Bringing J-beauty within reach
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Raise your hand if hoarding skin care and beauty products is a must whenever you visit Japan.
But perhaps there won’t be as much need to wait for the next trip to get a refill of your favorites. Mitsukoshi in Bonifacio Global City is making it easier for Filipinos to access more and more of Japan’s drugstore and luxury brands with the recent opening of its newly curated section, J-Cosme.
According to Mai Okaba, overseas cosmetics buyer for Isetan Mitsukoshi, craftsmanship and innovation drive J-beauty’s success in creating high-quality and functional items.
Compared to other countries, Japan has received the most awards from the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists, garnering 37 distinctions from 1970 to 2016. Focus on quality—as opposed to trends—has led to some products being used by Japanese people for decades.
For the Philippine market, Okaba understands the differing needs of Filipino and Japanese bodies. “When I choose the brands, I base my standards on what the Japanese women use in a very humid summer climate,” she said, noting that Filipinos look more for acne-related items as well as antiaging products.
Okaba added that because some Japanese products can be quite complicated even with English translation, she had to make sure she was bringing in products that are easy to use.
