Beyond Pineapple Cakes: Unique Taiwan Souvenirs to Take Home
Besides the famous pineapple cake, what other products make great souvenirs and can help you bring home a special memory of Taiwan?
Taiwan is rich in unique natural ingredients that can be turned into all kinds of everyday products. One of the most common categories is personal care products, especially soaps, shampoos, and bath products. Many Taiwanese brands make use of local ingredients to develop unique products that are practical, affordable, long-lasting, and distinctly Taiwanese.
Whether you buy them for yourself or as gifts for family and friends, these products can bring a little touch of Taiwan into everyday life. Here are six Taiwanese brands that use local ingredients and manufacture their products in Taiwan, along with some of their unique gift sets and products.
1.mooni ( 沐澧 )
Have you ever used soap made with coffee grounds and Gelidium amansii?
Founded by two partners who are passionate about environmental sustainability, the local brand mooni is based in Keelung, northern Taiwan. Combining their backgrounds in research, development, and manufacturing, they use coffee grounds and Gelidium amansii, a seaweed abundant along the coast of Keelung, to create gentle, minimally processed handmade soaps.
Sustainability is considered throughout the entire product design process. The packaging avoids unnecessary decoration and uses naturally biodegradable plant-fiber boxes. The brand has also developed a water-resistant double-layer metal tin, making the soap much easier to carry while traveling.
✎Fun fact about Gelidium amansii : Gelidium amansii is an economically important seaweed. After being cleaned, dried, and boiled, it can be used to make the edible jelly known as aiyu jelly. It grows mainly in subtropical and temperate waters, with Taiwan’s northern coastline being one of its major habitats.
Gift Set Includes:
1 × 100 g Gelidium amansii Handmade Soap
1 × 100 g Coffee Grounds Handmade Soap
1 × Black Foaming Net
2.YANCUI ( 塩萃 )
Can salt be used to wash your body?
Southern Taiwan has a long history of salt production. The salt-refining factory in Beimen, Tainan, was originally one of four major salt-refining factories operating during the Japanese colonial period. As market demand changed, the factory was transformed into a tourist attraction, eventually becoming the inspiration behind the YANCUI brand.
Making use of locally sourced ingredients, YANCUI has developed a variety of everyday products using sea salt. From toothpaste and shampoo to body wash, you may be surprised by just how many ways salt can be incorporated into daily personal care products.
The brand continues to develop new salt-based products, making YANCUI a distinctive souvenir for travelers looking for something uniquely Taiwanese.
Gift Set Includes:
10-piece Mouthwash Set × 1
Sea Salt Shampoo Cream × 2
3.Teapower ( 茶寶 )
A brand born from a husband’s desire to care for his wife.
The founder of Teapower, Mr. Ding, discovered that tea seeds contain tea seed oil, which has moisturizing properties that can help soothe dry and irritated skin. His wife frequently came into contact with chemical cleaning products and suffered from dry, itchy, and cracked hands.
Drawing on his background in chemical engineering, he began developing natural and practical household products using tea seeds as the main ingredient. Today, Teapower offers a wide range of products, from household cleaning products to personal care items.
The brand emphasizes formulations without artificial colors or fragrances, as well as without chemical thickeners or preservatives, making it a great choice for those who prefer plant-based cleaning and personal care products.
✎Fun fact about Tea seeds :Tea seeds are the seeds of tea plants or oil-tea camellia trees. They are commonly used to produce oil or make natural cleaning products.
Gift Set Includes:
Yuzu-Scented Light Tea Seed Shampoo, 350 ml × 1
Yuzu-Scented Soothing Tea Seed Body Wash, 350 ml × 1
Tea Enzyme SPA Massage Soap × 1
4.Ulysia ( 歐麗雅 )
Cinnamomum osmophloeum, commonly known as Taiwan cinnamon, is a plant native to Taiwan. Unlike conventional cinnamon, whose essential oil is mainly extracted from the bark, both the bark and leaves of Taiwan cinnamon contain essential oils. Its composition is also relatively simple.
Taiwan cinnamon essential oil has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and has traditionally been used in Taiwan for preservation, food applications, and household cleaning products.
Ulysia uses a low-temperature water extraction technique to extract the essence of Taiwan cinnamon and incorporates it into natural body-care products. One of its signature products is its Taiwan Cinnamon Shampoo, which is designed to deeply cleanse and condition the scalp while helping hair feel stronger and fuller.
Gift Set Includes:
Scalp Care Shampoo – Rose Essential Oil, 250 ml × 1
Scalp Care Shampoo – Lemon & Cedarwood Essential Oils, 250 ml × 1
Taiwan Cinnamon & Lemon Hair Tonic, 60 ml × 1
5. Dachun Soap ( 大春煉皂 )
A famous Taiwanese soap brand with more than a century of history.
Dachun was originally established by a Japanese founder in Dadaocheng, Taipei. After the Japanese left Taiwan, the business was taken over by Taiwanese entrepreneur Li Tu-shui and has now been passed down to the third generation.
Dachun draws inspiration from everyday life and local Taiwanese culture when developing its soaps. Ingredients and themes include cucumber, bamboo charcoal, and Taiwan cypress. The brand also puts great thought into its packaging, incorporating traditional Taiwanese elements such as patterned tiles and Indigenous motifs.
From its ingredients to its visual design, Dachun embodies a strong sense of local Taiwanese identity.
Gift Set Includes:
Floral Jade Crystal Amino Acid Soapx1
Translucent Jade Crystal Amino Acid Soapx1
Cleansing Facial Konjac Spongex1
6.Cha Tzu Tang (茶籽堂 )
From Taiwan’s traditional cooking oil to everyday body care.
Camellia oil, made by pressing the seeds of the camellia tree, is highly heat-resistant and is ideal for Taiwan’s stir-fry cooking. It is also rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and is widely regarded by Taiwanese people as a healthy cooking oil.But camellia oil has uses beyond the kitchen.
Founded in 2004, Cha Tzu Tang built its brand around promoting the value of camellia oil. In addition to edible camellia oil, the brand has developed a wide range of products for hair care, body care, and home fragrance.
To maintain consistent quality, Cha Tzu Tang works with contracted farming areas in Yilan, Hualien, and Chiayi, using 100% Taiwan-grown seeds to produce high-quality camellia oil.
These products are more than just souvenirs. They offer a way to take a little piece of Taiwan’s natural ingredients, local culture, and everyday life home with you.
Gift Set Includes:
Mulberry Bark Repair Shampoo, 300 ml × 1
Lotus Leaf Refreshing Body Wash, 300 ml × 1
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