A citizen tries out wintersweet perfume in Chongqing on December 27, 2024. (Photo/Li Yuheng)

Chongqing - Many of Chongqing's local specialties are integrating new elements, becoming more trendy, and significantly increasing in value.

For example, Jiuye green Sichuan peppercorns from the Jiangjin district have been transformed into facial masks, wintersweet flowers from the Beibei district have been made into unique perfumes, and producers in the Tongnan district extract pectin and essential oils from lemons...

These primary agricultural products are increasing in value and continuously enhancing agricultural profitability.

Sichuan peppercorns in a box of face masks surpass those in a hotpot

In April last year, Luzhu Biotechnology (Chongqing) Co Ltd launched a Sichuan peppercorn face mask, which quickly attracted many young consumers due to its unique skincare benefits. To date, over 50,000 masks have been sold.

The company's General Manager, He Pan, tasked the team with purchasing dozens of types of Sichuan peppercorns from across the country for testing. They found that the trace elements and active ingredients in Jiuye green Sichuan peppercorns from Lishi Town, Jiangjin, were highly compatible, making it ideal for extracting the main ingredient for their face masks—Sichuan peppercorn fruit peel extract.

In February 2023, 30 kilograms of Jiuye green Sichuan peppercorns were sent to the skin clinical research center at Semyung University in South Korea. It was found that the extract, containing components such as sanshool, alkaloids, flavonoids, and limonene, showed multiple benefits for the skin, including mite removal and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Notably, sanshool can reduce light-induced skin damage, making it valuable in skincare applications.

"The easiest products for users to accept are those in the personal care category. By using green Sichuan peppercorns as a selling point, we can satisfy their curiosity," He said. The company ultimately focused on developing products in areas such as shower gels, body lotions, hand creams, and face masks.

After numerous trials, the product's various properties and functions stabilized. The first batches of shower gel, body lotion, face masks, and hand cream were produced in January last year. Third-party testing confirmed that the product’s antibacterial and mite-removal rates reached 99%.

In the first half of last year, products like the Sichuan peppercorn hand cream, shower gel, body lotion, and face masks performed well. After just a month of trial sales, over 1,000 sets were sold. Daily sales reached over a thousand orders once listed on online platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin.

"In the past, when we processed fresh Sichuan peppercorns, the extract was directly discarded. Now, with technology, we’re collecting these extracts—it's truly turning waste into treasure," said Su Jiakui, a senior agronomist who has studied Sichuan peppercorns for most of his life.

Piao Yige, who is responsible for production at Luzhu Biotechnology, stated that 100 kilograms of Sichuan peppercorns could yield 3-5 kilograms of Sichuan peppercorn fruit peel extract and 8-10 kilograms of Sichuan peppercorn essential oil, enough to produce approximately 500 boxes of face masks. This means each box of masks uses more than 200 grams of Sichuan peppercorns—far more than the amount needed for a hotpot.

How much is 100 kilograms of Sichuan peppercorns worth? At 30 yuan($4.09) per kilogram, it’s about 3,000 yuan. But 500 boxes of face masks? With the company’s price of 99 yuan per box, that’s worth 49,500 yuan—an increase of more than ten times, according to Piao.

Wintersweet essence: price exceeds twice that of gold

Zhang Xiong, the 57-year-old developer of wintersweet perfume, has spent his career in urban planning and design.

"Ten years ago, I worked on the industrial planning for the Jiangdong area in Beibei, where wintersweet was a significant part of the plan," he said. "Relevant leaders asked if it was possible to turn wintersweet into a gift, like perfume."

Although it was far from his professional field, Zhang decided to try it. He believed that to succeed in the market, a product must have both local and cultural attributes, and Wintersweet has both.

"The fragrance molecules of wintersweet flowers are very small, highly volatile, and unstable, making extraction and preservation extremely challenging," he said. After many trials, success seemed elusive.

Zhang consulted with a designer from a renowned French perfume brand at a rate of 1,000 euros ($1032.3) per hour and then partnered with a Swiss company. After nearly two years of research, they made a breakthrough: They used supercritical extraction technology to achieve an extraction rate of 2.7‰, meaning that 1 kilogram of wintersweet flowers yields 2.7 grams of essence.

Building on this, Zhang also partnered with research institutions in France, Switzerland, and South Korea, blending various perfumes with the essence of wintersweet flowers. Eventually, they found a scent that best matched the fresh fragrance of the wintersweet blossoms.

"We can say we've set the global standard for wintersweet fragrance!" he stated.

The complex production process makes the perfume expensive. The main product is priced at 660 yuan for just 75 milliliters.

Zhang admitted, "The main issue is the high cost." To produce perfume, the wintersweet flowers must be carefully harvested—only completely dried flowers can be used. Even a slight inclusion of other parts will cause the perfume to change color. As a result, many flower farmers are reluctant to take on this task, and those who are willing have raised their prices.

Moreover, since 1 kilogram of wintersweet flowers yields only 2.7 grams of perfume essence, its value remains high, with international prices exceeding twice the cost of gold, he added.

However, initial market recognition has motivated Zhang, with over 10,000 bottles of the flagship perfume sold annually.

(Yan An and Li Yuheng, reporters from Chongqing Daily, contributed the Chinese version of this report.)