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Is it true Japanese cosmetics are of higher quality than North American ones?
  • rozy
    I read this on the web and some people here buy Japanese cosmetics off the interwebs because they say Japanese people have better technology at their disposal.
  • Right BrainRight Brain
    It's like anything else. Sometimes Japanese brands are better other times American brands are better you have to look at it on a product by product basis.
  • alchemist
    One thing Japanese cosmetic companies do really well is packaging.
  • rozy
    Interesting. 
  • bebelyn86bebelyn86
    true alchemist, The Japanes have such attention to detail in their packaging that makes any consumer feel like they are buying somthing "custome made"!
  • Mendes
    I think Japanese (and know South Korean too) cosmetic companies tend to invest more in R & D than Western companies. Going to Pubmed...

    Some examples:

    If you type "Shiseido" (top 7*) on Pubmed, you'll find more than 400 papers that was published from this brand. Many of them on high impact journals (eg.: Journal of Investigative Dermatology). But if you type "Avon", you'll find only about... 10!

    Why does Shiseido have about 40x more published papers than Avon* if Avon is bigger than Shiseido?

    More examples:

    Kao Corporation (top 8*): about 430 papers. Estée Lauder* (top 6): about 40.

    Amore Pacific* (this South Korean brand even doesn't appear in the top 20 list): more than 100 papers. LVMH* (top 11): about 50.

    And the list goes on...

    *Source: Top 20 Global Beauty Companies.

    There are some cosmetics that I can use only if they are Japanese:

    Sunscreens: In my personal opinion Western companies don't know how to make cosmetically elegant sunscreens. Even the Europe ones, where there are many sunscreen actives approved. 

    Western sunscreens: greasy feel (even when they're called "sheer", "matte"), sticky finish, many give white cast (even when they don't have physical sunscreens), aren't very resistant to water, smell bad, irritate a lot my skin. 

    Japanese ones: really matte (I'm generalizing of course, there are a lot of Japanese sunscreens that aren't matte at all, but you can find a lot that are really matte as well), silky or water-like finish, most don't give white cast (even the Japanese sunscreens that have a high concentration of physical sunscreens, about 15% of ZnO...), many are so resistant to water that you need an oil based cleansing to remove them, most give high UV-A protection, don't have a bad smell, don't irritate my skin (even when they have alcohol/ethanol) etc.


  • Mendes
    Cleansers: In general, Western cleansers are very boring. Most are SLS/SLES based. They don't make a real nice foam and irritate my skin. Japanese ones are different: foam up a lot and don't irritate my skin (I'm generalizing again). For cleansers, the typical Japanese formula is very different from the typical Western formula. And there is a lot of creativity in Japanese cleansers: you can find powder cleansers, carbonated cleansers (they give a warm sensation when you apply them), oil based cleansers etc. 


    Because nothing is perfect, for "cosmeceuticals" I prefer American ones. You don't easily find products with a high concentration of glycolic acid, hydroquinone or retinol in Japan. Maybe this is the reason:

    ""The psyche of the American consumer is about a quick fix, and not about prevention," says Ms. Yamagishi-Dressler of Shiseido. "It's all about, 'What can this product do for me now?' (...): http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704250104575238334269862558.html

    Finally, some Japanese and South Korean brands are using some innovations that don't exist in Western market yet, like biosurfactants and a lot of useful skin and makeup gadgets.

    But "higher quality" is a too strong expression. I agree with the Right Brain: "It's like anything else. Sometimes Japanese brands are better other times American brands are better you have to look at it on a product by product basis."
  • rozy
    What are some good waterproof Japanese sunscreen brands?
  • lindygirl1960
    There really are no waterproof sunscreen brands regardless of where they are made. Some are more water resistant than others. 

    There are new labeling guidelines coming for sunscreens in the US in December. Maybe. They were supposed to be here in June. Still not here. So we shall see.
  • rozy
    Oh thats interesting I was wondering why I saw it come off a little bit in the lake and make a bit of a shiny film. 
  • Mendes
    "What are some good waterproof Japanese sunscreen brands?"

    It depends on your personal difference... But, in general, Kanebo ALLIE Extra UV Protector (Perfect Alpha) N SPF 50+ PA+++ is great - although water, sweet and sebum resistant, you don't need a makeup remover to remove this sunscreen:


    It's not extremely matte, but isn't leave a shiny film at all!

    If you have a extremely oily skin and want a extremely matte and water resistant sunscreen, an option is Bioré* UV Perfect Face Milk SPF 50+ PA+++:


    You need a makeup remover to remove this sunscreen, don't try remove it just with your regular cleanser. 

    *American Bioré usually isn't similar to Japanese Bioré - formulas, packages etc. are quite different. American Bioré is made by Kao USA Inc. and Japanese Bioré is made directly by Kao Corporation. 
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