A brand of aromatic water that was a staple of Taiwan’s older generation as a perfume and topical application is to make a comeback as early as Sunday after its manufacturer suspended production last year.
Ming Sing aromatic water (明星花露水), created in 1907 by Shanghai doctor Chou Chun-pang (周俊邦) with rose and jasmine extract and alcohol, is returning to the market through the Singapore-based Ethanol Group, which has taken over the license for the product from the Chou family on the condition that it retain the previous Ming Sing staff.
Ethanol Group general manager Guo Chao (郭超) on Tuesday said that it would renew the Taiwanese facilities and devote resources to the management and advertising of the product to create brand loyalty among young people.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
It plans to develop new products under the brand, such as soap, body wash and shampoo, as well as expanding the business to overseas markets, such as Southeast Asia and Africa, he added.
Ming Sing came to Taiwan in 1949 with Chou’s daughter Chou Wen-chi (周文璣), who founded Ming Sing Chemical two years later to make the aromatic water and talc powder. During the 1960s and 1970s, the water was considered a necessary product by women.
During the SARS epidemic in 2003, Ming Sing once again became popular, as it was 73 percent alcohol, which is high enough to be used as a disinfectant.
Although Ming Sing Chemical produced more than 1 million bottles per year, its owners Tsai Li-hsin (蔡禮新) and his wife, Chou Huan-chang (周環樟), decided to end operations last year, due to their age, maintaining manufacturing equipment and the trouble in traveling between their overseas residence and the Taiwanese factory.
The decision at the time prompted many people to stock up on the product, pushing up the price of Ming Sing, with people even selling it for more than NT$10,000 per bottle online.
To combat counterfeit Ming Sing on the market, the company would not rule out legal actions to protect the authentic product, Gou said.
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