566 (brand)

566 is a Taiwanese hair care brand best known for its shampoo products. Introduced in 1973 by the Nice Group, the brand is widely regarded as one of Taiwan's longest-running domestic shampoo brands and played a significant role in the transition of Taiwan's hair-care market from powders and soaps to liquid shampoos during the 1970s and 1980s.

The brand name "566" is commonly interpreted as a phonetic reference to the Mandarin phrase "wū liōu liōu" (烏溜溜), meaning "jet black and shiny", reflecting traditional East Asian beauty ideals associated with healthy hair.

566 is frequently cited in Taiwanese popular culture as a representative example of postwar domestic consumer brands. Early advertising campaigns are noted for blending Western-style aesthetics with local cultural references, contributing to the normalization of shampoo use in everyday life. Scholars of Taiwanese media and advertising history have identified 566 as part of a broader shift toward television-driven brand building in the 1970s, a period that coincided with rising household incomes and expanding consumer culture.^[1]

Prior to the 1970s, hair washing practices in Taiwan primarily relied on soap, shampoo powders, or traditional materials such as tê-khoo (茶箍). Liquid shampoo products were limited in availability and largely imported, marketed at relatively high prices and often sold through professional salons rather than mass retail channels.^[2]

In the early 1970s, multinational brands such as Clairol entered the Taiwanese market, introducing Western-style liquid shampoos and television-based advertising. These products helped familiarize consumers with the concept of shampoo but remained inaccessible to many due to cost.

According to company accounts and contemporary media reports, Nice Group developed 566 shampoo in 1973. Early sales were modest, as shampoo powders continued to dominate the market.^[3] The brand gained wider recognition in 1977 following a television advertising campaign featuring actress Chen Sally, which emphasized fragrance, hair shine, and aspirational beauty imagery. The campaign is often cited in Taiwanese advertising histories as one of the first locally produced shampoo commercials to achieve nationwide impact. During this period, a 250 ml (8.8 imp fl oz; 8.5 US fl oz) bottle of 566 shampoo was priced at approximately NT$50, positioning it as a premium household product relative to average monthly incomes at the time.^[4]

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, increasing competition between domestic and international shampoo brands accelerated the adoption of liquid shampoos in Taiwan. 566 distinguished itself through product claims emphasizing added lecithin, packaging design, and mass-market availability.^[5] The brand became one of the most recognizable domestic shampoo names during what Taiwanese media later described as the "local-versus-foreign" competition era in consumer goods. Despite increased competition following trade liberalization and the entry of multinational companies in the 1980s and 1990s, 566 remained part of Nice Group's core product portfolio.^[6]

The 566 brand has now expanded beyond its original shampoo offering to include a range of hair care products, including conditioners, hair treatments, and hair coloring products. Over time, product lines have been adjusted to align with changing consumer preferences, such as fragrance-focused shampoos, silicone-free formulations, and products marketed for hair loss prevention or volume enhancement. In the 2020s, certain 566 products gained renewed visibility through e-commerce platforms and cross-strait online retail in the Chinese market.^[7]

• Official website