“MINISO’s disposable underwear caused me to completely lose face in front of my colleagues.” Recently, a female netizen posted a video stating that while on a business trip wearing MINISO disposable underwear, a colleague asked, “Why is there a piece of white cloth at your feet?” Upon looking down, she discovered it was the body of the underwear she had just put on, and touching her waist revealed “only a white elastic band remained.” This incident caused her public embarrassment.
The video quickly garnered widespread attention and sparked heated discussion. Within the comments section, female netizens pointed out that similar incidents had occurred before, and that quality issues with MINISO products are not isolated cases. In response, MINISO stated, “We have taken note of the consumer feedback on the wearing experience of disposable underwear. We deeply apologize for the embarrassment and distress this has caused consumers. The brand has internally initiated an urgent investigation to verify the product situation and root cause as soon as possible, and will keep consumers updated on the progress.” However, as of press time, the relevant disposable underwear products are still searchable on the MINISO App, with customer service indicating no recall notice has been received. Some netizens directly questioned, “If you’ve apologized, why haven’t you recalled the product?” On social platforms, 56% of users believe MINISO’s product quality is concerning.
In reality, this is not the first time MINISO has faced product quality issues. On the Black Cat投诉 platform, a search using the keyword “MINISO” reveals over 5,000 related complaints, with multiple consumers reporting product defects and inconsistent quality control. With frequent controversies, what is happening to MINISO? And what is the future for disposable product quality?
Complaints about disposable underwear are everywhere
To demonstrate the situation, the woman in the video opened another pack of the same disposable underwear. After wearing it for just half an hour, the body of the underwear quickly disintegrated into a spiderweb-like shape, with the elastic band clearly separating from the main part. This netizen’s experience may not be a coincidence. In the comments section, similar complaints are abundant. “I wore MINISO disposable underwear for rafting. When I set off, I noticed something floating in the boat. When I returned to the hotel, I found the underwear was just three straps left.” “I bought non-disposable underwear from MINISO. After wearing it only twice, the crotch tore when I removed a sanitary pad.” “They call it a ‘quality brand,’ but it’s really just two-dollar store quality.” According to a summary of mainstream comments by Weibo’s intelligent system, 56% of users believe MINISO’s product quality is poor, with not only underwear prone to tearing but also daily items like socks and hair ties being of inferior quality and overpriced, offering low value for money. About 25% of users expressed doubt about the authenticity of the incident, suggesting it might have been caused by manual pulling, maintaining a neutral stance. Although 19% of netizens felt that some MINISO products offered a good experience and held a positive view of the brand, this sentiment was relatively weak compared to the overwhelming criticism.
In response, our team contacted MINISO customer service, which stated: “We have taken note of the feedback on the wearing experience of disposable underwear. We deeply apologize for the embarrassment and distress this has caused consumers. The brand has internally initiated an urgent investigation to verify the product situation and root cause as soon as possible, and will keep consumers updated on the progress.” However, as of press time, products related to “disposable underwear” are still being sold on the MINISO App and on delivery platform stores. Both customer service and merchants stated that they have not yet received any notice regarding product recall. It is worth noting that the pricing of MINISO’s disposable underwear is not cheap. Without using platform discounts, the price is typically set at 29.9 yuan for 5 pairs, about 5 yuan per pair. For comparison, products from Deyou (27 yuan for 7 pairs) and Quanjing (22.9 yuan for 5 pairs) are available. This has led some netizens to label them “two-dollar street stall goods,” which is also a source of their anger.
Products face repeated quality controversies, experts say ‘quality control is overlooked’
Objectively, MINISO’s performance can be described as “impressive.” Its first-quarter financial report shows that during the period, the group’s total revenue reached 5.69 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 28.5%, with MINISO brand revenue contributing 5.17 billion yuan, up 26.6% year-on-year. Among these, driven by high single-digit same-store sales growth, the brand’s revenue in mainland China increased by 29.6%. At the same time, MINISO’s expansion pace has not slowed: as of the end of the first quarter, MINISO had a total of 8,565 stores, a net increase of 797 stores year-on-year and 80 stores since the beginning of the year. Among them, the MINISO brand store count reached 8,210, a net increase of 722 stores year-on-year and 59 stores since the start of the year. At the performance briefing, MINISO expressed an optimistic outlook for its full-year 2026 operations. According to its disclosed 2026 performance guidance and expansion plan, the company expects to achieve high double-digit growth for the full year 2026 and plans to add 510-550 net new stores for the year, while also focusing on the recovery pace of same-store sales and profit margins.
However, in stark contrast to its impressive performance, MINISO has repeatedly been embroiled in quality and service controversies, frequently causing consumer dissatisfaction. Over the past year, the public relations issues facing MINISO have extended beyond just a pair of underwear. In November last year, the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation’s “Supervision and Sampling Report on Children’s Shoes and 2 Other Categories” included MINISO Guangzhou Company’s “My Little Pony Series Angel Children’s Clogs” for failing physical and mechanical safety tests. In the same month, a collective complaint appeared on Black Cat投诉 regarding “MINISO Strawberry Bear collaboration towels fading and shedding lint.” Controversies have not only appeared on the product quality front but also on the offline service side; in March this year, “MINISO non-members cannot checkout” trended on the internet. At that time, MINISO, which was trying to shed its “10-yuan store” image, faced numerous questions. The recurrence of product quality issues this time, to some extent, reflects problems within MINISO’s own supply chain.
According to the 2025 financial report, the MINISO brand maintains approximately 11,000 to 12,000 core SKUs year-round, covering categories such as home living, beauty and personal care, accessories, and blind boxes. Based on previous media reports, all of MINISO’s data and business flow are managed through an internal system. This system connects the company’s management framework while also linking the brand and its suppliers, shortening business processes and significantly improving efficiency. Manufacturers can also use this system for rapid production, replenishment, and inventory reduction. However, this process may be highly efficient for products like blind boxes, stationery, and cosmetics, but it seems to overlook the stringent quality control requirements of products that come into direct contact with the consumer’s body. “The margin for error for these two types of products is completely different,” said Fu Yifu, a Ph.D. in Management from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He believes that “MINISO’s supply chain management appears to lack differentiated quality control standards for different product categories, instead applying a uniform fast-turnover logic to all categories. This inevitably creates hidden risks in the intimate apparel sector. To sustain this model, the company must implement category-level management in its supply chain.” Regarding the current controversy, Fu suggests: “MINISO should first urgently upgrade its quality control system, especially establishing a special inspection process for intimate products, proactively disclosing its supplier list and inspection reports, and rebuilding trust through transparency. Secondly, it needs to reassess the boundaries of ‘selling everything,’ setting higher quality control thresholds for highly sensitive categories, and even considering establishing a separate sub-brand to operate the intimate product line to isolate risks.”
New regulations for ‘disposable underwear’ to be implemented in November
Some consumers lamented on social platforms, “If even a brand like MINISO can’t produce good disposable underwear, where can we find suitable ones?” Indeed, disposable underwear offers the advantages of being single-use and convenient, making it highly in demand for scenarios like travel, postpartum care, and daily backup. However, the industry has long-standing issues with substandard hygiene and false material labeling. This product category often appears on the annual 315 consumer rights lists, yet the hygiene problems persist, with brands like Quanjing and Muji also facing repeated criticism. “When consumers purchase such products, they often focus only on portability and price, and rarely hold manufacturers accountable for quality issues in disposable items, giving manufacturers an opportunity to cut costs,” said Yuan Shuai, a senior data analyst. “Solving this problem requires establishing clear entry standards from the production end, raising the production standards for single-use intimate products to a level similar to that of medical devices.”
According to reports, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has officially approved and released the FZ/T64125—2026 industry standard for “Disposable Underwear,” which will be formally implemented on November 1, 2026. This is also China’s first dedicated industry standard for disposable underwear. The new standard clearly defines requirements for the classification, raw material access, hygiene indicators, testing methods, sampling and judgment, and packaging and storage of disposable underwear. It applies to products made primarily from knitted fabrics and non-woven fabrics, with compressed products allowed to refer to this standard. In the long term, the implementation of the new regulation will help to gradually eliminate major issues like the use of recycled cotton or non-woven fabrics falsely labeled as pure cotton. However, in the short term, it remains difficult for consumers to distinguish good from poor products when purchasing. “Regular underwear is mostly sewn, while disposable underwear is mostly heat-pressed and bonded,” noted an industry insider. Therefore, when choosing disposable underwear, consumers can carefully check the sturdiness of the connection between the elastic band and the fabric, and pay attention to the labeling and production permit numbers on the packaging to reduce the risk of a poor purchase. “Once the new standards are truly in place and consumer awareness increases, this situation will improve.”
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