For The Ladies: Japan Tourism Boom Benefits Japanese Cosmetics Industry

Above, the famed Ginza shopping district in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The current tourism boom in Japan has been reaping many rewards to different companies and industries in Japan. The cosmetics industry is one of them.

The Japan Times reported:

Massive consumption by foreign visitors to Japan, notably Chinese, is proving a godsend to some Japanese daily goods and cosmetics-makers, but others seem to be left out in the cold. 

Kao Corp. and Shiseido Co. have enjoyed strong sales by winning the hearts of Chinese tourists looking for high-end Japanese products. But some makers are losing out because their mainstay products are not designed with foreign consumers in mind. 

At Kao, its hot eye masks and subsidiary Kanebo Cosmetics Inc.’s face-wash powders are flying off the shelves. Kao President Michitaka Sawada says foreign visitors “tend to buy high value-added products.” 

Foreign visitors’ shopping binges boost the Kao group’s annual sales by some ¥15 billion, excluding sales of paper diapers for children. 

Shiseido also expects a ¥15 billion boost to annual sales, excluding duty-free stores at airports and elsewhere. Pricey cosmetics are particularly popular.

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