SEKKISEI, the KOSÉ Corporation made its first appearance at the Second China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) held in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province from July 26 to Saturday, 2022. 

With a history of 37 years, SEKKISEI has always been the main focus of KOSÉ's travel retail business in Hainan, as well as the brand DECORTÉ. Well recognized in China already as one of the representative beauty brands in Japan, SEKKISEI showcased its core value of "Gift from the Earth," debuting five new products in the Chinese mainland during the second CICPE.

According to Miyata Yasuhiro, chairman of KOSÉ China, the key tasks are sharing the corporation's vision to further expand its awareness and development in China, and taking advantage of the open travel retail market environment in Hainan Province. He also shared his views about Chinese market as well as the brand's development in future. 

Q: KOSÉ has entered the highly competitive Chinese market since 1988. How do you view the market and what are the corporation's advantages?

A: We believe that the Chinese market still has a large potential for development, especially in the high-end cosmetics market that KOSÉ focuses on. Our strength lies in our continuous exploration of cutting-edge technologies, our firm commitment to environmental protection, quality and safety, our extensive portfolio of unique brands, as well as observation and adjustment to constantly changing consumer behavior.

Q: KOSÉ has experienced a transition from "local production" to "Japanese imported brands" in China. In recent years, major Japanese cosmetics companies have been introducing high-end brands to China, and their sales have been robust. What do you think of this phenomenon? And could you predict the next trend in the Chinese cosmetics market?

A: We believe that with local consumers' rising need for quality, the shift towards premium products is inevitable. Both SEKKISEI and DECORTÉ are in line with this trend.

The post-epidemic issues should be focused on the Chinese cosmetics market in the future, such as eliminating skin problems caused by wearing masks for a long time, ways to preserve makeup when wearing masks, and allowing consumers to truly relax. In the post-epidemic era, products and unique services that adapt to consumers will be favored.

 

Q: KOSÉ has always attached great importance to sustainable development and environmental protection. Could you share with us more on the campaign "SAVE the BLUE" as well as the corporation's other efforts in sustainable development?

A: With our corporate philosophy as "wisdom and beauty for people and the Earth," KOSÉ is committed to realizing the importance to build a sustainable future society. Meanwhile, "when you become beautiful, the Earth becomes beautiful" sums up SEKKISEI's thinking on sustainable development. 

And one of the most important activities of the corporation is the "SAVE the BLUE" campaign initiated by SEKKISEI  in 2009. 

Q: Are there any different preferences for skin care products and makeup between consumers in China and Japan? If there are, will KOSÉ market products be different based on these differences? Will KOSÉ launch a customized series in the future, specially catering to the preferences of Chinese consumers? 

A: In Japan, more consumers wear makeup during work and tend to buy cosmetics in complete sets; while in China, consumers prefer to buy multiples of one item they consider it useful and important. Besides, a large number of Chinese consumers are highly sensitive to fashion trends, which we wish to take into consideration. 

In order to align our marketing with the needs and preferences of Chinese consumers, we find it necessary to engage in a different marketing initiative from that in Japan. Through meticulous interactive marketing activities, we can communicate with local consumers more deeply.

Q: Could you reveal a bit about the future plans for SEKKISEI?

A: As an important brand under KOSÉ, SEKKISEI will continue to develop in accordance with the principles of sustainable development from the perspective of inclusiveness and diversity, in line with the trend of the global sustainable development goals. Most importantly, we are fully aware that the key always lies in consumers, whose requirements for beauty are constantly changing. Therefore, our brands need to grow rapidly in order to keep up with the rapidly changing consumer preferences.