Yasai’s star product is its Facial Spa Cream, a product that claims to deeply cleanse the skin to remove impurities.
The product also changes colour to help users to better understand their skin while tracking the progress of their skin condition.
“Our Facial Spa Cream is the most fundamental step of cleansing. What makes it unique is that when you apply it on your skin, it will change colour to indicate to you the state of your skin,” said founder Christopher Huang.
The colour change ranges from dark brown to pink, green and grey. The clearer and more translucent the cream, the cleaner the skin, the firm claims.
The product’s star ingredient is wild purslane, a herb that is prized for its antioxidants and hydrating Omega-3 fatty acids.
Huang told CosmeticsDesign-Asia that the firm believed there was a need for such a product in the market as there has been more emphasis on deep cleansing since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Since launching in April 2020, the firm has seen the sales grow consistently.
“In July, we sold 30 to 70 bottles. Then our product went viral online and we are now selling 60 to 80 bottles daily. During the sales events like 11.11 or 12.12, our sales can double even though our discounts are not a lot,” said Huang.
The company has also expanded into Malaysia, where the brand has been performing well, said Huang.
Moving forward, Huang said the company was aiming to expand the business further by launching more products. By mid-2021, the company expects to have a total of six SKUs.
Huang said the company would only be launching cleansing products and will build its brand around its ‘expertise’ in cleansing.
“Our company's main direction is moving towards cleansing. We won't come out with moisturisers, only going to develop cleansing products like facial cleanser or cleansing oil. To be honest, all you need to do is keep your skin clean and hydrated… its more than good enough to get the glow.”
More for your buck
With its products, the company aims to help consumers minimise their beauty routines with multifunctional products.
For instance, its Facial Spa Cream not only cleanses, but also moisturises with ingredients such as jojoba oil.
“The other great thing about the cream is that it is multifunctional and it's great for consumers who want to simplify their skin care. It's no longer about multiple steps, but multiple functions. Today, most of the consumers are looking for products that offer two-in-one or even three-in-one benefits,” said Huang.
The company is confident that the demand for deep cleansing products will persist post-pandemic.
“What COVID-19 did was spotlight the importance of cleansing and we believe it will continue. We are already approaching phase three of the pandemic and our sales have not gone down. In fact, it’s just going up all the way,” said Huang.
The company hopes to tap into this opportunity and enter new markets in the South East Asian region such as Vietnam.
Another new market it will expand into next year is travel retail under the retail arm of Singapore Airlines. Krisshop.
In addition to SEA, the firm is also targeting Australia and the US.
“Australia and the US are interesting because even though we have not done any advertising in those regions, we are getting many enquiries from there. I think its because our product is really one-of-a-kind. You can't find a similar product like it; you can't compare it to a moisturiser or cleanser or scrub,” said Huang.
He added that the firm was in the midst of preparing to ship worldwide and improve its e-commerce website to ad AI-powered skin analysis tool to aid its expansion plans.
The company is currently preparing to raise funding through an angel round to further its expansion ambitions.
