Otsuka, Shiseido add product lines for male clients
Bloomberg in Tokyo 28 January 2010
Mitsuru Yonekawa, named one of Tokyo’s most handsome men by a lifestyle magazine, has added a step to his morning grooming ritual to combat flaky skin.
Yonekawa, 32, a spokesman for Nissan Motor, Japan’s third-largest carmaker, uses a US$20 bottle of Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s UL-OS skin milk before heading to the office.
He is not alone. The company sold one billion yen (HK$87.01 million) of UL-OS in the first six months it was on the shelves.
“I try to look neat so I won’t give a bad impression,” said Yonekawa, one of 82 men featured in Hanako magazine last year. “My skin is losing moisture. I didn’t need anything when I was in my 20s.”
Japanese men are buying more cosmetics made specifically for them, even as salaries fall, job losses rise and the population shrinks in Asia’s largest market for beauty products. Sales of men’s skin-care products jumped 17 per cent to 17.6 billion yen in 2008, compared with a 0.2 per cent industry wide to 1.51 trillion yen, according to the most recent trade ministry data.
Japan accounted for about 10 per cent of the US$333.7 billion global market for cosmetics and toiletries in 2008, researcher Euromonitor said.
“It’s going to be hard for companies to grow unless they target male customers in Japan, so they need to add more products to attract them,” said Toshihiro Nagahama, the chief economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute. “More and more men from teens to the 30s are making a fashion statement.”
Companies including Otsuka and Shiseido are expanding their product lines as Japanese men become more conscious about grooming, researcher Fuji Keizai said, while forecasting a 2.7 per cent increase in demand last year.
Japanese college students are more interested in moisturiser, cleansing scrubs and beauty salons than they are in cars, according to a survey of 1,600 men and women by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association last year. The group wanted to find out why vehicle demand was sliding. Sales last year dropped 9.3 per cent to 4.6 million vehicles, the lowest level since 1977.
“More and more men are becoming feminised,” said Koichi Ogawa, the chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments. “Their desire for better looks is getting stronger.”
Otsuka, known for its Pocari Sweat sports drink and Oronamin C energy drink in Japan, entered the men’s skin-care market in September 2008 with UL-OS, pronounced “uruosu” - Japanese for “moisturise”.
The closely held company hired Keisuke Kuwata, 53, a vocalist for the best-selling Southern All Stars band, to promote its products to his generation.
“We aim to lure the middle-aged men who aren’t used to skin-care products,” said Tadashi Kirai, a spokesman. “There is more potential for the men’s skin-care market because more than two-thirds of men have never done any care.”
Rohto Pharmaceutical introduced Cream-in-Lotion Vital Tank under the Oxy brand last year, saying research showed that men’s skin is more oily and acne-prone than women’s. Kao Corp added Body Milk lotion to its Nivea for Men brand.
Toshitaka Kobayashi, who works for a machinery maker, uses DHC Corp’s 1,800 yen DHC for Men lotion. “A skin lotion is a must item for me to keep my skin moist,” Kobayashi, 34, said. “My wife buys it for me when she buys hers.”
More products are coming. Kose Corp agreed with New York-based Coty to produce and sell Adidas-brand men’s skin-care products in Japan. The cosmetics will go on sale by March 31.
“The men’s market has a huge potential, domestically and globally,” said Hiroshi Kanda, an executive vice-president at Kao. “We need to offer more choices for male customers, as they are starting to make their own decisions to buy products.”
Department store operator Matsuya sells Shiseido Men, Estee Lauder’s Clinique Skin Supplies for Men and Clarins’ Clarins Men at its flagship store in Tokyo’s Ginza district. The Shiseido Men products include US$22 facial cleansing foam and US$27 lip treatment.
“Sales are faring well for men’s brands,” said Naoko Yabuki, a spokeswoman for Matsuya.
“They never flirt with other brands and stick with the same products, unlike women.”
Euromonitor forecasts that global sales of men’s grooming products, including shaving lotions and hair care, will grow 12 per cent to US$29.3 billion between 2008 and 2013, with higher demand in China and Brazil.
That compared with its estimate of 9.1 per cent growth to US$364 billion for the entire cosmetics and toiletries industry by 2013.
Zas International, which specialises in men’s cosmetics, saw sales of its foundation grow more than 20 per cent last year, said Kazumi Nonoshita, an advertisement planner at the company. It says the product, costing 3,990 yen, contains no oil and has antibacterial properties to prevent irritation.
“There is a desire among men to look more beautiful,” she said.
2 comments:
Cosmetics firms turn to men for sales lift
Otsuka, Shiseido add product lines for male clients
Bloomberg in Tokyo
28 January 2010
Mitsuru Yonekawa, named one of Tokyo’s most handsome men by a lifestyle magazine, has added a step to his morning grooming ritual to combat flaky skin.
Yonekawa, 32, a spokesman for Nissan Motor, Japan’s third-largest carmaker, uses a US$20 bottle of Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s UL-OS skin milk before heading to the office.
He is not alone. The company sold one billion yen (HK$87.01 million) of UL-OS in the first six months it was on the shelves.
“I try to look neat so I won’t give a bad impression,” said Yonekawa, one of 82 men featured in Hanako magazine last year. “My skin is losing moisture. I didn’t need anything when I was in my 20s.”
Japanese men are buying more cosmetics made specifically for them, even as salaries fall, job losses rise and the population shrinks in Asia’s largest market for beauty products. Sales of men’s skin-care products jumped 17 per cent to 17.6 billion yen in 2008, compared with a 0.2 per cent industry wide to 1.51 trillion yen, according to the most recent trade ministry data.
Japan accounted for about 10 per cent of the US$333.7 billion global market for cosmetics and toiletries in 2008, researcher Euromonitor said.
“It’s going to be hard for companies to grow unless they target male customers in Japan, so they need to add more products to attract them,” said Toshihiro Nagahama, the chief economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute. “More and more men from teens to the 30s are making a fashion statement.”
Companies including Otsuka and Shiseido are expanding their product lines as Japanese men become more conscious about grooming, researcher Fuji Keizai said, while forecasting a 2.7 per cent increase in demand last year.
Japanese college students are more interested in moisturiser, cleansing scrubs and beauty salons than they are in cars, according to a survey of 1,600 men and women by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association last year. The group wanted to find out why vehicle demand was sliding. Sales last year dropped 9.3 per cent to 4.6 million vehicles, the lowest level since 1977.
“More and more men are becoming feminised,” said Koichi Ogawa, the chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments. “Their desire for better looks is getting stronger.”
Otsuka, known for its Pocari Sweat sports drink and Oronamin C energy drink in Japan, entered the men’s skin-care market in September 2008 with UL-OS, pronounced “uruosu” - Japanese for “moisturise”.
The closely held company hired Keisuke Kuwata, 53, a vocalist for the best-selling Southern All Stars band, to promote its products to his generation.
“We aim to lure the middle-aged men who aren’t used to skin-care products,” said Tadashi Kirai, a spokesman. “There is more potential for the men’s skin-care market because more than two-thirds of men have never done any care.”
Rohto Pharmaceutical introduced Cream-in-Lotion Vital Tank under the Oxy brand last year, saying research showed that men’s skin is more oily and acne-prone than women’s. Kao Corp added Body Milk lotion to its Nivea for Men brand.
Toshitaka Kobayashi, who works for a machinery maker, uses DHC Corp’s 1,800 yen DHC for Men lotion. “A skin lotion is a must item for me to keep my skin moist,” Kobayashi, 34, said. “My wife buys it for me when she buys hers.”
More products are coming. Kose Corp agreed with New York-based Coty to produce and sell Adidas-brand men’s skin-care products in Japan. The cosmetics will go on sale by March 31.
“The men’s market has a huge potential, domestically and globally,” said Hiroshi Kanda, an executive vice-president at Kao. “We need to offer more choices for male customers, as they are starting to make their own decisions to buy products.”
Department store operator Matsuya sells Shiseido Men, Estee Lauder’s Clinique Skin Supplies for Men and Clarins’ Clarins Men at its flagship store in Tokyo’s Ginza district. The Shiseido Men products include US$22 facial cleansing foam and US$27 lip treatment.
“Sales are faring well for men’s brands,” said Naoko Yabuki, a spokeswoman for Matsuya.
“They never flirt with other brands and stick with the same products, unlike women.”
Euromonitor forecasts that global sales of men’s grooming products, including shaving lotions and hair care, will grow 12 per cent to US$29.3 billion between 2008 and 2013, with higher demand in China and Brazil.
That compared with its estimate of 9.1 per cent growth to US$364 billion for the entire cosmetics and toiletries industry by 2013.
Zas International, which specialises in men’s cosmetics, saw sales of its foundation grow more than 20 per cent last year, said Kazumi Nonoshita, an advertisement planner at the company. It says the product, costing 3,990 yen, contains no oil and has antibacterial properties to prevent irritation.
“There is a desire among men to look more beautiful,” she said.
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