In these days when it has long been said that clothes are not selling well, the beauty world is booming in Paris, the epicenter of fashion. The long-established department store Printemps has expanded its beauty space through a major renovation, and now carries Makanai Cosmetics as a permanent item in its #BEAUTYSTA corner, which stocks carefully selected products from around the world. The high-end department store Le Bon Marché on the Left Bank also stocks the total beauty salon uka and RUHAKU, organic cosmetics made with the vitality of natural ingredients from Okinawa. Oh My Cream!, which we introduced last year, has been doing well, opening six new stores in the past year, and it seems Parisian women's interest in beauty is on the rise.

The person promoting Japanese beauty culture in France and driving this boom is Yoshiko Suyama, president of Designs, a French consulting firm that handles business development for cosmetic brands between Japan and France. She is organizing a pop-up project called "Bijo;" which is being held at "The Japan Store ISETAN MITSUKOSHI Paris" inside the Maison de la Culture Franco-Japonais in Paris from November 14th to 25th. Bijo; is an acronym for Beauté Inovatrice Japonaise Originale (Innovative beauty unique to Japan), and this is the third pop-up, following those held in November last year and April this year. This time, new brands will be added, including the new fragrance brand "TOBALI," which was released at Colette a few days ago, and "ALTY," a face-washing brush created by a brush craftsman, bringing the total to 15 brands. The project was initiated after the artist felt that the beauty cultures of Japan, Korea, and China were lumped together under the term "Asian beauty," without understanding the unique characteristics of each country. The past two pop-ups have been very well-received, with sales also booming. "We've uncovered the secrets of Japanese women's beauty, such as the delicate techniques of Japanese artisans and the unique ideas and materials born from their culture, and we've received a lot of positive feedback," he said, expressing his satisfaction. The project has also been widely featured in the French media, raising expectations for the next step.


ALTY

Many of the French journalists who attended the press conference on the first day looked with great interest at ALTY's foam. For the French, who are used to washing their faces with milk or oil and have no concept of "washing with foam," it must have come as a surprise and awe-inspiring. Furthermore, despite France's deeply rooted perfume culture and sensitivity to scents, Suyama smiled and said, "I really like the Tobari scent, which was born from Japan's interpretation of nature." Finally, we asked Suyama about her future plans. "At past pop-ups, we received a great response, but also feedback that it was too much trouble and we couldn't continue. We'd like to learn how to develop a connection between Japan and France, and in the future we're considering opening a lifestyle shop with a beauty theme. We want to convey the essence of Japanese beauty culture, which is not just about improving your appearance, but about spending time on yourself and becoming beautiful from the inside out." Parisian women are becoming more and more "Bijo" by incorporating new and unknown beauty treatments. We'll continue to keep an eye on the beauty scene in France.