Historically, Japan has been a self-sustaining culture. Traditionally, many Japanese people have preferred to buy and use Japanese-made products. This began to change in 2008 when the country entered a recession. Businesses started to explore global expansion as a way to recover. As part of this expansion, the beauty sector focused its efforts on marketing to international consumers. Now that the country is regaining its economic footing, the beauty capital is poised to reclaim its place as a global leader in the industry. Japanese brands have watched K-Beauty ride the wave to international success and are eager to be part of the Asian beauty boom. Unlike K-Beauty, which seemed to appear out of nowhere to the Western market, Japan has had a foothold in the US market for decades. Many popular beauty products like cleansing oils, color-correcting cosmetics, essences, fiber masks all have their origins in Japan.

The American market has become very familiar with K-Beauty, trailblazing the path for a curiosity toward J-Beauty. Consumers are savvier then ever and have an appetite for well-made products with a track record. J-Beauty has roots as the beauty authority throughout Asia and the world, offering well-established, quality formulas.

Japanese brands are masters in niche categories, having perfected their craft over time. Sang Ying, General Secretary of the China Beauty Expo, told Jing Daily that, “Japanese cosmetics are particularly advantageous in the development of small category and featured products. Many companies spend decades for one product. This has created the ingenuity ‘quality’ sign for Japanese products.” It also presents a great opportunity to answer a growing consumer demand for premium, specialized products in the West.

J-Beauty’s simple aesthetic, natural ingredients, and a streamlined approach play into current North American trends, such as the clean-beauty movement and a “less is more” approach to beauty.

Read more about The Rise of J-Beauty in the BeautyMatter trend report.