The top-selling product type in Japan in the first half of 2023 was at-home medical tests, followed by cardiotonic drugs, lipsticks and vitamin B1 pills, according to a report by market research company Intage.

Some of the most notable increases were for cardiotonic drugs, which improve the function of the heart, and vitamin B1 pills — products that are popular with foreign tourists due to their high quality in Japan. With sales having increased 72% and 53% year on year, respectively, their rise in popularity is seen as a direct result of Japan reopening its borders to tourists in October 2022.

Indeed, when looking at types of stores that are particularly popular with tourists, the increase seen for those products was particularly pronounced, with cardiotonics registering a tenfold rise and vitamin B1 pills seeing a ninefold increase.

The survey period coincided with a weak yen, with this likely contributing to increased sales of goods popular with tourists.

At-home medical tests' No. 1 position was consistent with their ranking from 2022. The amount sold continued to rise, increasing 245%, buoyed by significant sales of COVID-19 test kits that continued into the start of the year.

Sales were 508% higher year on year in January, when COVID-19 cases were on the rise, but have plateaued since then.

Lipsticks — along with blushes, which ranked ninth — saw a rebound following a major decline in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic due to mask-wearing. In 2021, sales of lipsticks were down to a third of what they were in the previous year.

Lipsticks sales increased 58%, while those of blushes rose 34%. The sales for both are back to between 70% and 80% of what they were pre-pandemic.

On the other hand, the products that saw the biggest declines were hygiene and health products that had seen significantly increased sales during the peak of the pandemic, such as medical thermometers (the largest decline), bacterial disinfectants (the second largest), masks (fourth) and gargle medicine (fifth), a solution used to disinfect the throat.

The product that saw the third-worst decline was malt drinks, which, like oatmeal (the eighth worst), surged in popularity amid a health-conscious trend during the pandemic. Yet, sales were still 190% and 1,173%, respectively, of what they were in 2019.

The report shows that Japan is entering a post-COVID era, with sales indicating the resurgence of inbound tourism and a decline in people’s concerns over the coronavirus.

The ranking was calculated using Intage's own data system, which gathers sales data from over 6,000 stores nationwide.