The Return Of The Japanese Brands

After years of ceding the limelight to K-beauty, Nihon makeup and skincare are flexing their muscle and making their presence felt once again on the global stage.

- Goh Yee Huay & Chelsea Tang

Like the people, brands from Japan tend to be low-key. Unobtrusive. Measured in their approach and polite to a fault. So when K-beauty exploded onto the scene with its snail extracts, addictive cushions, snazzy makeup and wallet-friendly sheet masks, it was no surprise that J-beauty took a little step back.

Eventually, however, the rise of K-culture became a wake-up call. Japanese brands could not remain as insular as before. In order to keep pace with competitors, Korean or otherwise, they had to be inclusive and adopt a global outlook as opposed to focusing on just the domestic market.

Which is why more and more are now reasserting themselves and reminding consumers that they were the original beauty virtuosos of Asia.

Figures from Japan’s Cosmetic Industry Association show robust yearon-year growth of 28.8 per cent in beauty exports. And according to the Financial Times, exports are expected to hit more than US$2.75 billion (S$3.8 billion) this year.

Sachi Kimura, a research analyst at Euromonitor International, says: “As the market in Japan is mature and the population decreasing, many manufacturers realise there is little room left to expand locally. They are making global expansion their top priority, to increase their presence.”

Mariko Endo, international division general manager of Japanese luxury holistic brand Three, feels there is an upside to all the attention K-beauty has been grabbing. “K-beauty has been a trendsetter in the international cosmetic industry for the past few years. The Korean brands’ quick manufacturing speed and efficiency in bringing cutting-edge trends to the market led to high interest in Asian beauty brands, including Japanese ones,” she says.