Cosmetics stores in Nagoya expand sales of gender-free makeup

Buying cosmetics is becoming easier for men in Nagoya, with a department store having expanded a section selling makeup products targeting men and the opening of a new shop handling gender-free products.

The moves reflect the recent trend of men becoming more conscious about grooming and the popularity of male K-pop idols wearing makeup.

JR Nagoya Takashimaya, a department store directly connected to Nagoya Station, expanded the sales area for men's cosmetics in November by roughly four times.

Now the store sells some 70 brands, double the number sold previously. Skin care products such as face toners and lotions to treat oily skin — a common skin problem among men — as well as easy-to-use stick-type foundations and concealers are proving popular.

The number of staff members was also roughly tripled to 13.

The department store hopes to have more young people visit its seventh floor, the floor selling products for men, where people in their 40s, 50s and 60s account for around half of current customers.

“As a matter of fact, there are no clear differences between (cosmetics) products for men and women,” said Harumi Niimoto, 48, the section chief.

In addition to male customers, many women or couples who share cosmetic products visit the section to purchase items for themselves.

The number of customers in their 20s or younger rose, and the sales of cosmetics targeting men in the period between March and May more than doubled from the same period last year.

A 21-year-old man from Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, a senior in college, who visited the department store in late June, said he is a fan of male K-pop idols and takes care of his skin.

“I enjoy doing it every day and I have more confidence in myself,” he said.

His friend from Nagoya who accompanied him, also 21 and a senior in college, said he first used a foundation when he was a junior high school student to cover his rough skin.

Now he puts on eyeshadow and highlighters when he goes out. He said he often uses makeup products for women, adding, “Gender doesn’t matter in choosing makeup items.”

In April, Youits by My Gakuya, a shop mainly selling genderless cosmetics, also opened in Nagoya’s Sakae shopping district.

The interior of the shop is mostly white and simple, so that men will feel comfortable going in. Most of the packages used for the products are colored black, blue or white.

Toners good for both oily skin and dry skin are popular as they can be shared among couples or families.

To allow customers to test a variety of items — including men who want to try applying makeup for the first time and don’t know how — all the products are available to try at the shop and washbowls are set up for visitors to remove makeup.

The shop is receiving an increasing number of customers, mainly people in their 20s, and 1 in 4 are men.

The shop is operated by N2i, a Nagoya-based IT venture firm. Utilizing its IT technology, the firm sends information including the age and gender of customers to brand suppliers.

There are many new brands which make use of the information for market research.

Erika Shimizu, 37, the firm’s director, said, “We hope to make the shop let a variety of people shine differently, regardless of the category.”

As more brands focus on products targeting men, the market size for cosmetics for men in 2023 is estimated to rise 1.8% from a year earlier to ¥162.2 billion, according to Tokyo-based research firm Fuji Keizai.

The firm forecasts the market will expand to ¥167.4 billion in 2025.

Yoichiro Kurita, 51, head of the firm’s consumer business division, said, “The market will continue to grow in the future as the gaps between men and women’s awareness towards cosmetics products are shrinking and with the popularity of South Korean male idols wearing makeup.”

On the other hand, he said the number of men who use makeup is still limited at present, adding, “In order to make (cosmetics) take root as men’s daily necessities, it is necessary to raise the recognition for such products.”