18 hours ago
Japan's high-tech sunscreens tap into skincare craze
TOKYO - When YouTuber Hannah Price set out to compare Japanese and Australian sunscreen, she wasn't expecting her deep dive into the subject to rack up over two million views.
The huge number of people poring over Price's video shows the growing interest in skincare products from Japan, much like the K-beauty phenomenon from South Korea.
It includes sun protection, increasingly recognised as a daily essential by influencers who want to shield their skin from ageing and enthuse about the lightweight texture of Japanese brands.
Companies that have perfected their secret formulas want to capitalise on booming demand, including by building factories overseas and selling to Japan's record influx of foreign tourists.
The habit of regular sunscreen use is spreading, especially among younger generations, said Takuya Wada, who works in marketing for Japanese chemical and cosmetics firm Kao.
"There are no borders when it comes to obtaining information on social media, especially Instagram and TikTok," he said, adding that influencer posts have a "very large" impact on global sunscreen sales.
AFP | Kazuhiro NOGI
A boom in celebrity skincare brands has contributed to the industry's growth -- with A-listers like Kylie Jenner using social media to share their beauty routines, including sun protection, with hundreds of millions of followers.
When it comes to sunscreen, country-specific regulations mean no single company dominates the field, as the entry barriers to new markets are higher.
Kao's main sunscreen brand Biore UV is ranked 10th worldwide for sales, and second in Asia -- competing with the likes of L'Oreal and Beiersdorf, and Japanese rivals such as Shiseido.
The company wants sales from sun protection to reach 35 billion yen ($240 million) in 2027, up 1.6 times from 2023.
It plans to boost overseas production by opening three new sunscreen factories, in Indonesia, Brazil and Germany.
It is technically difficult to develop formulas that block the rays effectively with a smooth texture, as demanded by Japanese consumers, said Takashi Fukui, research and development director for Kao skincare products.
These days, Japanese women use sunscreen as everyday protection against sunspots and ageing, caused when UV rays penetrate into the skin, said Fukui.
While summer is high season, sunscreen is popular year-round, because Japan has a "relatively high number of sunny days in the winter, and the sunlight hours are long".
