“来自中国的香味，太棒了”丨00后出海记

8,732 kilometers—the distance of a direct flight from Changsha, Hunan, to Nairobi, Kenya. It is also the first entrepreneurial step taken by Li Runze, a post-2000s native of Changsha.

8732公里，是湖南长沙直飞肯尼亚内罗毕的航程距离，也是“00后”长沙伢子李润泽跨出的创业第一步。

In 2024, Li graduated from Wuhan Sports University and secured a position at a state-owned enterprise in Guangzhou. The turning point came in early 2025, when a series of reports on China–Africa economic and trade cooperation shared by his father caught his attention, prompting him to sense the vast potential of the cross-border market.

2024年，从武汉体育学院毕业的李润泽，顺利入职广州一家国有企业。转折发生在2025年初，父亲分享的一组中非经贸报道，让他敏锐捕捉到了跨境市场的巨大机遇。

Before him lay two choices: a stable but unchallenging corporate career, or an overseas entrepreneurial path filled with uncertainty yet rich in possibility. After careful consideration, Li set his sights on the momentum of China–Africa cooperation and the untapped opportunities in the East African market. With the support of his parents, he submitted his resignation, packed his bags, and headed to Kenya. In April 2025, he founded his personal fragrance brandBREEZE, determined to bring the scent of Chinese perfume to East Africa.

一边是稳定却缺乏挑战的职场打工人，一边是充满未知却前景广阔的海外创业者。反复权衡后，李润泽看中了中非合作的蓬勃势头与东非市场的空白机遇。在父母的支持下，他毅然递交辞职信，收拾行囊远赴肯尼亚创业。2025年4月，他在非洲创立个人香水品牌“BREEZE”（清风），立志让中国香水香飘东非大地。

From “trial and error” to finding the right path:How a 10-ml perfume sample opened the market

从“踩坑”到“找对路”：10ml香水小样的逆袭

Upon arriving in Kenya, Li’s first challenge was finding the right direction. Without a background in international trade and with only functional English, he encountered repeated setbacks at the start of his venture. He experimented with cross-border businesses such as second-hand clothing, but unfamiliarity with local customs regulations and misjudgments of consumer preferences led to repeated failures.

初到肯尼亚，李润泽面临的第一个难题就是“找方向”。不是外贸专业出身、英语水平仅够日常交流的他，创业伊始便接连“踩坑”。他尝试了二手服装等跨境贸易，但因不熟悉当地海关政策，加之对消费者偏好把握失准，屡战屡败。

The breakthrough came by chance. Li noticed that local demand for perfume was strong, yet products on the market were either overly pungent or overpriced. This mismatch between supply and demand quickly drew his attention to the fragrance sector. Initially, he listed several “dupe” versions of international perfume brands on cross-border platforms, hoping to gain traction. Reality proved sobering: after half a month, his online store received only its first order.Determined to find out why, Li conducted in-depth research among local consumers and identified the core issues—prices were still too high, and customers lacked opportunities to experience the products in person.

转机源于一次偶然发现：当地消费者对香水需求旺盛，但市面产品要么香味刺鼻、要么价格虚高。“需求旺盛但供给错位”的现状，让李润泽将目光迅速转向香水赛道。起初，他在跨境平台上架多款国际大牌平替香水，满心期待能打开市场，现实却给了他一记重击：半个月过去，网店才迎来第一单生意。“问题到底出在哪？”带着疑问，他主动调研当地消费者，摸清症结——定价偏高且缺乏实物体验，导致消费者不愿下单。

To break the deadlock, Li spent nearly three months on offline promotion and field research. He prepared 400 test bottles covering 12 scents, in three sizes: 10 ml, 50 ml, and 100 ml. In China, 10-ml perfumes are usually samples or giveaways and rarely sold separately. Yet during his research, local consumers repeatedly asked, “How much does the 10-ml bottle cost?” As the inquiries mounted, Li realized he might have underestimated the demand for small-size products.

为破局，李润泽耗时近3个月做线下推广和实地调研。他筹备了400瓶测试货品，涵盖12种香型，10ml、50ml、100ml三种规格。在国内，10ml香水多为赠品或非卖品，很少单独定价。可在调研中，李润泽却被当地消费者反复追问：“10ml的香水怎么卖？”随着询问的人越来越多，他突然意识到：“我可能低估了小规格产品的市场需求。”

To test his assumption, Li invited staff from Kilimall—a China–Africa cross-border e-commerce platform—to try the fragrances at its overseas warehouse. At the testing session, exclamations of “Wow!” and “Amazing!” filled the room, and two employees placed orders for 12 bottles on the spot. “They said the scent was fresh, not overpowering, and reasonably priced,” Li recalled. The test not only confirmed the product’s market fit, but also strengthened his resolve to focus on the East African perfume market. Today, what was once a humble perfume sample has become his key to unlocking the local market.

为验证猜想，李润泽邀请中非经贸平台Kilimall（一家专注于中非贸易的跨境电商企业）海外仓员工试香。试香现场，“WOW！”“Amazing！”的赞叹声不断，两名员工当场下单12瓶。“他们说香味清新不刺鼻，价格也合理。”这次测试不仅验证了产品的适配性，更坚定了他深耕东非香水市场的决心。如今，曾经的“香水小样”，已成为打开当地市场的“敲门砖”。

From Product to Marketing: Only Those Who “Understand Africa” Can Win

从产品到营销：“懂非洲”才会赢

After identifying the market potential of 10-ml samples, Li Runze did not stop there. Instead, he turned his attention to deeper product localization.

摸清10ml小样的市场潜力后，李润泽并未止步，而是将目光投向更深层的产品适配。

He found that local consumers favor rich, long-lasting fragrances with floral and fruity notes. Meanwhile, Kenya’s year-round hot and humid climate has created strong demand for sweat-resistant, long-lasting formulas. “Perfume categories are not lacking here—what’s missing are products that truly meet local needs,” Li said. Based on this insight, he quickly adjusted his strategy: in scent profiles, he focused on bold floral and fruity notes to match local preferences; in formulation, he ensured the fragrance would last even in humid conditions; in pricing, he took local purchasing power into account, setting the price of a 10-ml bottle at about 300 Kenyan shillings (around 15 yuan). The cost-effective products quickly gained traction in the market.

李润泽发现，当地消费者偏爱浓郁持久、带有花果香调的香型；同时，肯尼亚常年湿热的气候，让大家对防汗持香配方需求迫切。“这里不缺香水品类，但缺真正契合当地人需求的产品。”基于这一认知，他迅速调整产品策略：在香调上，聚焦浓郁花果香调，契合本土偏好；在配方上，确保香水在湿热环境下仍能持久留香；在定价上，充分考量当地消费能力，10ml的香水定价约300肯尼亚先令（约人民币15元）——高性价比产品迅速打开了市场。

Once the issue of product fit was addressed, Li shifted his focus to marketing reach. Online, he collaborated with local influencers for livestream sales and posted perfume review videos on TikTok, introducing the products in familiar languages and everyday settings. Offline, he launched promotions such as “buy a full-size bottle, get a sample free” and referral rebates, expanding visibility through word-of-mouth within close social networks. On his phone is a selfie from a Kenyan customer, captioned: “The scent from China is amazing.” More than praise for Chinese perfume, it has become a vivid footnote to the global journeys of post-2000s entrepreneurs like Li.

解决“产品适配”问题后，李润泽又将目光投向“营销触达”。线上，他不仅与当地网红合作直播带货，还在TikTok发布香水测评视频，用当地人熟悉的语言和场景介绍产品；线下，推出“买大瓶送小样”“推荐购买返利”等促销活动，用熟人社交裂变的方式扩大影响力。他手机里有一张肯尼亚消费者的自拍，配文是“来自中国的香味，太棒了”。这不仅是非洲消费者对中国香水的肯定，更是像李润泽这样的“00后”最生动的出海注脚。

Today, BREEZE has evolved from an unfamiliar Chinese brand into a daily fragrance choice for local consumers. Its combined online and offline sales now exceed 200 bottles per day, with daily revenue surpassing 60,000 Kenyan shillings.

如今，他的品牌“BREEZE”（清风）已从陌生中国品牌，变成当地人日常的香氛选择。目前，“BREEZE”（清风）线上线下单日销量稳定在200瓶以上，日销售额超6万肯尼亚先令。

From Domestic to Global: The Chinese Strength Behind a “One-Person Company”

从国内到国际：“一人公司”背后的中国力量

“You only truly feel the strength ofMade in Chinaafter going abroad,” Li admitted. The smooth progress of his venture, he said, has depended on the dual support of China’s supply chains and cross-border platforms.

“走出国门，才对‘中国制造’的强大有了实感。”李润泽坦言，他的创业之路能走顺，离不开中国供应链和跨境平台的双重支撑。

On the production side, many parts of Africa lack mature daily-chemical manufacturing and design ecosystems, making it difficult to independently complete the full process from R&D to packaging. By partnering with manufacturers in Guangzhou and other Chinese cities, Li was able to customize fragrance formulas suited to the Kenyan market and design bottles aligned with local aesthetics, giving the products a localized identity. “Chinese factories respond quickly—even small-volume customization like 10-ml bottles can be delivered fast,” he noted.

产品端，非洲多数地区缺乏成熟的日化生产与设计链条，无法实现香水从研发到包装的全流程自主生产。李润泽通过对接广州等地的日化厂家，不仅能定制适配肯尼亚市场的香水配方，还能根据当地审美设计瓶身，赋予产品本土化特色。“国内厂家响应快，10ml小规格的定制需求也能快速满足。”他说。

On the distribution side, Li chose to join Kilimall, a Chinese e-commerce platform founded in Kenya in 2014 and often dubbed the “African version of Taobao.” The platform has built a 20,000-square-meter overseas warehouse and a mature local logistics network, enabling efficient turnover with “48-hour inbound and 24-hour outbound” operations—effectively solving cross-border logistics challenges. “As a first-time overseas entrepreneur, I wasn’t fully confident at the beginning. The platform handled complex issues like logistics, customs clearance, and tax declarations, saving me a lot of trouble,” Li said. With such support, this “newcomer to African entrepreneurship” was able to quickly gain a foothold.

渠道端，李润泽选择入驻2014年在肯尼亚创办的中国电商平台Kilimall——因模式类似国内淘宝被称作“非洲版淘宝”。目前，该平台已建成两万平方米海外仓和成熟的本地物流网络，能实现“48小时入库、24小时出库”的高效周转，有效解决了跨境物流难题。“首次出海创业心里没底，平台帮我搞定了物流、清关、税务申报等复杂事，省了不少心。”李润泽说，平台的支持让他这个“非洲创业新手”快速站稳脚跟。

With his perfume business now running smoothly, Li plans to use Kenya as a starting point to expand into other East African markets, including Uganda and Tanzania.

如今，李润泽的香水事业越做越顺，正计划以肯尼亚为起点，将产品推向乌干达、坦桑尼亚等东非国家。

In recent years, China–Africa trade cooperation has continued to deepen. In 2024, bilateral trade reached $295.6 billion, with China maintaining its position as Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. Driven by the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation, the growing accessibility of cross-border e-commerce platforms, instant communication tools, and cross-border payment systems has enabled more “one-person companies” like Li’s to venture overseas with greater ease—carrying Chinese products and culture as they pursue their dreams across Africa.

近年来，中非贸易合作不断深化。2024年中非贸易额达2956亿美元，中国连续16年保持非洲第一大贸易伙伴国地位。在共建“一带一路”倡议和中非合作论坛的推动下，跨境电商平台、即时通信工具与跨境支付系统的普及，助力越来越多像李润泽这样的“一人公司”轻装上阵闯海外，带着中国产品与文化，在非洲市场逐梦前行。