Hearing Li Yi's words, the salesperson's young lady suddenly became serious.

The corners of her mouth hooked a professional smile, she looked at Li Yi and said: "This gentleman, you may be a little misunderstood, natural cochineal is a very rare raw material, and our lipsticks are all handmade, the quality of the products is well-known, and the after-sales service is also guaranteed, you can try to understand more about this." ”

She said it very politely, but the meaning in her words was obviously that Li Yi didn't understand.

Without arguing with her, Li Yi smiled and nodded: "Okay, maybe I don't know anything." ”

People's salespeople are also to sell goods to make money and get some wages, and it is indeed a bit unkind to say that the things they sell are not good at the counter.

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

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

"Really?"

Zhao Jinmai on the side said enviously: "Is this the treatment of the fairy sister?" ”

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

After saying that, she smiled at the salesman: "Thank you, bye." ”

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

Li Yi followed unhurriedly and looked back casually, only to see that the girls were already trying on that special set of lipsticks.

When they came to the elevator, Liu Yifei and Zhao Jinmai stopped.

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

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

was not in front of the counter, Li Yi didn't have so many scruples when he spoke, so he casually explained: "The so-called cochineal is actually an insect cultivated by the Western-toothed people, which can extract cochineal and make rouge fuel."

This cochineal is much better and more stable than common mineral dyes, so it was once sold at a very high price, even at the same price as gold. ”

Zhao Jinmai nodded and said: "I heard the makeup artist say that she used this traditional process to make good lipsticks, and they were all made of cochineal."

She also said that in the past, this kind of cochineal was precious, and only the royal family could use it. ”

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

Li Yi said with a smile: "At that time, in order to monopolize it, the Western-like people always claimed that this carmine was extracted from plants, and it was strictly forbidden to export live cochineal.

However, later, after Leeuwenhoek, a native of Helan, invented the microscope, he cracked the secret of cochineal, which led to a sharp increase in the breeding of cochineal and a decrease in costs.

Now in the international market, the price of cochineal is almost 500 dollars per kilogram, almost more than 3,000 yuan, and 1 gram is less than four yuan. ”

"Huh?"

Zhao Jinmai was shocked: "It's only four yuan? Really? ”

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

"It's not four dollars, it's less than a dollar."

Li Yi shook his head with a smile before explaining: "The net content of most lipsticks is 3-4 grams, but most of them are oil and wax, and the amount of dyed cochineal is not even 1 gram." ”

1 gram of cochineal can make almost 6 lipsticks, and the cost of cochineal used in 1 lipstick is only six cents.

The cost of grease and wax is lower, and the cost of a lipstick, I count it as a dollar, which is already too much. ”

"One, a dollar?"

Zhao Jinmai was completely stunned, she couldn't believe that those lipsticks that often cost hundreds of yuan would be so cheap.

"Not really, right?"

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

"I'm talking about international prices."

Li Yi said with a smile: "There are many places in China where cochineal are now being cultivated, and the cost is lower.

You can open a shopping platform casually and search for food-grade cochineal, and the price can be pressed to less than 1 gram per dollar.

After calculation, the cost of a lipstick is not even a piece. ”

“……”

Liu Yifei didn't know what to say anymore, and she felt that her concept was a little subverted.

"It's really, there's less than one dollar and one gram."

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

"It doesn't cost that much money for packaging."

Li Yi said with a smile: "Go to the foundry in Yiwu, find someone to design a pattern, make a mold, and make a hundred thousand sets, just that kind of packaging, the cost can be two or three yuan a piece."

Even if you use the best materials, one core can cost five yuan, which is already very against the sky.

Coupled with the lipstick raw materials and packaging box, the cost of a lipstick is ten yuan, and I have already said it very politely. ”

“……”

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

"It's not exactly an IQ tax."

Li Yi said with a smile: "The vast majority of the cost of cosmetics companies is in the publicity expenses, and it costs a lot of money to advertise and spread the advertising costs, and the cost will also increase." ”

"That's not much better."

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

Even if its annual publicity fee is 500 million, the cost of spreading on each lipstick is less than 20 yuan...... Hiss! ”

She counted and couldn't help but take a breath: "It's good to make money selling lipstick!" ”

Givenchy these brands of lipsticks get at least two or three hundred on average, and occasionally sell one or two hundred at a discount, and many people feel that they have taken a big advantage.

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

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

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

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

Watching the elevator go down, Zhao Jinmai asked Li Yi curiously: "Brother Yi, you are a big man, how do you know lipstick so well?" ”

When Liu Yifei heard this, she also looked at it.

Li Yi was unimpressed and calmly explained: "Because I have studied traditional rouge. ”

"Huh? Why do you want to study traditional rouge? ”

Zhao Jinmai was even more curious.

"Because traditional rouge can also be used in dishes!"

Li Yi smiled: "In the next episode, I plan to make a dish made with traditional rouge." ”

"Can Rouge still cook? Belch! ”

Zhao Jinmai tugged at the corners of his mouth, pouted, and then asked, "Are you going to use cochineal to make it?" ”

"Of course not."

Li Yi explained with a smile: "The traditional rouge uses red and blue flowers, which are real pure natural plant pigments. ”

1

(End of chapter)