‘Wealthy’ China KOL sells supplements as ‘miraculous’ cancer cure, claims US$36 million sales
Influencer implies her products could treat various diseases, uses tactics like the abbreviation ‘CA’ for cancer to evade regulatory scrutiny
A Chinese influencer, who claims to be a Harvard Business School graduate and cultivates a “wealthy persona”, has had her social media account banned after promoting health supplements as cancer-curing medicines.
The fashion blogger, known by her alias Maiqila, boasts 143,000 followers on Xiaohongshu.
The majority of her income comes from selling health-enhancing products, alongside jewellery and cosmetics, according to The Paper.
During a live-streaming session in mid-November, Maiqila claimed to have sold health products worth 20 million yuan (US$2.8 million) in a single day, with weekly revenue reaching 260 million yuan (US$36 million).
She suggested that her products could treat various diseases and employed tactics to evade regulatory scrutiny while promoting their miraculous effects. For instance, she used the English abbreviation “CA” to refer to cancer.
One of her products, a monk fruit compressed slice marketed as a dietary supplement, was touted as capable of eliminating various cysts and even malignant tumours.
