As a new foreign trade service provider driven by both technology transformation and foreign trade services, HiSiaddi has established a "1+2+3+4=1" service system and can supply DL-menthol from well-known original manufacturers of various brands. As a technology-driven foreign trade enterprise, HiSiaddi has conducted multiple rounds of field inspections of menthol manufacturers relying on technological transformation cooperation with factories, holding objective and in-depth insights into different brands. We regularly analyze various menthol brands and manufacturers for clients to help select matching products. Below is a brand recommendation case.
Contact HiSiaddi customer service for further comparative analysis of brands and models.
NaturaSelect is a leading mid-to-high-end brand in Western Europe specializing in organic throat pharmaceuticals, salon-grade repair skincare essential oils and premium sugar-free functional candies, sold at organic counters of Carrefour France and Paris chain pharmacies. Its raw material access standards comply with EP European Pharmacopoeia, French AFNOR food specifications, COSMOS organic certification and EU REACH chemical regulations. The group previously sourced natural L-menthol imported from Spain long-term. In 2025, it planned to localize raw material supply but lacked familiarity with domestic mainstream menthol brands and grades. After independent inquiries with five top domestic manufacturers: Nantong Menthol Factory, Anhui Fengle Fragrance, Zhejiang NHU, Anhui Yinfeng Pharmaceutical and Haihua Technology, each factory only promoted its own product lines without objective comparison of competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, avoiding horizontal benchmarking. The client received five categories of inconsistent samples leading to chaotic formula testing and stalled brand selection, and entrusted HiSiaddi to neutrally dissect parameter advantages and disadvantages of the five brands for targeted model screening. Finally, two core manufacturers and three matching models were selected, with the first batch of 22.7 tons delivered and an annual long-term order of 78 tons signed.
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Mandatory Raw Material Requirements for Client Product Lines Three differentiated menthol grades were required for three production lines: ① Medicinal Drops (EP Pharmacopoeia Natural L-Menthol): L-menthol purity ≥99.8%, isomenthol ≤0.15%, menthofuran ≤5ppm, zero solvent residues, compatible with oral pharmaceuticals; ② Organic Skincare Essential Oils (Organic Natural Menthol): Plant-extracted source with COSMOS certification, low irritation, uniform crystals compatible with oil-water emulsified formulas; ③ Premium Functional Candies (High-Thermal-Stability Food-Grade Synthetic L-Menthol): Excellent heat resistance with minimal aroma loss after 105°C boiling and moderate cost.
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Drawbacks of One-Sided Manufacturer Promotion After contacting the five manufacturers separately, each only highlighted its own product strengths:
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· Nantong Baimao prioritized natural pharmaceutical-grade menthol without mentioning cost-performance of synthetic series;
· Anhui Fengle focused on organic natural grades without introducing the compatibility advantages of synthetic products for candy formulas;
· NHU emphasized high-purity synthetic L-menthol while downplaying the aroma advantages of natural raw materials;
· Yinfeng Pharmaceutical focused on small-batch customized pharmaceutical grades without comparing mass production stability;
· Haihua Technology promoted economical DL synthetic menthol without explaining the drawbacks of DL-type incompatibility with pharmaceutical formulas. While no manufacturers belittled competitors, they refused to objectively list rival strengths and applicable scenarios. The client received five inconsistent sample batches with uneven lab formula test results, unable to confirm procurement directions, and commissioned HiSiaddi to conduct neutral brand evaluation and model screening.
Combining client formulation standards and EU access regulations, HiSiaddi neutrally analyzed core models of the five brands across six dimensions: raw material source, grade, impurity indicators, aroma characteristics, applicable scenarios, price range and compliance qualifications.
· Core Model 1: Natural EP Pharmacopoeia L-Menthol (Pharmaceutical Crystal Grade): Century-old manufacturing process with raw materials sourced from mint origin regions, stable optical rotation of -49.8~-50.5°, impurity control aligned with EP Pharmacopoeia, suitable for oral pharmaceuticals. Drawbacks: Limited natural production capacity, relatively high unit price with insufficient cost-performance for large-batch candy raw material procurement; no large-scale synthetic production lines.
· Core Model 2: GB Standard Food-Grade Natural Menthol: Applicable to general daily chemicals, failing to meet COSMOS organic standards. Brand Advantages: Complete pharmaceutical qualifications with high recognition by French pharmacies; Disadvantages: Lack of synthetic menthol product lines, longer lead time for bulk orders.
· Core Model 1: COSMOS-Certified Organic Natural L-Menthol: Self-owned Anhui mint plantations with full traceability, zero additive input, heavy metals lead and arsenic <0.2ppm, perfectly matching organic skincare needs.
· Core Model 2: Pharmacopoeia-Grade Natural Menthol: GMP and FDA certified with indicators aligned with European Pharmacopoeia for medicinal drops. Advantages: Comprehensive natural product lines supporting small-batch customized modification; Drawbacks: Limited synthetic menthol production capacity, unit price higher than synthetic manufacturers for bulk candy raw materials.
Core Model: High-Purity Synthetic L-Menthol (High-Thermal-Stability Food Grade): Synthesized from citral with purity 99.7%, excellent thermal stability, minimal aroma loss under high-temperature boiling, ultra-stable batch consistency and low mass production cost, ideal for large-volume candy manufacturing. DL racemic menthol is also available (low-cost general daily chemical grade, unsuitable for pharmaceuticals). Advantages: Ten-thousand-ton production capacity, stable supply and outstanding cost-performance of synthetic products; Drawbacks: No natural plant extraction certification, unable to meet organic skincare and organic food raw material certification requirements.
Core Model: Customized Pharmacopoeia-Grade Natural Menthol with adjustable impurities on demand, specializing in small-batch pharmaceutical customization. Advantages: Flexible small-order customization; Drawbacks: Limited mass production capacity with high bulk unit price, lacking standardized mass-produced food-grade models.
Core Model: DL Racemic Synthetic Menthol (General Daily Chemical Grade): Lowest cost, yet racemic with weak cooling efficiency and trace by-products, failing EP Pharmacopoeia and COSMOS organic certification, only applicable to low-end daily chemicals. Advantages: Ultra-low price; Drawbacks: Incompatible with the client’s pharmaceutical and organic skincare product lines.
Based on client demand for medicinal drops, organic skincare and premium candies, Yinfeng (insufficient mass production capacity) and Haihua (substandard grade) were eliminated. Two mid-to-high-end manufacturers – Anhui Fengle Fragrance and Zhejiang NHU – were selected with three segmented models for dedicated matching:
① Fengle EP Pharmacopoeia Natural L-Menthol (Medicinal Grade I): Exclusively for French medicinal throat drops, fully compliant with EP Pharmacopoeia with complete COA, SDS and LFGB compliance documents, impurity control meeting EU oral raw material access standards. ② Fengle COSMOS Organic Natural L-Menthol (Skincare Grade II): Organic traceability certified with low irritation, compatible with salon skincare essential oil emulsified formulas, no crystal precipitation under low-temperature storage and no redness/stinging upon topical application.
NHU High-Thermal-Stability Synthetic L-Menthol (Food Grade III): High-purity levorotatory synthetic grade (non-DL racemic), aroma loss ≤6.5% after 30 minutes of 105°C boiling, ultra-stable mass production and procurement cost 32% lower than natural raw materials, ideal for the client’s sugar-free candy mass production.
1. HiSiaddi coordinated 5kg sample delivery of corresponding models from both manufacturers, attached with French-English test reports and compliance qualification documents. The client’s French laboratory conducted formula testing across three production lines:
· Medicinal Drops: Fengle pharmacopoeia grade showed no crystal precipitation after 60 days of cold storage, passing French pharmaceutical inspection;
· Skincare Essential Oils: Fengle organic grade delivered zero skin sensitization and long-lasting cooling retention in finished products;
· Candies: NHU high-thermal-stability grade produced no recrystallization or agglomeration during boiling with compliant cooling intensity.
1. First batch procurement totaled 22.7 tons: 8.2 tons Fengle medicinal grade, 7.5 tons Fengle organic skincare grade, 7 tons NHU food candy grade. Full containers were shipped from Shanghai Port to Le Havre Port, with smooth customs clearance and warehousing supported by complete REACH, COSMOS and EP qualification documents. All finished products manufactured from the raw materials passed French supermarket and pharmaceutical inspection and launched successfully. An annual framework procurement order of 78 tons was subsequently confirmed, scheduled in 10 monthly batches.
1. Avoided low-quality DL racemic products and non-standard grades via HiSiaddi’s neutral evaluation, finalizing fully matching raw materials for all product lines in one go and eliminating repeated sample testing costs.
2. Adopted dual sourcing of natural and synthetic raw materials: premium natural grades for pharmaceuticals and skincare, cost-effective synthetic grades for candies, cutting overall procurement costs by 35% versus Spanish imports and realizing diversified, controllable supply chains.
Escaped isolated price competition between individual manufacturers, accessing three major application channels (pharmaceuticals, organic skincare, premium food) via one high-end cross-border client. Premium grades command a 28%–33% premium over standard bulk goods, with subsequent orders secured from comparable brands in Belgium and the Netherlands based on this client’s qualification.
Established a database of five domestic menthol brand grades plus a matching table for European mid-to-high-end client brand selection, forming integrated services of neutral brand evaluation, sample coordination and compliance support. Subsequent menthol brand selection projects were secured from organic food and pharmaceutical enterprises in the Netherlands and Italy.
1. Industry Pain Points: Domestic fragrance manufacturers prioritize selling their own products and refuse objective comparison of competitor strengths and weaknesses driven by sales targets. Mid-to-high-end European clients operate segmented product lines requiring distinct raw material grades, with major gaps between natural/synthetic, levorotatory/racemic, organic/pharmacopoeia indicators. Single-manufacturer recommendations easily lead to mismatched raw materials and scrapped finished goods.
2. Procurement Characteristics of Mid-to-High-End Clients: Raw materials are tied to pharmaceutical supervision and organic supermarket shelf access qualifications. Losses from misaligned raw material selection far exceed raw material price gaps, requiring neutral third-party horizontal brand evaluation, with raw material compatibility prioritized over low prices.
3. Core Value of HiSiaddi: Based on end-product formulation demand, break the barrier of one-sided manufacturer promotion, neutrally dissect advantages and disadvantages of leading domestic brands, accurately allocate matching raw material models for multi-product lines and deliver full-cycle brand selection solutions in one stop.
Contact HiSiaddi customer service for further comparative analysis of brands and models.
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info@hisiaddi.com 
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