THE label on the pink and white box of face cream sold in a Bangkok hypermarket proudly declares that it is based on a “snail secretion filtrate moisture system.” The Snail White branding — plus some positive Internet reviews — is getting Chinese tourists lining up to buy the slime-infused product.

Alice Chen, 21, a Chinese college student, said she saw the face cream reviewed online and wanted to try it out because she couldn’t get it back home. And a 22-year-old Chinese tourist also at the Big C Ratchadamri store, who only gave her name as Yvonne, said she bought some — it retails at about US$40 a box — because “a blogger said it was good and inexpensive.”

Meanwhile, at a dessert cafe just up the road in Bangkok’s upscale Siam Paragon shopping center, another group of Chinese tourists take pictures on their phones of whimsical treats made from durian — the yellow fruit known for its sulfury smell that is mainly grown in Southeast Asia.

About 11 million Chinese tourists are expected to travel to Thailand this year, up from just over 1 million in 2010, making China by far the biggest source of tourism in Thailand. And they are spending more per head than previously, according to Thai government figures.

It isn’t only the hotels, tour operators and airlines that are benefiting. A big slice of this spending is with retailers, restaurants, and food and cosmetics makers that target the Chinese visitors.

Investors have taken note, driving up the share prices of many of the companies concerned to high price-to-earnings ratios. So high, in some cases, that securities analysts say they are wary of valuations, especially as tourists’ tastes can change rapidly.

Do Day Dream Pcl, the company behind the skin-whitening Snail White cream, is one.

Boxes of the firm’s signature cream, which the firm says it makes from snail slime extracted using a process done in South Korea, are stacked high at Thailand’s airports and malls as it has become a must-buy item for many Chinese visitors.

Sales of the Snail White products have been skyrocketing since 2014 as beauty bloggers gave them rave reviews, according to Do Day Dream chief financial officer Piyawat Ratchapolsitte.

In 2017, the company’s revenue ballooned 35 percent to 1.7 billion baht (US$52 million) as the company also built a strong Thai domestic market and grew online sales direct to Chinese consumers. It also sells other snail secretion-based products, including shower gel and lotions.

Exports to China produced 30 percent of its revenue last year, Piyawat said. That is more than the 10-15 percent that comes from Chinese tourists buying in Thailand.

Another Thai beauty firm that sells color cosmetics and skincare products, Beauty Community, is also seeing substantial growth.

Chief executive Suwin Kraibhubes said he expects tourists from China and Southeast Asia to account for 15 percent of revenue, which will help him reach a 20-percent growth target this year.

Suwin, a physician-turned-businessman, and Do Day Dream founder Sarawut Pornpatanaruk both made the Forbes Richest 50 Thai list for the first time this year. (SD-Agencies)