. He once posted a negative review on Kylie Cosmetics brush set， which was liked by more than 14 million followers and he also criticized a Chinese makeup product in 2018. However， four years later， another Chinese brand Florasis got his approval all because of its gorgeous product design and high quality.

In fact， Florasis is not the first Zhejiang cosmetic brand that has gained global recognition. Zhejiang’s cosmetic industry and its cultural history can be dated back to 1862 in the Qing dynasty （1616-1911）.

Kophenix was the most popular cosmetic brand in the Qing dynasty and its signature goose-egg foundation powder was widely used in the imperial court. Its great reputation is clearly reflected in a well-known verse： “Blushes Sun Yuanmao the best， while foundation powder certainly be Kophenix. Enjoying fair skin north and south， an attractive makeup easily occurs with just one slight touch on the eyebrows.” On the early morning of April 14， 1862， a makeup store named Kong’s Powder was grandly opened on Hefang Street in the city of Hangzhou. The co-founders， three Kong brothers in their Sunday best， smiled and bowed at the gate， greeting customers.

Later on， the store changed its name into Kophenix. Ko stands for peacocks， and together with phoenix， it carries the meaning of rebirth and vitality. Kong’s star products such as pearl cream， magnolia powder， hair nourishing oil and the goose-egg foundation powder were so popular that they were often in short supply. Kophenix goose-egg foundation powder was exclusively produced by the Kong family. They mixed goose egg white into well-filtered talc and lead powder， making the powder extra fine and smooth. With its unique touch and flower smell， it soon became the prevailing cosmetic product in the imperial palace and highly praised by Empress Dowager Cixi （1835-1908）. Then Kophenix became the first cosmetic enterprise in Chinese written history.

The early 20th century witnessed Kophenix’s most glorious era. More than 400 ships and 16，000 customers came to the store in March alone. The store had to keep open for more than 10 hours a day. Its pearl cream even saved Chinese Antarctic explorer Jiang Jialun’s fingers and toes， which were damaged by freezing water in 1985. At that time， a Kophenix product was so fashionable that many local Hangzhou ladies have been loyal customers ever since. They can still clearly remember that they brought their own containers and lined up outside the store on Hefang Street when they were young.

After Kophenix became well-known all over the world， Zhejiang cosmetic industry experienced three developing stages， and each stage alone was a history of change， of struggle and of consistent pursuit of beauty.

The first stage was in the 1980s. In 1988， Kophenix established a joint venture with Kose Corporate Japan named Chunsili. From then on， a great number of international cosmetic OEMs emerged， making Zhejiang the “Foxconn” in cosmetic industry. As the first OEM in China， Kose kept developing and expanded its business into a new cosmetic company named Sincere. With an annual sale of 300 million， Sincere has established cooperation with international brands like L’Oreal， Dior and LG. It also purchased a cosmetic trading company in Japan years ago.

The second stage started from the late 1990s. Some OEMs transformed successfully into self-owned brands， such as Maogeping， Proya and OSM. In the recent years， based on its mature supply chains and inborn advantages in e-commerce， Zhejiang cosmetic industry has entered its third new stage. Hangzhou GoLong has incubated more than 50 international brands， such as SNP from Korea， Bb Laboratories from Japan and Sesderma from Spain. Several Chinese brands like Florasis， JUNPING and Flower Knows are also top rated on social media all over the world.

Looking either into the history of Zhejiang cosmetic industry or into the features of each popular brand， it is easy to find the unchanged “root” supporting Zhejiang cosmetics. It is a “root” of cultural insistence on craftsmanship and Chinese aesthetics. In an interview， Mao Geping， a well-known makeup artist and founder of the Maogeping brand， told of a product development experiment. He used his highlight product on his face， turned a heater into highest temperature mode to test the product at 40℃for two hours. “Chinese people’s skins are different from those of Europeans and Americans. We have dry and combination skins while European and American skins are more oily. That is why our foundation products and skincare ingredients should be different，” Mao Geping explained. “For skin colors， it is obviously even more different. European and American skins are fair and rosy while ours are yellowish olive. But Chinese people see white as beauty， so we need to achieve porcelain white with moisture and gloss in our products.”

In 2009， Ye Linlin， a PhD in chemistry from the MIT， gave up a high salary position in Unilever and established Hangzhou Yayan Cosmetics Co. Ltd. With her own R&D team and labs， her company is highly competitive in ingredient R&D and testing. In recent years， several time-honored traditional Chinese medicine brands in Zhejiang also extended their business into cosmetic industry. For example， Hu Qingyutang， a century-old brand as famous as Beijing Tongrentang has cooperated with the Institute of Modern TCM Pharmaceutical Sciences， Zhejiang University and produced 20 cosmetic items using Chinese herbal medicine.

Craftsmanship is the life of a brand while effective global marketing strategies are equally vital. The story of cosmetic development in Zhejiang has offered us plenty of successful experience. One of the most repeatedly mentioned brands is Florasis， which opened up its market overseas in March 2021. On the first day of its launch on Amazon Japan， its signature item， a blooming rouge love lock lipstick， jumped into the Top 3 hourly sales ranking. The love lock lipstick well integrates traditional Chinese sculpture skills into cosmetics. Various ancient Chinese stories are delicately engraved onto the lipsticks， and its colors are oriental classics as well. Another example is Flower Knows， whose style was first known as a minority mainly for teenage girls. However， in the past few years， it infuses Chinese painting elements， such as peony， orchid and birds， into its product design， and produces palettes with Morandi colors， achieving impressive results as well.

There are obvious changes during the past years. New cosmetic brands are continuously showing up and being recognized by users on international social media platforms such as YouTube， Instagram and Twitter.

The increasing international recognition of Chinese makeup brands has triggered more and more interest and discussions on Chinese makeup characteristics. Based on its long history and influenced by ancient cultures， regional diversities， and ethnic features， Chinese makeup has a great variety and it is therefore not easy to settle down on one standard. However， it is our responsibility and mission to define Chinese makeup on the global stage.

It is worth mentioning that some Zhejiang cosmetic brands have already started to explore their domination in defining characteristic Chinese makeup. Some professionals propose that thin and long eyebrow， blushes under eyes and small red lip be the three main Oriental makeup elements. Different from European and American arch eyebrows and Korean straight eyebrows， Chinese thin and long eyebrow is gentle and confident. The idea of blushes under eyes is a Chinese eye makeup tradition， which emphasizes more on eyebrows than on eyes. Small red lip is also an ancient makeup style of cherry lips， only using lipstick on the center part of the lips while covering other parts with foundation powder and setting powder.

Even though there is no specific definition of Chinese makeup at the moment， Chinese makeup characteristics will certainly be much clearer with its continuous internationalization and innovation efforts. We firmly believe that more and more international friends will be able to enjoy Chinese makeup， to experience the long-standing and well-established Chinese culture， and to feel our open， attractive and confident aesthetic tastes in the near future.