Schwarzkopf’s ‘virgin hair’ backlash

What happened German beauty giant Henkel’s Schwarzkopf brand has landed in hot water in China after its packaging label mistranslated the English industry term “virgin hair” — meaning untreated hair — into a Chinese phrase meaning “female virgin hair” (处女发质). Critics say the term adds sexual and gendered connotations to what is otherwise a neutral professional term. On September 10, a consumer flagged the wording on social media, questioning why “virgin” had been rendered as “female virgin” (处女) instead of the more neutral “original” or “untreated” (原生). The phrase appeared on Schwarzkopf’s Natural Styling perm solution, marketed for “ordinary and slightly damaged hair.” Cultural insensitivity Although “virgin hair” is a standard term in the beauty industry to describe strands never exposed to chemical treatments, the direct Chinese rendering triggered a backlash. Netizens argued that the word choice sexualized a professional concept, reinforced purity tropes around women, and reflected poor cultural sensitivity in a market dominated by female consumers. The controversy quickly went viral, with the hashtag “Schwarzkopf virgin hair translation controversy” (施华蔻处女发质翻译陷辱女争议) garnering over 110 million views on Weibo. The Jing Take: Apology backfires Schwarzkopf responded with a late-night apology on September 11 via its Weibo account, saying the mistranslation “failed to accurately convey the original meaning.” The brand pledged to update the product’s packaging with “more accurate and friendly expressions” and tighten internal review processes. The statement however failed to calm the storm. Weibo users mocked the lack of sensitivity, questioned how the wording had slipped through multiple stages of review, and accused Schwarzkopf of negligence. “This term is inappropriate. Respect women. This isn’t just a bad translation, it’s discriminatory,” Smallgypsophila (@小小-满天星) wrote on Weibo. What should have been a straightforward translation of industry jargon instead exposed the brand’s failure to consider how gendered language resonates in the local context. As Liu Changyu, associate professor at Shandong Normal University, told Chinese outlet Cover News: “Audiences are no longer passive recipients but active interpreters and co-creators of brand meaning.” Past missteps resurface The incident also reopens questions about Schwarzkopf’s track record in China. Public records show past labelling missteps: In 2020, Shanghai regulators found six Schwarzkopf hair dye products’ ingredient labels were inconsistent with approved formulations. Between 2018 and 2021, Henkel’s Schwarzkopf-linked entities in China received multiple administrative penalties — most tied to labeling or product information issues — with fines totaling over 3 million RMB ($410,000). Other beauty brands, like P&G, have faced consumer fury over sexist or tone-deaf marketing. While mistranslations can be corrected, regaining consumer trust is far harder. The Schwarzkopf episode highlights both reputational risks and the growing clout of Chinese shoppers. In today’s hyper-connected market, a single slip can snowball into a credibility crisis, with apologies seldom enough to undo damage. Social media has turned buyers into arbiters of language and values. For global beauty brands, success in China now requires more than technical accuracy: it demands cultural literacy, gender sensitivity, and genuine engagement with an empowered consumer base. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Schwarzkopf’s ‘virgin hair’ translation sparks outrage in China

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Schwarzkopf’s ‘virgin hair’ translation sparks outrage in China