Makeup gets manly in Japan with FIVEISM x THREE
Last year both FIVEISM x THREE and Chanel turned heads when the announced their own respective men’s makeup lines. With the more and more men’s cosmetics coming on the scene, the adoption among Japanese men has been quietly gaining steam.
In terms of men’s cosmetics, Japan has tended to fall behind South Korea and the West. However, this changed in the second half of 2018 when the brand FIVEISM x THREE started up as a new Japanese men’s cosmetics brand. They entered the market in gusto with a full product lineup.
FIVEISM x THREE is a men’s cosmetics brand encompassing a range of products. Handled by Acro Inc., which also manages the brand THREE and is a subsidiary of Pola Orbis Holdings, the project was originally launched to mark the company’s 10th anniversary in Fall 2017 with the wish to “offer new value that’s a step ahead of the times”. After a year of preparation, the brand began releasing its products in September 2018.
The premise of FIVEISM x THREE’s concept is that the idea of beauty which men aim for with makeup is more to do with grooming and refinement rather than ornamentation which is more what women aim for. Using this concept, the brand offers makeup that is easy for men to incorporate into their daily lives — presenting makeup as an extension of styling their hair, another part of their daily routine. The focus of the products is on emphasizing men’s bone structure, sculptured features and well-shaped eyebrows.
At the forefront is their foundation, which comes in a stick form. Men’s skin tends to secrete more sebum than women’s skin, and accordingly, the foundation has a dry, smooth texture that doesn’t have stickiness when applied.
It comes in a wide range of 15 colors, from light to tanned skin tones. In addition to the foundation, they also have other makeup items of a more playful nature — such as eyeshadow for dabbing on before a dinner party and multi-use color bars that can be light-heartedly applied to hair or other parts of the face. At the launch, they initially announced a total of 61 SKUs (Stock Keeping Units), and as of the end of January 2019 that has grown to over 80 SKUs.
The brand’s main target is both younger men aged 25 to 35 who are susceptible to the latest trends and the older executive class. As well as their items being available in the men’s sections of department stores in Tokyo and Osaka, they’ve also opened their own concept store titled “SENSORIUM THREE” from November 2018 in the Marunouchi district in Tokyo.
Synergy with makeup improves skincare sales
At about three months since the release of FIVEISM x THREE’s lineup, Acro Inc. say they’re feeling a positive response from users. The most popular product is the “Naked Complexion Bar”, a foundation that satisfies the needs of hiding blots or the dark circles around men’s eyes, accentuating the slimness of their face and enhancing the sculptured look of their features. Also, many users are saying they relate to the brand’s concept of bringing out your “individuality”.
The release of FIVEISM x THREE has brought about a synergy with the men’s skincare lineup THREE, which underwent a renewal last December, and sales of the latter are apparently going well. Moving forward, they plan to further enhance their tutorial videos and pamphlets so that consumers can know how to easily apply the makeup with the correct methods and this should lower the hurdles for new buyers who are starting to use the products.
Men’s makeup startups also emerge
Meanwhile, NEL.Inc, which runs the fashion and beauty website for millennial men his& https://hisand.co/, is currently developing men’s skincare and makeup products for release in May this year. From the outset of development, they’ve concentrated on cultivating core fans. This has been by scouting on Instagram for men who enjoy using makeup in their daily lives and building up and managing a community of millennial-generation males.
Members of this community include professionals such as hairdressers, but the majority is made up of ordinary office workers and students. They’re united by their awareness that makeup, like fashion, is just another tool for expressing yourself, and it’s not uncommon for them to carry around a cosmetics pouch daily.
They use cushion foundation, lipstick, hand cream, and eyeshadow frequently. Common skin anxiety among them is skin pores, and many use BB creams with high cover abilities to hide them. Their average monthly beauty and fashion budget is around 20,000 yen (US$180), and they differentiate their usage of lower-priced items and luxury brand items based on the occasion — whether they need speedy makeup or have the time to put in more effort.
30 of the his& official members, as core members, are involved with product development, and by using the chatting app Slack they communicate to the brand a variety of outlooks, which include certain needs and requests. These core members eventually play an important role in promoting the products after release as influencers or brand ambassadors.
The growth of men’s cosmetics relies on women’s thinking
When we asked several men’s cosmetics companies and beauty critics what the necessary element is for further spreading men’s cosmetics and makeup items among Japanese men, an extremely common answer was “women’s acceptance of the idea”. They said that the fact that many women in Japan still hold the stereotype that it’s strange for men to use skincare and makeup is what puts the breaks on men’s desire to try it.
Apparently, in South Korea, women actively recommend skincare and makeup routines to their male partners. If in Japan, the idea that it’s attractive for men to take care of their skin and use makeup to enhance their appearance becomes more widespread, the Japanese men’s cosmetics market would likely see rapid expansion.
