Supermarket chain Aeon leads the path for organic cosmetics in Japan
In August 2018, Japan’s largest supermarket conglomerate Aeon announced its own organic cosmetics line-up under a private brand. The launch is part of the corporation’s strategy to bring organic products into the mainstream ahead of its rivals.
In the US, healthy grocery chains such as Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s have sprung up across the country. However, in Japan, even though the demand for organic food grew 102.3 percent in 2017 to 178.5 billion yen (approx. US$1.6 billion), its share within the overall food industry was less than 1 percent.
Yet, more consumers in Japan are keen on buying organic products that are safer for people and the environment. They include the increasing number of visitors to Japan and the millennial generation, who will become the main consumers of the near future. It’s conceivable that once organic foods are sold in more local shops and at lower prices in Japan, their popularity will rapidly increase.
One company that has kept ahead of the curve is Japanese conglomerate Aeon, which launched its own health and environmentally-conscious food brand, Topvalu Greeneye, more than 25 years ago in 1993. Today, Aeon has expanded Topvalu Greeneye into three categories — Greeneye Organic, Greeneye Natural and Greeneye Free From — the latter of which is “free from” specific additives, raw materials and ingredients.
Aeon has also established a farming corporation, which grows organic produce and supplies produce to its group stores. It had been created to safeguard against the ailments of Japan’s agricultural sector, from the low rate of food self-sufficiency to ageing farmers and the shortage of farm successors.
The farming corporation began after Aeon leased 2.6 hectares of abandoned fields and rice paddies in Ibaraki Prefecture and sent three employees to fell and cultivate the land. The project now covers 350 hectares of leased land with 20 directly-managed farms — three of which have attained the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) certification for organic plants.
The shine of organic beauty oils
As more consumers purchase organic food, more enquiries about organic cosmetics are being made to Aeon. In a previous Aeon survey, many consumers had also said they were interested in organic cosmetics but were unwilling to buy them due to high prices and the difficulty of choosing among too many products.
So for three years, the company’s product development team sought to resolve these issues. Aeon also obtained France’s COSMOS certification, a widely recognised global standard, in the hope that its products would be identified as organic at first sight. And it began to price organic products more affordably to be within reach of the average consumer.
In August 2018, the company released the Geo Organics cosmetics brand, which costs between 1,500 to 2,000 yen (approx. US$13.50 to 18) excluding tax. Geo Organics products mostly comprise beauty oils that don’t require emulsifiers. They also meet consumers’ “quick care” needs in a straightforward beauty regime: after washing your face, you apply the oil, which acts as a booster and allows lotion applied after to permeate better into the skin.
Aeon released this line-up because beauty oils easily make for a 100 per cent organic product. These products are also attractive, allowing consumers to choose the type of oil that matches their skin and working as a multitasker on the body and even hair.
While developing the product, Aeon zeroed in on promotional methods for in-store beauty advisors. It created a special manual and conducted thorough training for face-to-face consultations. Thanks to a better understanding of products on the frontline, Aeon has since been able to refine its sales strategy, for example, lining up products on the shelves to easily catch people’s eyes. Customers also respond well to the benefits of the oils, so Aeon now offers more in-store sampling promotions.
The signs are promising even in these early stages. The Pure Oil range, comprising argan, jojoba, apricot, macadamia and special blend oils, is well received; the argan oil, in particular, is a popular entry-level product for first-time customers.
Across cities big and small throughout Japan, Aeon shopping centres that carry these products will no doubt play an important role in bringing organic cosmetics to the mainstream. As green-conscious millennials start families of their own, it’s only a matter of time before they have a major impact on companies. This new generation of customers will popularise the spread of organic products, from supermarkets like Aeon to retail stores, and hasten the organic cosmetics trend in Japan, as is already happening in the West.
Text: Denyse Yeo
Original (Japanese): Ayako Sasaki
