When this expat first came to Japan, I was filled with envy for the Japanese ladies, with their flawless skin. Whether or not it’s all about genetics, all could think was, “What products are they using?”.  

Apparently, I am not alone in my envy.   After electronics and food, cosmetics is the next biggest export for Japan. Even at street level, the visible popularity of stores like Matsumoto Kiyoshi perhaps provide testament to this effect.  In fact, 'Matsukiyo' seems to be, these days, a destination in and of itself for large numbers of tourists to Japan who arrive on these shores with long shopping lists of cosmetics and skincare items and the promise of hope.

So with so much variety, and descriptions mostly in Japanese, choice in beauty products in Japan can overwhelm.  Perhaps a best-in-category list might help?

A great resource with regards to popular cosmetic products in Japan might be '@cosme shopping'.  The people over at @cosme regularly poll consumers and retailers to come up with lists of best/popular cosmetic products in Japan.  The list is updated almost weekly to provide consumers with what's popular at the time together with reviews from member users.  

So we studied their best beauty items over the last year together with this expat's own experiences with beauty products in Japan and word-of-mouth to come up with a list of recommendations.  Here’s my pick of popular cosmetics products, available in Japan, across all the essential categories.

Category - Skincare

Face wash 

Moisturizer

Sheet mask

bb/cc cream

Category - Makeup

Face

Lips

Eyes

Category - Other

Hope this list helps.  If you have any comments or personal additions to this list of beauty products popular in Japan, please feel free to comment below.  Thank you.

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Resources:

www.cosme.com