In March 2025, a popular cosmetics brand faced a serious quality problem that risked damaging its long-term relationship with one of its most important customers, Zhongyi.
The issue was with a special, high-end product — Han Shu Multi-Peptide Collagen Firming Cleansing Water & Lotion Essence Premium Gift Set (Red Waist Loop Hexapeptide), packaged in a KKV-branded Gift Box.
When Zhongyi’s quality control team checked the shipment, they found that 7% of the products had defects. This meant that for every 100 gift boxes, 7 were faulty. Zhongyi’s standard was zero defects, so they rejected the entire batch.
If the cosmetics brand did not act quickly, it risked:
Production delays (delivering late to stores and customers)
A damaged reputation (customers losing trust in product quality)
Losing the Zhongyi account (and future business)
This case study explains:
How the problem was discovered
How the company fixed it quickly
What changes were made to prevent it from happening again
Customer: Zhongyi
Complaint Date: March 17, 2025
Product: Han Shu Multi-Peptide Collagen Firming Cleansing Water & Lotion Essence Premium Gift Set
Delivery Quantity: 4,549 units
Inspection Sample Size: 200 units
Defects Found: 13 units (7% defect rate)
Types of defects:
Scratches on the protective film — 4 pieces
Stains on the protective film — 8 pieces
Missing QR code on packaging — 1 piece
Because Zhongyi required zero defects, the entire shipment could not be accepted.
The complaint came directly from Xie Ming, Zhongyi’s representative in charge of product quality.
As soon as the complaint was received, the cosmetics brand formed a special problem-solving team to handle the issue quickly.
Team Members:
Yang Jinlian
Wang Chunmao
Xu Lin
Wei Jun
Yang Mingguo
Zhang Yaping
Ni Jiawei
Wei Juan
The team’s mission was simple but urgent — find the cause, fix it fast, and prevent it in the future.
The protective film material used in the gift boxes was poor quality and easily damaged.
Some films arrived from the supplier already dirty, but they were still used in production without proper inspection.
The machines and workstations were not fully clean during production.
Workers tried to clean dirty films with damp cloths, which left water stains that became visible after packaging.
During printer setup, test sheets were printed without QR codes.
These test pieces were not separated from the good pieces.
Some test sheets accidentally got mixed into the real production run.
Because visual checks were not strict enough, the missing QR codes escaped inspection.
The company had to act fast to protect the customer relationship and prevent delivery delays.
Steps taken:
Communicated with the customer – Shared inspection results honestly, explained the cause, and got approval for rework and replacement.
Inspected all stock – Checked every finished and unfinished product, separating good items from bad ones.
Worked with suppliers – Contacted the film supplier to identify and fix their quality problems.
Leaders responsible: Ni Jiawei, Yang Jinlian, Wang Chunmao
Created a separate area for printer adjustments so test prints don’t mix with production.
Immediately threw away all test pieces after adjustments.
Checked 100% of printed papers for missing codes.
Installed a CCD camera inspection system to automatically detect missing QR codes.
Added hourly print quality tests.
Required two approvals — from the team leader and quality inspector — for any rechecked products.
Switched to better, scratch-resistant protective films.
Added extra inspection steps when receiving film materials from suppliers.
Placed photos of defects in the work area so workers know what to look for.
Required workers to clean films only with dry, lint-free cloths.
Added special inspection focus on scratches and stains before packing.
Leaders responsible: Yang Jinlian, Wang Chunmao, Zhang Yaping
Placed photos of past defects in production areas as a reminder.
Trained workers to spot and avoid similar defects.
Checked all incoming film materials before production.
Continued 100% automatic CCD inspections during assembly.
Leaders responsible: Wang Chunmao, Ni Jiawei
The company closely monitored the next three production batches for this customer.
Outcome:
✅ Zero defects in all three batches
✅ The customer was satisfied
✅ The case was officially closed
Final Quality Check Approval: Wang Chunmao
Talk to the customer quickly – Fast communication builds trust and makes problem-solving easier.
Work with suppliers – They can help fix issues from the source.
Use visual reminders – Photos in work areas help workers avoid repeated mistakes.
Automate inspections – Machines like CCD cameras catch errors humans might miss.