Introducing Shikō Beauty: A Curated Japanese Beauty Marketplace for Americans

NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. has launched Shikō Beauty (www.shikobeauty.com), the only marketplace offering expertly-tested and curated products that combine timeless Japanese rituals with proven, effective ingredients, is now available to skincare customers looking for products, technologies and brands that are otherwise not available (or hard to find) on the American beauty market. As part of an initiative to accelerate Japanese inspired beauty in the USA, Mitsui's Beauty Personal Care Group, based in New York City, provides raw materials, technologies and innovations to beauty brands through its end-to-end platform, proudly presenting a curated collection of beauty brands from Japan on its D2C platform, Shikō Beauty Collective.

Japanese beauty is known by its hallmark elements of purposeful rituals, innovative formulas and technology, and a lack of extraneous or superfluous ingredients, products or steps. Holistic by nature, it reflects thousands of years of the rich culture from which it sprang. Japanese beauty appeals to people from all countries who value ancient traditions blended with modern technology. Each step of the Japanese beauty ritual is composed with thoughtful intent to fit in one's busy lifestyle. The result is effective skincare regimens and luxurious science-driven formulas that achieve ideal skin… Mochi Hada. Mochi is a soft, smooth, matte, plump Japanese rice cake dessert, thus Mochi Hada is a perfect description of skin that is radiant, shine-free, bouncy, clear and poreless. This is the famed specialty of Japanese beauty.

Shikō Beauty is a revelatory destination for US consumers looking to discover unique, high-quality J-Beauty products with a helpful guide, useful education and a highly curated easy-to-browse selection, compiled by Shikō Beauty's product expert Hinako Sugioka. With decades of experience leading development for marquee Japanese brands, and with a deep understanding of how Japanese self-care rituals best blend with American desires and lifestyles, Hinako knows exactly what to look for. Rooted in both tradition and modern innovation, Shikō Beauty understands the value in holistic, intentional formulas that will protect skin today and prepare it for the many years ahead, rather than merely targeting every blemish or wrinkle that pops up.

Centered around cleansing, moisturizing, and protecting, a solid J-Beauty routine leaves skin thriving, soft, plump, and naturally luminous. Shoppers will find highly effective, targeted, nature-respecting brands that are exclusively available at Shikō Beauty, such as Lala Vie, Dr. MEDION, RÉgLE, warew and Dassai Beauty. Other brands include Ishii Clinic Beauty Labo, INMASK SALON, THE FINGGY, and Seiso JBeauty, with exciting new brands coming in Shikō's incubator pipeline

Before the pandemic caused slowdowns to international trade in many industries, brands that are Made in Japan were seeing 25% increase in US launches over the 5-year period preceding 2020. Why?

According to Jim Berkrot, Vice President, Marketing at Mitsui & Co.'s US Beauty Personal Care Group, "The traditions that guide Japanese beauty are incredibly analogous to the desires and expectations the American beauty consumer is expressing at this moment in time. There is an incredibly popular #romanticizeyourlife TikTok trend that encourages people to find pleasure in mundane daily tasks. This is a new name for something that has been part of Japanese culture for literally thousands of years. Americans, and especially younger Americans are profoundly craving simpler pleasures, thoughtful selfcare routines, reduced waste, slow beauty and a "less is more" approach to skincare that achieves their desired results."

Grounded in centuries of history and culture based on the elegance of rituals and valuing ceremony and mindfulness, Japanese beauty is having its moment. Explore a lovely selection of some of Japan's most innovative and compelling brands on www.Shikobeauty.com and see where self-care, respect for nature, innovation and effective formulas combine to make Mochi Hada possible for anyone.

Shikō Beauty (www.shikobeauty.com) officially launched in the US in 2022. Parent company Mitsui & Co, one of the largest and most diverse companies in Japan, with operations dating back to the 15^th century, is also at the forefront of Japanese ingredient technology and trends, pioneering formula innovations for some of the most influential Japanese skincare brands.

SOURCE Shikō Beauty Collective