Roger OngHaving been a writer for a beauty blog for a few years, I have seen the transitions consumers for Japanese beauty brand have sought after. While the change has been slow, fans know which is truly the way to go: organic cosmetics.
If you are reading this, you are probably already ahead of the pack, knowing the benefits of organic cosmetics! But if you looking for a souvenir in Japan, or want to join in the history of Japanese excellence in using natural ingredients, it’s not always easy to differentiate Japanese brands from imported ones.
So today, we’ll be sharing five Japanese organic cosmetic brands that you can readily find in Japan (and let’s face it, especially in Tokyo)! We will also pick one of the most popular makeup product from each brand for introductions.
m.m.m
The first Japanese brand of organic cosmetics we are looking at is m.m.m (pronounced moo or muu). The basic philosophy of m.m.m is to treat the skin naturally and healthily. This is the way it chooses to use organic and natural ingredients.
On top of that, the brand aims to bring out a playfulness in the look. We are not talking the hard, colorful makeup, but the elegant type with a touch of character. m.m.m also carries a range of skincare, with complements its cosmetic line, and is equally popular.
While m.m.m doesn’t have its own store on both on- and offline, its products can be found in more than 50 CosmeKitchen select stores. CosmeKitchen is a popular chain in Japan that is gaining accelerating fame because of its support for natural and organic products! And yes, this writer suggests checking CosmeKitchen out before the drugstores! Their stores are located in main cities, such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.
Top organic makeup pick – m.m.m Color Tuner
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This is a foundation that comes in five different colors: white pearl, lavender, green, yellow and pink. But it’s probably easier to think of this as a primer to correct and bring out the desired color. This foundation also has UV protection, and even doubles as essence to retain moisture in skin.
The key organic ingredient in the m.m.m Color Tuner is Edelweiss essence, which protects the moisture content in the skin. Even though each of the colors are scented differently, the foundation does not contain petroleum-based surfactants, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances, UV absorbents or parabens.
[Website] m.m.m on CosmeKitchtenSpoon Spoon
This cosmetic brand may sound food-related, but it really has a deeper meaning of “saving” or “feeling free”. It comes from the homophone of “scooping”, and thus the name Spoon Spoon.
The philosophy behind the brand surrounds three goodness: goodness for the consumer, for the environment, and for the society.
So when it comes to ingredients, Spoon Spoon ensures their production do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The brand also makes sure their manufacturing process do not release any harmful components into the environment. The products only contains 100% organic ingredients. Therefore there is no synthetic dyes, surfactants or solvents, no scent and no mineral oils.
There is another reason why we like this brand. Spoon Spoon uses a business model that enables people with disabilities to be involved and earn an income. It is already creating an impact on two fronts of environment and society.
Top organic makeup pick – Spoon Spoon Perfect Pure Cleansing Oil
If a makeup remover is made of natural ingredients, does it work as well as the market leaders like FANCL Cleansing Oil? For Spoon Spoon’s Perfect Pure Cleansing Oil, it does!
The secret lies in the soybean ingredient in this makeup remover. Soybean contains a natural ingredient called “lecithin”. The four different types of oil lifts the makeup (while moisturizing the skin), which is then emulsified by soybean lecithin. This eventually allows it to be washed off easily with water effectively without leaving any stickiness behind.
With that in mind, we know that this cleansing oil is gentle on the skin. But that is not the only benefit; Spoon Spoon believes that 100% natural products are beneficial for anti-aging too. They do so by putting minimal stress on the skin, and by providing and protecting the moisture content in the skin. Furthermore, synthetic cosmetic products often kills the healthy bacteria on the skin, thus affecting its health. Natural products, on the other hand, doesn’t.
[Website] Spoon Spoon Official Online Shopnaturaglacé
Just like our previous entry, naturaglace believes wholeheartedly in the benefits of natural products for the skin. Therefore, naturaglace wants to allow their makeup products to provide skincare at the same time. In fact, 11-year-old brand wants their products to provide a shine to their users through natural ingredients, thus “natural” and “glace”.
When creating their makeup products, naturaglace starts not from providing cosmetic effects. Instead, they begin from wanting to provide skincare benefits. This means their research development looks at the natural ingredients needed for a skincare benefit before adding minerals for color.
In fact, natureglace’s unique ingredient is in all the products: Base Oil mix. It is the replication of human sebum, which includes ingredients such as jojoba oil, olive fruit oil and squalane. Surrounding it is a protective veil of Vitamin E, sage fruit oil. The Base Oil mix allows beneficial components to reach the skin effectively, thus improving skincare.
Top organic makeup pick -naturaglace Makeup Cream N
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One makeup product that carries the Base Oil mix is naturaglace Makeup Cream N. This foundation lets you fulfill the look of someone with beautiful natural skin. It comes in two colors, champagne beige and natural beige. It also provides UV protection with a SPF44 and PA+++ rating.
Remember that naturaglace’s products provide skincare while using. The Makeup Cream N excels in protecting the moisture content in the skin. Two main ingredients provide this effect, Sacha Inchi seeds and Mallow flowers.
Sacha Inchi is highly resistant to oxidation (psst, anti-aging benefit!). It also contains omega 3, which is essential to the structure of skin ceramide and cell membranes. The skin readily absorbs this, allowing a highly moisturizing effect. Mallow, on the other hand, contains a mucous material that protects the moisture in the skin, while limiting the loss of moisture.
[Website] naturaglace Official WebsiteAQUA AQUA
AQUA AQUA reminds me of a combination of CANMAKE’s cuteness and RMK’s elegance (is “cute elegant” a thing?). Anyway, AQUA AQUA is a local cosmetic brand that focuses on using the goodness from fresh fruits to provide moisturizing makeup.
While the brand’s focus on organic is the main driver, it also makes its products accessible. So no matter if you want to shorten your makeup time, facing a change in your lifestyle or worrying about your skin condition now that you are mother, AQUA AQUA is going to be the organic makeup that you can use without additional concerns.
And since the ingredients come from fruits and plants, the makeup can be removed easily with soap. No makeup remover would mean less stress on the skin. Furthermore, AQUA AQUA products are 100% organic, so the standard of no synthetic ingredients applies. Paraben-free, silicone-free, worry-free.
Top organic makeup pick – AQUA AQUA Organic Sheer Gloss
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The AQUA AQUA Organic Sheer Gloss comes in five different colors and uses vegetable oil and fruit extracts to moisturize the lips. Due to overwhelming popularity, the colors 01 Rich Raspberry and 03 Apricot Pink are sold out at the point of writing!
Most of you already know that the lips are very delicate, since they have thinner skin, and do not have glands for sweat or sebum. This makes this organic lip gloss perfect for delicacy! Even though it’s easily accessible, there is no slack on quality.
The AQUA AQUA Organic Sheer Gloss is based on a vegetable oil mix. The key ingredients include a blend of strawberry and orange oil, mixed with the extracts of grapefruit, lime and apricot.
[Website] Organic Cosme AQUA AQUAAmritara
Even though the Amritara brand is only 11 years old, it has already extended its organic philosophy beyond its organic cosmetics line. This includes health supplements, juice, rice and condiments.
Amritara started out in Kyushu, using the herbs from its own gardens for ingredients in their skincare and makeup products. They then extended globally to source for other organic ingredients. Needless to say, there are no synthetic ingredients in the products.
Amritara also ensures that it doesn’t use ingredients that doesn’t benefits the skin. They have also found organic replacements of synthetic ingredients that provide similar benefits. This includes organic preservatives and natural colors.
Top organic makeup pick – amritara Amazing Organic Foundation Creamy Moisture SPF50+ PA++++
And yes, many Japanese beauty products’ names are that long. But veterans know that we need to look beyond and into the goal of the product.
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There are five key ingredients in this amritara foundation. Jojoba oil is highly moisturizing while protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. Eight different Vitamin E complexes are extracted from red palm virgin oil include anti-aging effect. The foundation also includes olive squalane, coconut oil and aloe vera leaf extract for extra mositurizing boost. In fact, the coconut oil is what provides the shine of natural skin.
The foundation has a top rating SPF50+ PA++++ protection. Even though the Amazing Organic Foundation Creamy Moisture has UV protection, it does not contain any UV absorbers or nano-particles that are below 100nm. Instead it uses beeswax and organic oils to provide a consistent mineral coat for the skin against UV rays.
Moreover, the stearic acid from the coconut oil ensures that the minerals do not come in contact with the skin. And since the mica for pigmenting are coated such, the foundation is protected from discoloring. There are four different colors to choose from.
[Website] Organic Cosmetics AmritaraThese are only five makeup cosmetic brands among the many
As the trend for organic beauty products grow, so will the demand and number of brands that carry it. Japanese brands are also realizing that quality products must come with competitive pricing too. So the range of organic cosmetics will continue to grow to our delight. The next few years are getting exciting, and we are at the forefront of it!
We are looking at exploring more beauty products (we definitely need a list for skincare, ya?), so it’s coming soon! If you can’t wait to sate that thirst, how about taking a look at our list of 5 organic cotton brands, or even to fill that stomach with Tokyo’s 5 sustainable restaurants and cafes!
