Shiseido's specialty cosmetics brand, BENFIQUE, conducted an online survey on "base makeup awareness" on the 17th and 18th of last month targeting 300 women and 100 men in their 20s and 30s.
The top three elements desired for ideal skin were the same for both men and women: "natural skin-like appearance" (67% of women, 56% of men), followed by "translucence" (47.7% of women, 37% of men), and "brightness" (32% of women, 37% of men).
When asked what makeup women "wish to put more effort into," "base makeup" (44.3%) ranked almost the same as "eye makeup" (44.7%), followed by "hair makeup" (32.7%). Furthermore, when asked what areas they wanted to cover with base makeup, "pores" (52.7%) topped the list, followed by "blemishes" (39.7%) and "dark circles" (33.7%).

On the other hand, men "don't really care" (34%) or "never" (33%) about women's base makeup, with a total of about 70% of men saying they don't care at all. However, about 70% of men also answered that they have been "disappointed by a woman's skin," expressing disappointment over points such as "thick foundation" (33%), "visible pores and unevenness" (30%), and "visible acne and acne scars" (29%). It turns out that men aren't particularly interested in the makeup process, but they do check the finished skin. Meanwhile, women use elaborate baked makeup to cover up skin concerns and place importance on coverage, revealing a gap in awareness between men and women.