Japan’s convoluted skincare rituals, their passionate desire for natural ingredients, and their respect of science has been garnering mass interest for the phenomenon of Japanese beauty. In fact, other industries are also picking up on the details of Japanese culture that have been undervalued for so long. This marks for a reason why the Japanese take pride in their work and several foreign companies want to create products in collaboration. With sales over 1 trillion Japanese yen per year, skin care products heavily outsell makeup goods in Japan’s cosmetics market. Japanese women are consumers that have one of the highest buying powers in the world. They are characterized by a high level of expectation and high desire for novelty. The number of companies making cosmetics grows year by year. Japan is often considered as a great test-market before launching new global products or services, with the foreign cosmetic companies also investing in product development and releases for the Japanese market. This generates a constant stream of new products that tempts women who want the best for their skin. They check several reviews on different new products by experts and other consumers from magazines and on the internet, as the quest for perfect skin demands daily commitment as well as money, cause let’s be honest, Japanese skin-care is always more over the pricey side.
But some of us have the notion that the skin of Japanese women is infallible due to their amazing skin condition and believe that they are genetically blessed. The truth is, Japanese women are just really good at taking care of their skin inside out. In fact, they are the most passionate about skincare. Women in Japan pride themselves on having healthy, beautiful skin – taking every necessary precaution to keep it in perfect condition. Pure, clean, radiant and youthful skin is very important in Asia. The face is considered a reflection of the inner personality, beauty and health. Japanese women grow up understanding the importance of proper skincare, and so have an innate understanding of how a good routine affects their skin. Who hasn’t invested in a serum, tried double cleansing before bed, or put on a sheet mask? These rituals are all championed by Japanese women and many have been part of their culture for centuries.
In Japan, one the main focus towards achieving such skin and to be called a Japanese beauty is to spend time and take ultimate care. This philosophy isn’t about covering your scars with makeup or any other product, it’s about a long tradition of self-care rites that has been practiced by millions of women in the nation. Interestingly, the Japanese are among the first people to discover skin care treatments. They refer to nice skin as mocha-hada, or rice-cake skin, in reference to ultra-soft and plump Japanese desserts.
すっぴん顔 is a Japanese slang word used to describe a no-makeup face, which also reflects the main facet of the Japanese skincare philosophy, which is to work hard and sincerely commit to a daily skin care regimen in order to maintain a perfectly balanced skin that could be proudly displayed without any makeup. The exclusive concept of Japanese beauty is minimalism. Especially when it comes to their skin and everyday life-style, less is more is the rule they follow. Japanese women don’t put excessive amount of products to their faces, their ritual is to build on few products with few steps with effective ingredients. Japanese skin care products take pride in their ingredients as all their ingredients have proved their long time effectiveness and have been used for centuries to help skin heal in the most natural way possible. Rice barn, pearls, seaweeds and green tea have been few of the ingredients Japanese skin-care brands swear by.
Another contribution towards their perfect skin is their nutritious diet. The Japanese diet has a reputation of being one of the healthiest in the world. It’s mostly based around great nutrients like fish, vegetables and generally a lot more whole foods, as well as the consumption of huge amounts of green tea on an every-day basis. They believe that good skin also comes from being healthy from within. In Japan it’s called as mienai oshare, or unseen beauty. A traditional Japanese meal is usually made under the ichijyu sansai principle (one soup with three vegetable dishes plus rice and fish) to assure good balance. These traditional spreads have been a part of Japan for centuries and religiously followed extensively. They’re rich in vitamins and high in omega-3 fatty acids that help the skin with premature aging and reduce body’s production of toxins that can cause skin inflammation. Seaweed (wakame) and kelp (kaiso), found in almost every Japanese dish is highly rich in iodine and keratin – both highly essential for healthy skin, hair as well as nails. In Japan, superfoods are the basic essentials that every Japanese person relies on. Supermarkets supply superfoods like konjac, kinako and natto which are readily available and consumed everyday throughout Japan.
The Japanese beauty also rely on vitamin C as it works like magic by boosting the natural collagen supply, and deoxidize and breakdown melanin, which is the natural pigmentation we get in our skin from tanning or aging. It’s the sunny vitamin that brightens things up after all the constant bad sun exposure of their face. Japanese women constantly take vitamin C through supplements, drinks, fruit and vegetables, and cosmetic procedures.
And of course, not to mention, the Japanese skin-care! Like anime and sushi, producing really good skin care products is something the Japanese excel at. Some of their best skin-care products are the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, Shiseido Ultimune, Naturie Hatomugi Skin Conditioning Gel, Albion Ex-Vie Ginza, Cure Natural Aqua Gel, Anessa UV Sunscreen and Sekkisei Emulsion, to name a few. Japan is very strict with quality and safety. Skin-care products are regulated by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Law. So it’s safe to say that they ensure in offering you the best of the best! Explore in greater detail and partake some of the gorgeousness yourselves!
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