Xin Xiang Yin (Chinese: 心相印; pinyin: Xīn Xiāng Yìn) is a prominent household tissue and personal-care paper brand owned by Hengan Group (恒安集团). Established in 1996, it has grown to become one of the parent company’s most recognisable consumer brands, offering a wide range of products including facial tissues, pocket tissues, toilet paper, kitchen towels, and wet wipes. The brand distinguishes itself in the competitive tissue market by combining functional product performance with an emotional identity centred on softness, hygiene, comfort, and interpersonal care.

The name Xin Xiang Yin literally translates to “hearts resonating with each other” or “hearts connected”, reflecting a branding strategy that positions tissue not merely as a utilitarian commodity but as a medium of everyday affection. This approach is encapsulated in its long-standing slogan, “不止柔韧，爱在心相印” (“More than strength and softness; love is in Xin Xiang Yin”), which has been central to its communication since inception.

Xin Xiang Yin was launched as part of Hengan Group’s expansion into China’s household paper sector during the 1990s. While Hengan itself was founded in 1985 and had already developed major brands in feminine hygiene and baby care, the creation of Xin Xiang Yin marked its strategic entry into the tissue category. Its development coincided with a significant shift in Chinese consumer behaviour, as buyers increasingly moved from unbranded bulk paper to packaged, branded household products.

Rather than competing solely on price, Xin Xiang Yin built its market position by emphasising superior raw materials, manufacturing technology, and emotional resonance. The brand focused on attributes such as skin comfort, wet strength, and attractive packaging, while simultaneously associating its products with themes of family care, tenderness, and companionship. This dual focus on tangible quality and intangible emotional value helped establish it as a premium option in the domestic market.

Xin Xiang Yin operates as a core brand under Hengan Group (formally Hengan International / 福建恒安集团), rather than as an independent corporation. Headquartered in Anhai Town, Jinjiang, Fujian Province, Hengan was established in 1985 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1998. It has since evolved into one of China’s largest manufacturers of personal hygiene and household paper products.

The group’s portfolio includes Xin Xiang Yin alongside other well-known brands such as Space7 (七度空间) and various baby and adult care lines. Hengan’s corporate mission, “追求健康，你我一起成长” (“Pursuing health, growing together”), underscores its focus on quality and continuous innovation. Within this ecosystem, Xin Xiang Yin serves as the flagship household paper brand, complementing the group’s other personal care categories.

The brand name comprises three Chinese characters: 心 (heart), 相 (mutually), and 印 (imprint). Collectively, they convey the sense of hearts being mutually understood or connected. This semantic foundation is particularly relevant for a tissue brand, as the product is often used in intimate moments of care, such as wiping a child’s face, comforting someone in distress, or attending to personal hygiene.

Consequently, Xin Xiang Yin’s branding has historically placed as much emphasis on “care” as on the physical properties of the paper. The tagline “More than softness and strength; love is in Xin Xiang Yin” reinforces this positioning, framing the product as an expression of affection rather than just a cleaning tool. This emotional differentiation sets it apart from purely functional or budget-oriented competitors.

Xin Xiang Yin maintains a diverse product portfolio designed to meet various household and personal needs:

• Facial and box tissues: Core products emphasising softness, absorbency, and suitability for daily facial use.
• Pocket tissues: Portable packs designed for handbags and travel, available in standard, premium, and fragranced variants.
• Toilet tissue: Bathroom rolls engineered for a balance of softness, strength, and absorbency.
• Kitchen paper: Towels specifically designed for household cleaning, prioritising wet strength and absorption capacity.
• Wet wipes: Hygienic wet wipes that have received recognition under China’s “Enterprise Standard Leader” programme.

Over the years, Xin Xiang Yin has introduced several distinct product lines that cater to specific consumer preferences and technological advancements.

Tea Language (茶语系列)

Launched in 2015, the Tea Language series is one of the brand’s most recognisable families. It combines tissue functionality with tea-inspired aesthetics and fragrances. The line is noted for its embossing technology, which enhanced both the tactile experience and visual appeal of the product.

Cloud-Feel Soft Skin (云感柔肤)

Introduced in 2019, this range focuses on extreme softness and tactile comfort. It features a proprietary three-dimensional embossing concept described as “cloud-feel”, designed to create a plush texture that differentiates it from standard tissues.

Pino (品诺)

Pino targets the premium segment of the market, characterised by refined packaging and superior material quality. It appeals to consumers seeking a more sophisticated tissue experience.

Velvet Cube (绒立方)

Launched in 2023, Velvet Cube represents a significant technological milestone for the brand. It is produced using Through-Air Drying (TAD) technology, where hot air passes through the paper web during drying. According to Hengan, this process results in substantially greater bulk and absorbency compared to conventional tissues, claiming approximately twice the bulk and twelve times the water absorption of standard products.

A central pillar of Xin Xiang Yin’s recent strategy is the emphasis on 100% virgin wood pulp (100%原生木浆). In March 2024, Hengan announced a “good tissue” initiative aimed at making virgin wood pulp a visible and trusted quality indicator. Packaging for dry-tissue products now carries a specific identification mark to signal this attribute to consumers who may otherwise struggle to judge paper quality visually.

Additionally, the brand states that its tissues are manufactured without fluorescent whitening agents or talc, reinforcing its commitment to safety and purity. This focus on raw material integrity serves as a key differentiator in a market where fibre composition can vary significantly between brands.

Xin Xiang Yin’s evolution has been driven by manufacturing technology as much as by marketing. Key innovations include:

• Embossing technology: Used across ranges to enhance texture, softness, and visual distinction.
• Three-dimensional embossing: Specifically employed in the Cloud-Feel series to maximise tactile softness.
• TAD technology: Utilised in the Velvet Cube range to achieve high bulk and absorbency structures.
• Virgin wood pulp sourcing: Integrated as a fundamental quality standard for dry tissues.

This integration of advanced production methods with consumer-facing quality claims allows the brand to maintain a competitive edge based on both performance and perception.

Xin Xiang Yin’s advertising rarely focuses exclusively on technical specifications. Instead, campaigns frequently explore themes of family, romance, friendship, protection, and everyday happiness. By portraying tissue as a small physical gesture of caring, the brand aligns its communications directly with the meaning of its name.

This sentimental approach contrasts with many Western household paper brands that tend to prioritise functional benefits like strength or sheet count. In the Chinese cultural context, however, this emotional narrative resonates deeply, helping Xin Xiang Yin occupy a unique space where utility meets affection.

Celebrity Endorsement: Xiao Zhan

In 2022, Xin Xiang Yin appointed Chinese actor and singer Xiao Zhan (肖战) as a brand spokesperson, later elevating him to global brand spokesperson. Collaborations continued through 2023 and 2024, featuring promotions for the Pino range and the 100% virgin wood pulp campaign.

The partnership strategically links Xiao Zhan’s public image with the brand’s core values of softness, warmth, and companionship. Given his substantial and highly engaged fanbase, this endorsement has significantly amplified Xin Xiang Yin’s visibility among younger demographics and international audiences beyond traditional household product advertising channels.

Xin Xiang Yin is positioned above budget-tier tissues, competing instead on brand equity, perceived quality, product variety, and technological innovation. Hengan describes it as a leading brand in China’s household paper industry.

In 2024, the brand was ranked 89th in the reported “2024 Top 100 Annual Brands” list, notably being the only household paper brand included in that ranking. Hengan also stated that Xin Xiang Yin had served more than 390 million users, illustrating its massive scale. These figures are company-reported and should be understood as corporate claims rather than independently verified market share data.

Xin Xiang Yin reflects a broader maturation of China’s consumer goods sector. Historically treated as a commodity where price and sheet count were the primary decision factors, tissue has evolved into a segmented category. Xin Xiang Yin facilitated this shift by offering differentiated options ranging from economical to premium, fragranced to technologically advanced.

Simultaneously, the brand embedded these functional choices within an emotional framework. By making tissue part of a narrative about interpersonal care, it transformed a mundane purchase into an act of consideration, distinguishing it from purely utilitarian alternatives.

Hengan has linked Xin Xiang Yin to sustainability initiatives, stating that its manufacturing approach considers responsible practices in supplier selection, material production, and equipment efficiency. The brand has participated in environmental programmes aligned with these goals.

However, it is important to distinguish between corporate sustainability claims and independent verification. For instance, while 100% virgin wood pulp is marketed as a quality attribute, it does not inherently imply a lower environmental footprint compared to recycled-fibre alternatives. Consumers evaluating environmental impact should consider these distinctions.

Although fundamentally a Chinese domestic brand, Xin Xiang Yin is available internationally through overseas Chinese grocery stores and e-commerce platforms. Its presence is most visible in markets with significant Chinese-speaking or East Asian communities.

On international retail platforms, the English rendering “Xin Xiang Yin” is often used alongside the Chinese characters 心相印, which remain the core brand identifier. Shoppers should note that Xin Xiang Yin refers specifically to the Hengan Group household paper brand and should not be confused with unrelated entities sharing similar romanisations.

• 1985: Hengan Group is established.
• 1996: Xin Xiang Yin is launched as a Hengan household paper brand.
• 1998: Hengan International lists on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
• 2015: Tea Language (茶语丝享) series launches with innovative embossing.
• 2019: Cloud-Feel Soft Skin (云感柔肤) introduces 3D embossing technology.
• 2022: Xiao Zhan appointed as brand spokesperson.
• 2023: Velvet Cube (绒立方) launches using TAD technology.
• 2024: “Good tissue” strategy emphasising 100% virgin wood pulp is announced.
• 2024: Ranked 89th in “2024 Top 100 Annual Brands”; first household paper brand on the list.

Xin Xiang Yin can be characterised as warm, gentle, reliable, clean, family-oriented, increasingly premium, and technologically progressive. Its differentiation operates across multiple layers:

• Functional: Hygiene, absorbency, strength.
• Quality: Virgin wood pulp, softness, advanced manufacturing.
• Premium: Specialised series, sophisticated packaging, TAD technology.
• Emotional: Love, tenderness, companionship, care.
• Cultural: A distinctly Chinese interpretation of everyday familial and interpersonal affection.

Ultimately, Xin Xiang Yin is best understood not simply as a tissue manufacturer, but as Hengan’s flagship emotional household paper brand—using the concept of connected hearts to transform an everyday commodity into a product associated with care, quality, and intimacy.