Tao, a former member of boy band EXO, said his sanitary pad business has surpassed 150 million yuan ($21.62 million) in sales — but has yet to break even.

According to a video uploaded on Thursday to the YouTube channel Study King Jin Genuis, operated by entertainer Hong Jin-kyung, Tao shared updates on his life.

“Life is good, and I got married,” Tao said, who tied the knot in 2024 to singer and actor Xu Yiyang, a Chinese singer and actor who was a former trainee under SM Entertainment.

Tao had previously expressed anger over a controversy in China last March involving the reuse of sanitary pads, vowing to establish his own factory and livestream the entire production process around the clock. He said he would allow public oversight of every stage, from sourcing raw materials to packaging, and announced plans to launch his own brand.

Explaining his motivation, Tao said he wanted young girls and women to be able to use sanitary pads without safety concerns.

“I am not ashamed at all of running a sanitary pad business,” he said. “I believe choosing this was the right decision, and I feel it’s a very good thing.”

He said he has sold about 150 million units so far, generating total revenue of roughly 150 million yuan. However, he added that net profit remains limited and that he has not yet broken even.

Tao attributed this to the high upfront costs, saying he invested about 25 billion won ($17 million) to operate six production lines. He said he had considered outsourcing production but decided against it due to trust concerns, instead pooling funds with three business partners to ensure full transparency at the factories — a decision that significantly raised costs.

“That transparency is exactly why consumers were able to accept a sanitary pad brand made by a man,” he added.

Tao debuted with EXO in 2012 but left the group three years later after filing a lawsuit against the agency, SM Entertainment, to nullify his exclusive contract. He has since been active mainly in the Chinese-speaking market.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]