Mood-boosting touch: IPSA intensifies personalised skin care development centred on skin-mind connection

For more than 30 years, IPSA has placed emphasis on co-creation with consumers for formulations tailored to an individual’s unique needs.

The brand has also been working on the development of products that not only make the skin healthy, but also positively impact the mind through various channels, including consumer surveys and neurological research.

“Through consultation and product development that support personalised skin care, IPSA will continue to enable consumers to be themselves and express their individuality through this co-creation experience,” ​the brand said.

Its core skin care line, ME, comprises 16 moisturiser variations, each combining the functions of lotion and emulsion in one bottle.

Specifically, there are eight options for IPSA ME, which is targeted at standard skin types to revitalise the skin for a bouncy and firm appearance; IPSA ME Sensitive is a range dedicated to delicate skin; and the four products under IPSA ME Ultimate e aim to provide deep hydration, skin resilience, and a radiant translucency.

In March, IPSA launched a special website called Suhada Chaya that features interviews with renowned Japanese artists, actors, models, culinary experts and more, which highlighted the relationship between the skin and mind.

The website also offers booking of in-store consultation, online consultation, and virtual skin check.

During the online consultation, a “specialised Recipist” will advise on skin care customised to the user’s concerns and needs. The user is able to select a time of their convenience, and can choose to go through the session with the camera off.

As for the online skin check, it takes approximately three to five minutes. The user simply needs to take a photo with their smartphone and answer a few questions about their skin condition to receive recommendations.

It is recommended that the user does continuous monitoring by tracking the daily changes in their skin for 90 days.

Positive impact of self-touch​

In a survey conducted by IPSA, which involved 700 Japanese men and women aged between their 10s and 60s, 81% of respondents said that their skin condition worsens when negative mental factors, such as stress, increase.

Conversely, 59% stated that their skin condition improves when positive mental factors, such as stress reduction, are on the rise.

Additionally, a study jointly conducted by Shiseido and Tokyo Metropolitan University found that “self-touch” (touching of one’s skin) during the application of skin care calms the mind and provides a sense of security.  

In the experiment, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure the changes in brain activity of 12 healthy female participants induced by mere self-touch (rubbing the back of left hand with the right) in a pain-free and stress-free situation.

Physio-Physiological Interaction (PPI) analysis was carried out to investigate the modulatory effects of brain activity.

It was observed that self-touch on the skin reduces activity in parts of the brain related to attention and alertness to the external environment and the activation of sympathetic nerves, as well as the part responsible for raising blood pressure.

The findings were published in a paper titled “The Neural Basis of Self-Touch in a Pain-Free Situation” in scientific journal Neuropsychiatry (London)​.