Editor's Note: China is investing in foreign companies at an unprecented rate due to their slowing economy. Dairy companies in Australia, energy companies in Kazakhstan, real estate everywhere, some are going as far as calling it an invasion, a modern form of imperialism.  However, it is not well known that many familiar Chinese brands are owned by US and French companies. The translated article lists the companies that are actually owned by foreign companies.

Many Chinese people who have used products like Zhonghua toothpaste and Daobao skin cream for years would be very surprised to learn that their favorite goods are actually produced by foreign-owned companies. In the past decade, a number of Chinese companies have been acquired by overseas giants. Here are a few Chinese favorites that are actually owned by foreign firms:

1) USA: Dabao Cosmetics (大宝): Dabao skin products first came on the Chinese market in 1990. In the early 2000s, Dabao was held at 15.76% market share in China and was number one in sales and production for eight years in a row. The product's advertisements became famous across the nation. Dabao was acquired by U.S. giant Johnson & Johnson in 2008. The packaging remained the same after the deal, and many people still think it is a domestically owned brand.

2) UK: Zhonghua Toothpaste (中华牙膏): Zhonghua toothpaste was founded in 1954 under the name Shanghai toothpaste, and was acquired by British company Unilever in 1992. Many Chinese would never think that Zhonghua was actually a British product- it even has the word “China” in the brand name! In 1992, Colgate entered China. In 1994, Unilever acquired a controlling stake in Shanghai Toothpaste’s factory and changed the brand’s name to Zhonghua toothpaste.

3) Germany: Haiermian (孩儿面): German company Henkel acquired Shanghai brand Haiermian in 1994. The company, which sells children’s products, now uses German technology and product standards to issue safe and high-quality products.

4) France: Yue Sai (羽西): Yue Sai’s high end skin-care line first launched in 1992. The company was founded by media icon and businesswoman Yue-Sai Kan. The brand was acquired in 2004 by French cosmetics giant L’Oreal. L’Oreal helped redesign the packaging for Yue Sai products to include more Chinese elements. This has led many Chinese customers to think that the product is still domestically owned.

5) USA: Sanxiao (三笑): Jiangsu Sanxiao Group wasfirst founded in 1989 and at one point held 50.6% of the Chinese market. Sanxiao has a hand in a variety of goods and services from personal hygiene products and pesticides to real estate and investment. The company was acquired for $21 million in 2005 by American company Colgate-Palmolive.

6) Germany: C-Bons Hair Care (丝宝): Beiersdorf AG acquired C-Bons, one of China’s largest hair care product companies, for approximately 270 million Euros. Beiersdorf now owns an 85% stake in C-Bons Hair Care. Beiersdorf, which also owns Nivea, has spent nearly 20 billion Yuan acquiring Chinese hair care and beauty companies. Beiersdorf also owns a controlling stake in Slek (舒蕾), Maestro (美涛), Fengying (风影), and Hair Song (顺爽).

7) France: MG (美即): MG was founded in 2009 and was the top beauty mask company in China for many years. In 2014, the beauty company was acquired by L’Oreal.

8) France: Mininurse (小护士): Mininurse was founded in 1992 and was a top skincare brand on the Chinese market for many years. The company was acquired by L’Oreal in 2003. Mininurse was L’Oreal’s first major acquisition in China.

Source: QQ News

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Keywords: Chinese products products foreign owned