DaddyLab SaFety Test in China

DaddyLab (老爸评测): A Simple Look at China’s Consumer Safety Testing Company

DaddyLab, https://daddylab.com/ known in Chinese as 老爸评测, is a company based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. Its full name is Hangzhou Laoba Pingshe Technology Co., Ltd. It started in 2015 as a social enterprise.

The company tests everyday products for safety, shares the results with the public, sells safe products online, and works on better safety rules. It has more than 55 million fans across apps like WeChat, Douyin, and Bilibili. Over ten years it has done more than 3,000 product tests, spent about 95 million RMB on testing, and helped shape 47 safety standards.

The goal is simple: find hidden dangers in things people use every day and help families stay safe.

How It All Started

The founder is Wei Wenfeng, also called Wei Lao Ba. He was born around 1976 and studied physics at Zhejiang University. After school he worked for about ten years at the Zhejiang Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau doing product safety tests. Later he became an expert on chemical safety rules from Europe.

In 2015 his young daughter used a plastic book cover that worried him. He paid for lab tests himself and found high levels of phthalates, which can harm health. He made a video about it. The video got more than 15 million views and started a big talk across China about hidden chemicals in kids’ things.

Wei left his good job, which paid around one million RMB a year, to work on this full time in 2016. He began with a WeChat account called 老爸评测 and shared test results openly. At first money was tight, so fans helped with small investments, about 2 million RMB. This personal story of a dad wanting to protect his child is still at the heart of the company.

Key Moments Over the Years

2015: Started after the book cover tests. 2016: Wei worked full time, fans gave money to keep it going, and the online shop for safe products opened. They also showed problems with plastic running tracks in schools. 2017 to 2018: Found harmful chemicals in children’s watch bands, which led to new rules in Shenzhen. The company grew on social media and in sales. 2019 to 2020: Online sales passed 100 million RMB. They kept sharing test results and helped during the pandemic with donations. 2021 to 2022: Built their own lab with good equipment, costing more than 38 million RMB. They offered many free tests for the public. Wei won an award as a social entrepreneur. The company became a joint stock company. 2023 to 2025: Added services like home checks for formaldehyde. They kept testing and sharing results. In 2025 they moved into a new office building. Fans reached 55.29 million. They did 756 new pieces of content and billions of views.

By 2025 the team had about 400 people. They had joined work on 47 safety standards and given about 4 million RMB in donations through a fan fund.

How the Company Makes Money and Key Numbers

The company runs several parts that support each other. The main testing work for the public often costs money, so other parts pay for it.

Main ways they earn:

• Online shop: They sell only products that pass their tests. Shops are on Taobao, Douyin live sales, and other places. Everything shows the test reports. In 2016 the shop made about 10 million RMB. In 2017 it made more than 40 million RMB. By 2020 the shop alone passed 100 million RMB with over 3,000 products. This is still the biggest part of their income.
• Paid testing for companies: Brands pay them to test products.
• Content and videos: They make videos and posts that reach many people and build trust.
• New services: Like checks for home renovation and product ranking lists in their app.

Key numbers:

• Fans: More than 55 million across all apps.
• Content reach: Very high. In some years they had tens of billions of views. In 2025 they made 756 new items and got billions of views.
• Tests done: More than 3,000 in ten years. They spent nearly 95 million RMB on tests. In 2024 they spent more than 3 million RMB just buying products in secret to test, and total test costs were about 19.8 million RMB. In 2021 they tested 6,028 items, spent over 620,000 RMB, and more than 140,000 people joined free tests. In 2025 they did 4,377 tests.
• Standards: Joined 47 rules for safer products.
• Lab: They built their own lab with advanced machines.
• Donations: About 4 million RMB total to help people.

These numbers show they do a lot of work and reach many people while keeping the testing going.

How They Test Products

They pick products based on what fans ask about, things that often cause problems, or items brands pay to check. They buy products without the seller knowing, or get samples from companies.

Steps are straightforward:

• Look for possible dangers like chemicals in plastics, formaldehyde in cleaners, heavy metals in jewelry, or bacteria in food and drinks.
• Send samples to labs, including their own lab with good machines for finding small amounts of bad stuff. They follow Chinese rules and some international ones.
• Write clear reports with the numbers and what it means. For the shop they only sell items that pass.
• Sometimes they also check factories or where things come from.

They also run free tests for the public sometimes, like checking if sunscreen is real or if cream has mercury. Results are not perfect for every single item, but they use real lab work and have helped change rules and get bad products off shelves.

What They Have Changed

Their tests have led to real improvements:

• Book covers: After their work, makers used safer materials and schools got new guidelines.
• Plastic running tracks: Their findings on bad chemicals helped create a stricter national rule in 2018 that protects kids in schools.
• Children’s watches: Led to limits on harmful chemicals in bands.
• Cosmetics: Helped make new ways to test if creams really work as claimed.
• Other cases: Found hormones in baby creams, heavy metals in fake silver jewelry, bacteria in ice at drink shops, and more. Many times brands pulled products or faced checks.

They have made people more aware and pushed companies and rules to get better. They also do free education and give money to good causes.

Problems and Questions People Have

Some people worry because the company tests products and also sells them. They ask if money from sales affects the tests. There have been lawsuits with brands and times when fans left during arguments. Some online talks question how they pick standards or samples.

The company says the tests they do for the public stay independent. Sales of safe products help pay for the expensive public tests that would stop without the money. They have won some legal cases and keep sharing open reports every year. They still test big brands and show problems. Like any company that tests and sells, it is good to check facts from other places too when it matters a lot.

Common Questions

1. What do they test? Everyday things like toys, baby items, skin creams, clothes, jewelry, cleaners, and sports surfaces. They look for bad chemicals, bacteria, wrong claims, and safety risks.
2. How do they choose what to test? Fans suggest items on social apps. They also watch for things that often have problems or that companies pay to check. They buy samples without telling sellers for public tests.
3. Is testing free? Tests they share with everyone and some free checks are free. Companies pay for their own tests. Money from the shop helps pay for the free public work.
4. Are the results good? They use real labs and follow set rules from China and other places. Their own lab has strong machines. Results have led to rule changes, but they test samples, not every single item ever made.
5. Why do they sell products? To pay for the testing and videos that help people. They only sell things that pass tests and show the reports. This keeps the public testing going.
6. Can people trust them? They have done important work for ten years that changed rules and helped many families. Millions follow them. But because they sell things too, it is smart to check other sources for big decisions.
7. Do they have their own lab? Yes. They built one with good equipment that cost more than 38 million RMB. It helps them test faster and better.
8. Have they changed any rules? Yes. They helped with rules for book covers, running tracks, watch bands, and ways to test creams. They joined 47 standards in total.
9. What are some big examples? Book covers got safer. Running tracks got a new national rule. They found hormones in some creams and heavy metals in jewelry. Many products were removed or checked after their reports.
10. How can someone join or ask for a test? Leave ideas on their WeChat or Douyin. They sometimes offer free checks through their app. Companies can pay for tests. People can follow their posts or buy from their shop.
11. How big is the team now? About 400 people in 2024. They make videos, run labs, sell online, and work on rules.
12. What about arguments against them? Some say the mix of testing and selling is a problem. The company says public tests stay fair and sales pay for them. They keep working and sharing results openly.
13. Is it a non profit group? No. It is a company that makes money but uses it to do good work for safety. This is called a social enterprise.
14. What will they do next? Keep testing, improve their lab, do more free checks, and help make better rules. They want to keep finding dangers and helping people buy safer things.

Final Thoughts

In ten years DaddyLab grew from one dad’s worry about a book cover into a big group with millions of followers, its own lab, and real effects on safety rules in China. They test products, tell people what they find, sell only safe ones, and use the money to keep the testing going. Their work has made many products better and helped families. There are questions about how they mix testing and sales, but they share open reports and keep doing new tests. As they move forward with more tools and services, they stay focused on one main thing: finding hidden problems in daily items and making life safer for everyone.