A part of beauty: Oral hygiene embraced as essential part of beauty regime in Japan

According to a new report by @cosme, the growth in oral care has been attributed to the rising awareness of the lower jaw area, including the mouth, teeth, and lips after people stopped wearing protective face masks after the pandemic.

“With more people not wearing masks, I feel there’s a renewed awareness of oral care. In particular, it seems that many people have a desire to whiten their teeth,”​ said Momoko Kaneko, public relations officer, business strategy office, Ishizawa Laboratory.

Ishizawa Laboratory is a Japanese beauty and personal care firm behind several brands, including a local drugstore favourite Nadeshiko.

Nadeshiko is best known for its rice mask and other rice-based skin care products.

Recently, the brand expanded into oral care with baking soda-based teeth wipes, which it claims helps to remove stains and yellowing.

The product was designed for people who wished to maintain their oral hygiene while on the move without access to water or a toothbrush.

“One of the main points was to make it easy to use anytime, even when you’re out and about. So, we made it a sheet that can be used without water and doesn’t take up too much space in your bad. We also paid special attention to develop a finger-shaped sheet so it can used easily and reach even the smallest areas,”​ explained Kaneko.

Small but growing number​

Nadeshiko’s Baking Soda Teeth Wipes join a small but growing number of oral care products that are blurring the lines between beauty and oral health.

This includes the best-selling Okuchi Lemon Mouthwash, which is housed in individual packets for portability. The product claims to cleanse away proteins that are the cause of bad breath.

Japanese companies are also recognising the opportunities for oral care in the premium market​.

Beauty and wellness company YA-MAN, which specialises in beauty devices, has also launched an oral irrigator.

CosmeticsDesign-Asia​ previously reported​ that the oral care category in Asia was undergoing the ‘skinificiation’ trend, with demands for ingredients such as collagen, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and probiotics.

In Japan, the market exceeded USD1.98bn in 2023, driven by high-value products that cater to consumers aged 50 and above.

According to a @cosme survey of over 6,000 respondents conducted in May, more than half (54.2%) signaled their interest in oral care and 58.2% said they were willing to spend more than oral care.

Furthermore, 50.5% of all respondents said they considered oral care now a part of their beauty regimes.

With these results, @cosme believes oral care is set to be the next burgeoning category.

Kaneko concluded: “In recent years, oral care has become more popular in terms of health and beauty. It seems that the number of items used and the cost spent are increasing. However, compared to skin care and hair care, there are still areas that are still in the early stages of development, and some people may find it a bit troublesome, so I hope that awareness of oral care will increase regardless of gender or age.”​