‘East meets west’: Estée Lauder will launch Japan-produced quasi-drug skin range in September

The Aqua Charge range was developed in collaboration with Yushin Shuzo, a sake brewery based in the Kagawa Prefecture.

According to the company, the range “from development to manufacturing, was 100% produced in Japan and tested on Japanese women.”​

Additionally, its safety has been confirmed on tests on sensitive skin, said the firm.

The Aqua Charge range will launch in Japan first on September 13 with three products: Aqua Charge Medicated Serum Essence, Aqua Charge Medicated Milky Cream, and Aqua Charge Medicated Treatment Lotion.

At launch, the series will be available at Estée Lauder counters in department stores nationwide, the official Estée Lauder online store, and more.

Aqua Charge Medicated Serum Essence and Medicated Milky Cream have received 11 approved effects as quasi-drugs, such as skin moisture retention and skin tightening.

CosmeticsDesign-Asia previously reported that the company planned to launch China-exclusive products​ developed by its local team in Shanghai.

Hyper hydration

The range is powered by the proprietary Self-Hydro Technology, which works to help skin achieve “self-moisturisation”.

The technology features two quasi-drug ingredients approved by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, including Rice Power by Yushin Shuzo.

Rice Power is a proprietary rice-derived fermented extract that has been observed to increase the production of hyaluronic acid and improve the skin's ability to retain moisture.

According to the firm, rice-derived fermented extract was developed exclusively by Yushin Shuzo with its fermentation technology.

With a three-dimensional skin model, researchers found that the group that received the rice-derived fermented extract and licorice-derived ingredient had a 40% higher concentration of hyaluronic acid than the control.

Estée Lauder and Yushin Shuzo jointly presented the research on its ability to improve the skin's natural moisture retention ability at the International Society for Investigative Dermatology (ISID) 2023.

The clinical trials also confirmed that it has anti-ageing effects, such as alleviating dry skin through moisturising, improving skin moisture, smoothness, and texture, and improving wrinkles and nasolabial folds.

Furthermore, in a clinical trial conducted in a dry, cold environment (10°C, 10% humidity) for four hours, the skin's moisture content at the application site was maintained at a significantly higher level.

"We were impressed with the research findings presented by the R&D team at ISID2023 and are certainly a great example of The Estée Lauder Companies' east meets west development philosophy. We look forward to incorporating this technology into our products and ultimately delivering them to Japanese consumers," said James Aquilina, executive president, Estée Lauder Japan.

In addition to Rice Power, the range also features the approved quasi-drug ingredient dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, which is derived from licorice root. It also contains betaine, glycerin, jojoba oil, and meadowfoam seed oil.