Asia Pacific / Social Issues Jun 26, 2020
Unilever faces calls to pull skin lightening products in South Asia
Fair & Lovely products are sold across Asia, but the brand has long been criticized as perpetuating negative racial stereotypes.
Business / Corporate Jun 12, 2020
Shiseido looks to China's online model for post-pandemic growth
by Lisa Du and Grace Huang
Measures to control the virus have melted away social norms like putting on makeup in the morning or spritzing on perfume before a night out.
National Apr 27, 2020
A cut above: Tokyo barber launches 'telecut' service as COVID-19 hits business
by Tomohiro Osaki
Mr. Brothers Cut Club of Harajuku has launched what could be the industry's first online haircut service.
Lifestyle Dec 14, 2019
A cut above the rest: A new generation of barbers is trying to overcome an image problem
by Tomohiro Osaki
A group of men sporting tattoos and smoking cigarettes chats casually on benches outside Mr. Brothers Cut Club in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood. Were it not for a couple of red, white and blue barber's poles hanging near the entranceway, a passerby might think they've ...
National Nov 19, 2019
Roaming beauty services give Japan's elderly a new lease on style
Barber and beauty care providers have started making visits to people's homes and nursing care facilities as they adapt their services to the demands of Japan's rapidly aging society. As elderly regular customers tail off their visits to beauty salons, businesses are taking their full ...
Asia Pacific / Social Issues Feb 22, 2019
South Korean women ditch makeup and 'escape the corset' in rebellion against ideals of beauty
by Seulki Lee
South Korean university student Yim Ji-su used to sacrifice up to two hours of sleep each morning for her laborious makeup routine, from applying foundation and concealer to perming her shoulder-length hair. But about six months ago, she joined a growing band of young women ...
Business / Corporate Aug 2, 2018
146-year-old cosmetics firm Shiseido gets makeover to woo millennial buyers
by Lisa Du and Maiko Takahashi
Shiseido Co., the beauty company that's 146 years old, is giving itself one big makeover. To attract more coveted consumers in their 20s and 30s, the company is overhauling its entire Shiseido makeup line and discontinuing almost 100 products. It's being replaced with a new ...
Business Apr 7, 2015
In South Korea, cosmetics are the new smart investment as heavy industry lags
by Seonjin Cha
Seo Jae Hyeong says he's started wearing skin foundation and facial masks at night. It's not about looking younger, the 49-year-old head of Daishin Asset Management Co. says. Seo is trying to get first-hand insight into one of South Korea's hottest stock-market bets: the cosmetics ...
Asia Pacific / Science & Health Nov 2, 2014
Errors tarnish the reputation of South Korea's big plastic surgery industry
Kim Bok-soon disliked her nose and fantasized about getting it fixed after learning of the Korean superstition that an upturned nose makes it harder to hold on to riches. While waiting in a hair salon, she saw a magazine advertisement for a plastic surgery clinic ...
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Jun 2, 2014
Japan urged to make its cosmetics 'cruelty-free'
by Louise George Kittaka
While Japanese consumers clamor for items that will make their skin smoother or their hair shinier, relatively few people are aware of the horror behind the products in their cosmetics cases.
National Aug 30, 2013
Male hairdressers struggle in 'charisma boom' wake
by Tomoko Arima
Male hairdressers are having trouble surviving amid the so-called charisma boom their industry gave rise to around 2000. The boom, hyped by TV dramas and variety shows with charismatic hairdressers, prompted many young men to take up the profession. The number of newly licensed hairdressers ...
How-tos | LIFELINES Aug 26, 2013
Returnee livid after ugly treatment at TBC beauty salon in Tokyo
by Louise George Kittaka
Returnee reader MQ has vowed to give TBC a wide berth after staff made her feel unwelcome and refused to help her enroll at the beauty empire's Yurakucho branch.