Annual Sales Exceed 100 Million! How This Chinese Mouthwash Brand Became TikTok Indonesia’s Top-Selling Product in Just One Year

 In the fiercely competitive consumer goods market, a brand established just three years ago has achieved annual sales of over 100 million in Indonesia, becoming the top online mouthwash brand in the country.

So, how did this incredible startup achieve such rapid success?

Founded in 2021, Metoo ventured into the Southeast Asian market in 2022, specializing in mouthwash. The brand quickly rose from obscurity to prominence in Indonesia within a single year. Today, Metoo is recognized as a premium mouthwash brand widely available offline in Indonesia.

Since launching on TikTok, Metoo has sold over 2.2 million units, with a total GMV exceeding 943 billion Indonesian Rupiah (approximately 42 million RMB).

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Mouthwash is far from a niche market in Southeast Asia. At that time, major brands like Listerine and local brand Total Care had already established a strong presence in Indonesia. Listerine held 80% of the offline market share and had been deeply rooted in the Indonesian market for nearly 20 years, creating strong channel barriers and brand recognition.

For Metoo to break through in such a competitive market, it was not an unprepared battle. Its success is traceable.

01 Insights from the Competitive Market: How a Small Mouthwash Became a Hit in Southeast Asia

After examining the European, American, and Southeast Asian markets, Metoo decided to focus on Indonesia. TikTok had recently launched in Indonesia, making it an ideal time for sellers to enter the market. At that time, the Indonesian market was dominated by international brands like Listerine offline, and no mouthwash brands were present online. Established mouthwash brands rarely engaged in online marketing.

Before entering this market, Metoo conducted thorough research. They discovered a high demand for oral care among Indonesians and identified unique local needs during product development.

Indonesia has over 50,000 dental clinics serving a population of 270 million. In comparison, China has only 40,000 clinics for its 1.4 billion people, indicating a higher demand for oral care in Indonesia.

This higher demand can be attributed to the fact that over 87.2% of Indonesians are Muslim, making it the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. The religious emphasis on cleanliness significantly increases the need for mouthwash compared to Western countries.

During Ramadan, when eating is prohibited during the day and cleanliness must be maintained, bad breath can become an issue. Therefore, Indonesians clean their mouths multiple times a day, leading to a surge in mouthwash demand. On average, individuals use 3-4 bottles of 250ml mouthwash per month.

While the Indonesian mouthwash market appears stable and saturated, traditional brands often have issues such as being too strong, containing alcohol, and having limited packaging and flavor options. In response, Metoo introduced flavors like white peach and lemon, adopted Korean-inspired packaging, and focused on marketing points like "teeth whitening" rather than competing on "antibacterial" claims. Their mouthwash features probiotics and is alcohol-free, catering to Muslims who avoid alcohol, thus making it more appealing.

Indonesian youth place a high emphasis on teeth whitening, so Metoo developed a mouthwash specifically for whitening to meet the needs of the younger generation.

These thoughtful designs made Metoo popular among the new generation in Indonesia and allowed for higher pricing, even 30% more than international brand Listerine. Despite the higher price, Metoo has been well-received by consumers.

According to EchoTik data, in the past 30 days, Metoo’s Indonesian store @metooofficial1 sold over 10,000 units, generating a GMV of approximately 720 million Indonesian Rupiah (about 320,000 RMB).

Last month's top-selling product was their whitening mouthwash, with over 6,800 units sold in one month. Since its launch, this product has sold 162,000 units on TikTok.

Besides product differentiation, what else has Metoo done right?

02 From Generic to Premium: Metoo's O+O Integrated Marketing Strategy

 Despite international brands dominating the Southeast Asian market for nearly 20 years, their presence on social media has been minimal, relying primarily on offline marketing channels. This opened the door for Metoo to build brand awareness online.

By replicating domestic "Douyin brand" marketing strategies, Metoo created online buzz before expanding offline. They leveraged influencers and celebrities on social media to highlight product differentiation and promote a new lifestyle, quickly extending their reach to offline channels. This strategy elevated Metoo to a premium brand status in Indonesia.

The recent surge of TikTok in Southeast Asia provided Metoo with a market entry point. They aimed to replicate the success of domestic brands on Douyin in Southeast Asia.

On TikTok, Metoo's official account boasts over 850,000 followers and 7.2 million likes. The content focuses on product showcases and user experiences, primarily related to teeth whitening.

According to Echotik, Metoo has collaborated with over 1,500 influencers on TikTok, posting more than 3,800 videos. In the past month alone, they added 194 new influencers, with influencer sales accounting for approximately 30% of GMV.

The highest-selling video came from @ninditaputri_, a small Indonesian influencer with 7,900 followers. 

Her 14-second video garnered over 100,000 views and an estimated 26,000 sales.

Metoo’s official account has hosted over 1,500 live broadcasts, focusing on product introductions and offering discounts. During major promotions, especially around Eid, they increased their marketing efforts, resulting in a 4-5 times growth in sales during live streams. Currently, live stream sales account for about 30% of their total revenue.

The online success seamlessly transitioned to offline channels. In Indonesia, offline retail is highly concentrated, with Alfamart and Indomaret operating 40,000 stores, capturing 65% of the retail market.

Leveraging their online momentum, Metoo became the top-selling mouthwash brand on TikTok and quickly expanded to offline stores. In just one year, they penetrated 80,000 retail locations, achieving monthly sales of over 10 million RMB, making them one of the top three international mouthwash brands offline.

While Indonesians predominantly shop offline, online marketing has laid a solid foundation for Metoo's offline success.

 Following their mouthwash success, Metoo expanded into skincare, launching new products to broaden their range and replicating their previous strategy. They are also extending this approach to other Southeast Asian countries, such as the Philippines and Thailand.

Metoo’s rapid success stems from replicating proven domestic strategies with localized product adaptations. This synergy of online and offline efforts has significantly boosted brand recognition.

This methodology has been emulated by numerous Chinese companies expanding overseas, and it is expected that more new Chinese brands will achieve accelerated success in the future.