What does the coffee industry learn from the detergent-shaped milk tea case?

A Thai-style milk tea sold in a bottle shaped like laundry detergent went viral in China after a Thai restaurant in Nanjing launched it, priced at 18 yuan for 500 ml. Copycat versions appeared in Guangdong, Jiangxi and Sichuan, and the soap-shaped desserts that followed raised the same question: novelty packaging that children may mistake for household products.

Experts and lawyers say the design carries a misleading risk and may conflict with food packaging labeling rules. Stores report strong sales and no complaints, but the case matters to coffee manufacturers and shops because drink packaging sits close to cleaning products on shelves, so clear labeling and responsible design remain a shared safety baseline.

Recently, a Thai-style milk tea with packaging that closely resembles laundry detergent has quickly gone viral online. It was first launched by a Thai restaurant in Nanjing, and subsequently imitated by businesses in Guangdong, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and other regions. Priced at 18 yuan per bottle, this drink has attracted many young people to check in thanks to its novelty packaging, but it has also sparked public concerns about children possibly ingesting it by mistake. The store responded that the product is selling well and no complaints have been received; however, experts and lawyers have pointed out that such packaging design carries misleading risks and may violate regulations on food packaging labeling. This article will review the incident from beginning to end and explore the balance between innovative packaging and consumer safety. For coffee lovers, paying attention to the boundaries of beverage packaging is equally worth considering, and Front Street Coffee has always advocated upholding safety and responsibility amid innovation.

Milk tea is now the beverage of choice for many young people during leisure and entertainment, yet product homogenization on the market has become increasingly serious. To stand out in fierce competition, many brands have started to focus on packaging, trying to create freshness by changing the outer shell. Recently, a milk tea whose appearance closely resembles laundry detergent has quietly gone viral, but it has also drawn questions from many netizens.

According to reporters from Red Star News, this product, which uses a laundry detergent bottle as its outer shell and contains Thai-style milk tea inside, was first launched by a Thai restaurant in Nanjing and quickly became popular. After that, milk tea with a similar appearance appeared successively in Guangdong, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and many other provinces.

As soon as the laundry detergent milk tea hit the market, it attracted a great deal of attention from netizens. A search for related terms on the Xiaohongshu platform shows that this Thai-style milk tea dressed in a laundry detergent shell sells for only 18 yuan per bottle (500 ml). Later, the restaurant also launched desserts shaped like soap.

Because the packaging and appearance are both novel and fun, catering to young people's psychology of seeking novelty, this marketing method was quickly imitated by merchants everywhere. Many netizens posted check-in photos on Xiaohongshu, involving multiple provinces. On one e-commerce platform, even purchasing agent services for the related laundry detergent milk tea could be found.

However, this viral new product also sparked controversy because its appearance is highly similar to a laundry detergent bottle. Some people worried: "Children lack judgment; they will only think that laundry detergent is delicious, and parents cannot keep an eye on their children all the time."

A reporter contacted the above-mentioned restaurant, and its staff said that the "laundry detergent milk tea" is currently selling well, that no complaints have ever been received, and that they had not heard of any children mistakenly drinking laundry detergent.

Even so, many netizens still oppose this kind of viral milk tea whose appearance resembles laundry detergent.

An industry expert stressed that the innovative design of laundry detergent milk tea is not worth advocating, because in people's established understanding, this kind of outer packaging is used to hold laundry detergent and similar products. If used on a large scale, it may mislead some consumers.

Regarding this type of packaging, a lawyer held that because the milk tea container's appearance is extremely similar to laundry detergent, but the two are fundamentally different in that one is edible and the other is not, warning signs or Chinese warning instructions should be attached in accordance with the law. If consumers suffer personal or property damage as a result, they may, according to the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, demand that manufacturers and operators bear corresponding compensation liability.

Another lawyer pointed out that China has clear provisions on food packaging labeling, and that operators should give truthful and clear replies to consumers' inquiries about the quality and methods of use of the goods or services they provide. While innovating packaging design, businesses must consider the impact on consumers.

Image source: Xiaohongshu, Weibo, internet

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Front Street Coffee reminds you that whether it is coffee or milk tea, the premise of innovation is always safety and responsibility.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.