Chapter 213 Isn’t this a proper IQ tax?

Author: round head and round belly

Chapter 213 Isn’t this a proper IQ tax?

Hearing Li Yi's words, the saleswoman suddenly became serious.

With a professional smile on her lips, she looked at Li Yi and said, "Sir, you may have a misunderstanding. Natural cochineal is a very rare raw material, and our lipsticks are all handmade, and the quality of the products is well-known.

, the after-sales service is also guaranteed, you can try to learn more about this.”

She spoke very politely, but her words clearly meant that Li Yi didn't understand.

Without arguing with her, Li Yi smiled and nodded: "Okay, maybe I'm ignorant."

Salespersons also sell goods to earn money and get some salary. It is indeed a bit unkind to say that the things they sell at the counter are not good.

Seeing this, the salesperson breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Liu Yifei and Zhao Jinmai, and continued to introduce them to them.

Liu Yifei listened politely to her introduction. After she finished speaking, she put down her lipstick and thanked you with a smile: "Thank you! This set of lipsticks is good. I was given a set by the manufacturer at the spring and summer press conference.

"

"Really?"

Zhao Jinmai on the side said with envy: "Is this the treatment of a fairy sister?"

Liu Yifei was amused by her, and then said: "If you want it, I'll give it to you! I still have a lot of it."

After saying that, she smiled at the salesperson and said, "Thank you, bye."

Then, she took Zhao Jinmai's hand and left the counter.

Li Yi followed behind leisurely and looked back casually, only to see that the girls were already trying out the special set of lipstick.

When they arrived at the elevator entrance, Liu Yifei and Zhao Jinmai stopped.

Zhao Jinmai pressed the elevator button and shouted to Li Yi: "Brother Yi, hurry up!"

When Li Yi followed, she asked curiously: "You just said that the cost of lipstick is very low? Is it true?"

Not in front of the counter, Li Yi didn't have so many scruples when speaking, so he explained casually: "The so-called cochineal insect is actually an insect cultivated by the Spanish. It can extract cochineal red and make cochineal fuel.

The dyeing effect of this kind of cochineal is much better than that of common mineral dyes, and it is more stable, so it was once very expensive, even the same price as gold."

Zhao Jinmai nodded and said: "I heard the makeup artist say that she said that all good lipsticks use this traditional craft and are made of cochineal insects.

She also said that in the past, this kind of cochineal was so valuable that only the royal family could use it."

"A few hundred years ago, it was almost like this."

Li Yi smiled and said: "At that time, in order to have a monopoly, the Spanish people always claimed that this carmine was extracted from plants, and strictly prohibited the export of live cochineal insects.

However, after Leeuwenhoek, a Helander, invented the microscope, he cracked the secret of cochineal, which led to a sharp increase in the number of cochineal beetles and a reduction in costs.

Now in the international market, the price of cochineal is about 500 dollars per kilogram, which is more than 3,000 yuan, and 1 gram is less than 4 yuan."

"ah?"

Zhao Jinmai was shocked: "Only four yuan? Is it true?"

Liu Yifei was also a little surprised. She thought that even if the cost of lipstick was lower, it would not be much lower, but she never expected that it would be as low as single digits.

"It's not four yuan, it's less than one yuan."

Li Yi smiled and shook his head before explaining: "The net content of most lipsticks is 3-4 grams, but most of them are oils and waxes. The amount of dyed cochineal is not even 1 gram."

1 gram of cochineal can make almost 6 lipsticks. The cost of cochineal used in 1 lipstick is only 60 cents.

The cost of oils and waxes is lower. The cost of a lipstick, I count one yuan, is already too much."

"One, one dollar?"

Zhao Jinmai was completely stunned. She couldn't believe that those lipsticks that easily cost hundreds of yuan could be so cheap.

"Isn't that true?"

Liu Yifei couldn't help but ask: "Is cochineal so cheap?"

"I'm talking about international prices."

Li Yi smiled and said: "There are also many places in China that are cultivating cochineal insects, and the cost is lower.

If you open any shopping platform and search for food-grade cochineal, the price can be less than one dollar per gram.

After calculation, the cost of one lipstick is less than one dollar."

"..."

Liu Yifei no longer knew what to say. She felt that her ideas had been subverted.

"It's true, there is one that costs less than one yuan per gram."

Zhao Jinmai searched on the shopping platform and immediately confirmed the price of cochineal. For a moment, his views collapsed: "It turns out that we spent so much money and only bought a package."

"Packaging doesn't cost that much."

Li Yi smiled and said: "Go to the foundry in Yiwu, find someone to design a pattern, make a mold, and make 100,000 sets. Just the kind of packaging just now can cost two or three yuan each.

Even if the best materials are used, it costs five yuan a piece, which is outrageous.

Including the lipstick raw materials and packaging box, the cost of one lipstick is ten yuan, which I have said very politely."

"..."

Zhao Jinmai was stunned for a long time before blurting out: "Isn't this a proper IQ tax?"

"It's not entirely an IQ tax."

Li Yi smiled and said: "Most of the costs of cosmetics companies are in publicity expenses. They have to spend a lot of money on advertising. If the advertising expenses are spread down, the cost will also increase."

"That won't improve much."

Zhao Jinmai also learned to settle accounts: "Givenchy's lipsticks are the best-selling in China. I remember that more than 20 million lipsticks were sold last year.

Even if its annual publicity fee is 500 million, the cost of each lipstick is less than 20 yuan...hiss!"

She calculated and couldn't help but take a breath: "It's so profitable to sell lipstick!"

Lipsticks from brands like Givenchy cost at least 200 to 300 yuan each on average. Occasionally they are sold for 100 to 200 yuan at a discount. Many people feel that they are getting a big advantage.

Who would have thought that the cost is only a dozen yuan?

"That's why I said, women's money is the best to make!"

Li Yi said with a smile, and when the elevator door opened, he stepped in.

Zhao Jinmai and Liu Yifei were still immersed in the cost price calculation of lipstick and followed in in a daze.

Watching the elevator go down, Zhao Jinmai curiously asked Li Yi: "Brother Yi, how come you, a grown man, know so much about lipstick?"

Hearing this, Liu Yifei also looked over.

Li Yi didn't take it seriously and explained calmly: "Because I have studied traditional rouge."

"Eh? You're so cute, why do you want to study traditional rouge?"

Zhao Jinmai became even more curious.

“Because traditional roux can also be used in dishes!”

Li Yi laughed and said: "In the next episode, I plan to make a dish made with traditional roux."

"Rouge can also cook? Ouch!"

Zhao Jinmai twitched the corner of his mouth, groaned, and then asked: "Are you going to use cochineal insects?"

"Of course not."

Li Yi explained with a smile: "Traditional rouge uses red and blue flowers, which are truly pure natural plant pigments."

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