Launch Date: March 2019
Geography: Tokyo, Japan
Founders:
Executive Team:
Notable Investors:
In January Silas Capital led a $3 million in a seed funding roundwith participation by Habitat Partners, Joyance Asia, Fab Ventures, and Top Knot.
2025 Full Year Projected Revenue: $2M - $5M, according to industry estimates
Primary Category: Skincare
Other Categories:
Funding: Venture Capital
Primary Distribution Channel: Prestige
Other Distribution Channels:
Key Retail Partner: Sephora
2025 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 12
Born in Japan, DAMDAM is a clean skincare brand that unites centuries-old Japanese rituals with cutting-edge innovation. Founded by Giselle Go and Philippe Terrien, DAMDAM was created out of a desire to share the profound strength of Japanese skincare—where routines are intentional, ingredients are timeless, and skin is fortified, not aggressed.
Each formula is crafted in Japan using nutrient-rich botanicals like shiso, rice, and matcha, sourced through regenerative partnerships with local farmers. Powered by advanced Japanese formulation technology, DAMDAM pairs sensorial textures with clinically backed performance—supporting barrier health, radiance, and long-term resilience.
We use every part of the ingredient, honor its origin, and formulate with purpose. From our sensorial hydrators to our barrier-repairing serums, DAMDAM delivers skincare that empowers the skin and elevates the everyday ritual into something transformative.
This is the future of J-Beauty: clean, intentional, and built to perform.
Insights: Giselle Go + Philippe Terrien, Co-Founders
Why now and why you?
Because the future of skincare is evolving—from quick fixes to true skin resilience.
Japan offers a legacy where skincare is not a routine, but a ritual of refinement—a precise practice passed down and perfected over centuries. It’s a culture that embraces mastery, where every formula is an evolution.
Here, ingredients are not just chosen—they are cultivated, studied, and transformed through time, technique, and technological advancement. From the first harvest to the final texture, every detail matters.
At DAMDAM, we harness and elevate this through next-generation Japanese formulation technology—designed for performance, crafted with purpose, and driven by regenerative sourcing practices that respect our land as much as the skin.
We’re not chasing viral trends—we’re building a brand with intention and longevity. DAMDAM is positioned to lead the future of skincare: one that is radically clean, deeply rooted in culture, and clinically proven to deliver uncompromising results.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
Our competitive advantage lies in our ability to fuse heritage with innovation—without compromise. At DAMDAM, every formula is created in Japan where centuries of accumulated precision and perfected technique are advanced through modern technology.
We source directly from regenerative farms and collaborate with local prefectures to rehabilitate underutilized land—allowing us to create rare, high-quality ingredients while supporting Japan’s agricultural legacy.
At the product level, our formulations are sensorial and high-performance—hybridized to deliver multiple functions in fewer steps. Every texture is thoughtfully engineered, every active precisely balanced, and each formula is developed with sensitive skin in mind. This is a minimalist ritual that delivers visible, lasting results. This unique balance of rare ingredients, scientific precision, and purposeful simplicity is what sets DAMDAM apart.
What are you most proud of accomplishing to date?
Building something that feels deeply true to who we are. We started DAMDAM in Tokyo with a really clear vision: to create a contemporary skincare brand rooted in Japanese rituals that meets the demands of the modern world. No shortcuts. No trend-chasing. Clean, efficacious formulas grounded in culture, science, and care.
What makes us proud is that we held onto that from day one. We formulate everything locally in Japan, partner with regenerative farmers, and obsess over every ingredient—not just for performance, but also for our mission to preserve centuries-backed craftsmanship and tradition (for example, our fermented rice is created in partnership with a 400-year-old sake maker— aging rice over 1,000 hours to increase amino acids and ceramides).
Seeing our products on Sephora shelves, or hearing from someone who says our skincare helped them reconnect and love their skin—these are the moments that remind us we’re doing something that matters. We didn’t build a brand just to sell products. We wanted to create something that honors where we live, how we live, and what we believe in. That’s what we're most proud of.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you?
That staying true to our vision will sometimes feel like the harder path.
There’s so much noise in this industry—pressure to grow fast, to cut corners, to follow trends. But when you’re building something with intention, not everything moves at the pace the world expects. And that’s okay. Refining, perfecting, and holding to our values is what creates longevity. We choose to do things differently—to formulate everything from scratch, source ingredients through real relationships, and create a brand rooted in where we live. It took longer. It was harder. But it’s the only one that will ever feel right.
What would you tell your past self before starting this journey?
Trust your instincts—and protect your pace. In the early days, it’s easy to feel like you’re constantly catching up, especially when you’re doing something different. But the truth is, building something meaningful takes time. It’s okay not to have all the answers on day one. What matters is knowing what you stand for, and letting that guide every decision.
We would also tell our past selves: don’t be afraid to take up space. It’s easy to stay behind the scenes when you’re focused on building, but people connect to people. Let them see the why behind the brand. Let them hear our voice.
Finally, we’d remind ourselves that doing things the right way—formulating from scratch, sourcing with care, honoring tradition—will always take longer, but it will also build something lasting. And that’s the kind of brand worth creating.
What does success look like in the next 3-5 years?
For us, success is layered. Of course, we have ambitious financial goals—we aim to scale meaningfully in the US and eventually global markets, deepen our presence at Sephora, and build a healthy, profitable business with strong DTC performance and retail velocity. But numbers alone aren’t the full story.
Success means becoming a global authority in Japanese skincare. We want DAMDAM to be known for doing things differently—for honoring where our ingredients come from, how they’re made, and why the ritual matters just as much as the result.
It also means having impact beyond the shelf—continuing to invest in regenerative farming, preserving centuries-old craft, and building a team that reflects our values of intentionality, sustainability, and creativity.
Ultimately, success is building something lasting. A brand that’s not just relevant now, but respected for years to come.
What's one industry trend that is overhyped, and what's being overlooked?
One trend that’s overhyped? Constant newness. The industry is in a cycle of launching for the sake of launching—rapid drops, over-assortment, and novelty-driven formulas that often prioritize speed over substance. It can be exciting in the short term, but it’s not always sustainable or meaningful for the customer. Skincare is personal and cumulative; it shouldn’t be treated like fast fashion.
What’s being overlooked? Truly respecting the customer’s time, skin, and attention. So much of the industry is built on pushing more—more steps, more products, more urgency. Today’s customer is discerning. They don’t want to be overwhelmed, they want to be understood. They’re not asking for a 10-step routine—they’re asking for solutions that work, that feel good, and that fit into their lives.
What’s often overlooked is that skincare is about trust. Respecting the customer means giving them fewer, better formulas. It means designing products that honor their skin, their time, and their evolving needs.
How do you think the industry needs to evolve?
It needs to stop underestimating the customer. For too long, beauty has relied on noise—overpromising, overselling, overwhelming people with products they don’t need. Today’s customer is smarter, more intentional, and deeply aware of what they put on their skin and why. They’re not just looking for efficacy—they’re looking for authenticity.
The industry needs to evolve by shifting from performance marketing to performance formulation. It’s not enough to have the right messaging; you need to have the right product—effective, responsibly sourced, thoughtfully made.
We believe that evolution looks like transparency and products that earn a permanent place on someone’s shelf—not because they’re trendy, but because they truly work and reflect the values of the person using them.
If you could wave a magic wand, what one wish would you make for your business?
A brand that redefines beauty not through hype, but through heritage, integrity, and results that speak for themselves. We’d wish for DAMDAM to be in every market, on every shelf—from Tokyo to Paris to New York—known not just for clean formulas, but for raising the bar on how skincare is made and experienced.
Our wish is for DAMDAM to lead a new era of beauty; one that’s more thoughtful and built to last. Where people choose products not because they’re told to, but because they trust them—because they feel the intention in every step, every ingredient, every ritual. A brand that doesn’t just follow culture—but shapes it.
