Wrinkle Shot was released in 2017 after 15 years in development. The firm claims that it was the first anti-wrinkle quasi-drug cosmetic recognised by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Aya Katsuda of POLA’s Communication Strategy Division tells CosmeticsDesign-Asia that since its launch in January 2017, Wrinkle Shot Medical Serum has been used by approximately 1.1m customers and has sold more than 2.5m units.
This time, the company researched “the relationship between the ability to improve wrinkles and the ability to heal scratches”, said Katsuda.
The new wrinkle improvement mechanism works to increase chondroitin sulfate in wrinkles.
“Chondroitin sulfate is a polysaccharide that is present in all tissues throughout the body and is essential for healing scratches and maintaining the function of cells,” Katsuda explained.
She elaborated that by increasing chondroitin sulfate, it could enhance the effectiveness of NEI-L1, the hero ingredient of the original Wrinkle Shot formula, and ‘regenerates the skin three-dimensionally’.
“In other words… the wrinkle improvement effect will be improved faster and more reliably. Compared to the current product, the wrinkle improvement rate has more than doubled in one month,” said Katsuda.
In addition, the new formula also contains other ingredients such as royal jelly extract, thyme extract and peach leaf extract.
According to Katsuda, the serum has undergone clinical trials on 1,600 subjects, some of which have been ‘extremely prone to wrinkles’.
Big plans for star product
The new product will be available across Japan in around 4,000 POLA stores, including 670 standalone stores and 67 department stores. It will also be available online through its official website.
Overseas, it will be subsequently released in six countries, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore.
The company will also be targeting the travel retail sector in South Korea and cross-border e-commerce market in China.
The company said it expects to see the anti-ageing cosmetics segment grow steadily in the high-end beauty market.
The POLA brand’s prestige range, B.A, was relaunched last September and has received positive feedback.
“In particular, the star item, B.A Lotion, has been very well received, with sales of approximately 41,000 units within four days of its release,” said Katsuda.
With the launch of the new Wrinkle Shot, the company aims to further expand POLA's share of the high-prestige cosmetics market.
Katsuda said the company believed the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is spurring on the sales of anti-ageing skin care products, which are seen as an essential.
Moving forward, the company will continue to further its research in the area.
“As a pioneer in improving wrinkles, we will continue to conduct market-leading research and commercialisation, aiming to propose new value. The concept is to provide people all over the world with a bright and trouble-free future as soon as possible. We want to have a positive world where you can laugh as much as you want without worrying about wrinkles.”
