Japanology Plus - Quest for Perfect Skin

(Japanese instrumental music)

- [Female Narrator] Women
across Asia are big fans

of Japanese cosmetics.

Skincare products are especially popular.

In fact, Japanese women are
the world's most passionate

about skincare, or at
least a close second.

For centuries, elite and commoners alike

have embraced the quest for perfect skin,

and Japan's climate and beauty ideals

gave rise to a characteristic
style of skincare.

This time on Japanology Plus,
we'll unveil Japan's image

of perfect skin and
how to achieve it.

(Japanese instrumental music)

- Hello, and welcome
to Japanology Plus.

I'm Peter Barakan.

For a long time, Japan has
had one of the world's biggest,

if not, the biggest market
for skincare products.

A lot of Japanese women
go to great lengths

to maintain perfect skin.

There's a saying that
beauty comes from within,

but I think for many
Japanese women,

those words would ring hollow

without the application
of a large number

of skincare products on
the exterior as well.

- [Narrator] Most Japanese
women are really into makeup.

But they are even more
passionate about skincare.

Their interest in skincare typically
begins in their late teens.

Then it turns into a theme for life.

With sales of over 1
trillion yen per year,

skincare products

heavily outsell makeup goods
in Japan's cosmetics market.

In recent years, many
women in their twenties

who still have youthful skin

have adopted anti-aging regimes.

- I don't want to have any regrets,

not when I'm in my forties or fifties.

- When I put on my
makeup in the morning,

I feel better if my skin looks good.

From time to time, I'll
spend as much as 10,000 yen

per bottle for a good face lotion.

- [Narrator] The number of
companies making cosmetics

grows year by year.

And foreign cosmetics
companies are investing

in product development
for the Japanese market.

A constant stream of new products

tempts women who want
the best for their skin.

They check reviews by experts

and other consumers in
magazines and on the internet.

The quest for perfect skin
demands a daily commitment.

- [Female Announcer] This year's
Beautiful Skin Prefecture Grand Prix

winner is: Shimane.

- [Narrator] For several years,

one major cosmetics company
has been creating a buzz

by announcing which
of Japan's prefectures

has the most women with perfect skin.

The basis of the rankings
is data from skin checks

offered in stores around Japan.

Each check measures things like
texture and moisture level.

(upbeat music)

Data from about 700,000 skin
checks is gathered each year

and broken down by prefecture.

Then prefectures are
ranked by skin perfection.

For four years in a row,

Shimane Prefecture has
been ranked number one.

What's the secret?

Shimane in Western Japan
has a cloudy, rainy climate

with few sunny days
and high humidity.

That limits exposure
to UV solar radiation,

the enemy of good skin.

And the local diet is rich in shellfish

which contain compounds that
promote skin metabolism.

There are also lots of mineral
hot springs in Shimane.

This particular one was first
noted for its skin benefits

as far back as 1,300 years ago.

An ancient document records that

a soak in its waters will
beautify the face and skin.

It draws not only local women

but visitors from around
Japan seeking ideal skin.

- My guest today is Kaori
Ishida, who's engaged in research

on the philosophical
underpinnings of beauty culture.

Thank you very much for
being with us today.

- I'm glad to be here.

- [Narrator] Kaori Ishida is a professor

at a university in Tokyo,

where she teaches about the
cultural history of cosmetics.

She is also a visiting researcher

at a major cosmetics
maker and the author

of books that probe the cultural
and philosophical aspects

of cosmetics and
the aesthetics of skin.

- Do you think that Japanese
women are more concerned

with maintaining nice skin

than women from other cultures?

And if so, why do you think that is?

- Well, first of all,
in Japan, it's common

for people to spend a lot of
time and effort on skincare.

When you compare skincare
product spending

in different countries,
Japan is always at the top.

But more importantly, from
ancient times in Japan,

at least 1,300 years ago,

perfect skin has been the
definition of beauty itself.

But this 1,300 years
ago only refers

to when the cultural practice
was first documented.

It's likely that the identification

of perfect skin with beauty
existed long before that.

If that belief was already entrenched

by the Nara period,

then female beauty and perfect skin

may, in fact, have been synonymous

from the dawn of history in Japan.

- And what kind of skin

in Japan is considered
to be beautiful skin?

- In Japanese, it's described
as light complexion skin,

but that does not simply
mean light skin tone.

It means moist, smooth
skin without blemishes

freckles, pimples, or moles.

Flawless skin,

that's what light complexion refers to,

a perfect skin condition.

- Hmm. I know when you
look at the Ukiyo-e prints,

if a woman is depicted,

almost always, she looks
completely white.

- Since a light complexion
was considered essential

to true beauty, in woodblock prints,

beauties were shown
with pure white skin.

But even with light skin tone

the presence of any skin
artifact was considered a flaw,

and it still is.

People think that beautiful
skin should have absolutely

no flaws, be in perfect
condition and translucent.

That's why Japanese women are
so assiduous about skincare.

It was during the Edo period

that cosmetics spread to the masses.

A full 260 years of
peace began at the start

of the 17th century.

During this period, trade flourished

and life became more prosperous.

Cosmetics were widely
affordable for the first time.

During those 260 years, there
were two cultural peaks:

Genroku and Kasei.

The Genroku culture was
centered in Western Japan

on the cities of Kyoto and Osaka.

The model for female beauty
there was the aristocracy.

Noble women applied white face powder

and wore lavish kimonos.

The ideal was demure beauty:

gorgeous, but refined and elegant.

In contrast, the Kasei culture
arose in the city of Edo,

today's Tokyo, and spread
across Japan from there.

People in Edo had a fierce resistance

to the established Kyoto
ideal of demure beauty.

Women in Edo wanted to
be chic, not demure.

Chic meant wearing less makeup,

and displaying the beauty
of the skin itself.

A plain and simple look
using less makeup,

that put the emphasis
on good natural skin.

There's a textbook on
makeup that brought it

to a wider audience
during the Edo period.

It was first published in 1810

and remained in print for
an astonishing 110 years.

This book told women where
to go to buy all kinds

of ingredients for mixing
their own cosmetics

and skin treatments.

One example that is
still relevant today

is collagen packs made
from pigs' trotters

which actually are also
used in ramen broth.

It says to buy the trotters
of one pig and boil them.

You're supposed to boil them
until they turn viscous.

You take the viscous stuff

and apply it to your face at bedtime.

Then you just go to sleep.

It also recommends whole
body skincare in the bath,

using bags of rice bran.

After buying brown rice,

people would polish the rice
at home and obtain the bran.

Instead of wastefully throwing it away,

they would use the bran for pickling,

but someone noticed that
exposure to bran

made people's hands look nice.

And rice bran ended up
being used for skincare.

After washing her body,
a woman would take a bag

of bran and soak it in bath water,

then she'd spend about an hour scrubbing

from her face down to
the soles of her feet.

- Have you tried it?

- Yes, I have.

It gives me moist, glowing skin.

- Wow.

- [Narrator] For centuries,

Japanese women have
used rice for skin care.

And to this day,

many skin care products contain
compounds derived from rice.

Kagawa Prefecture, home
of a historic sake brewery

that uses rice to make
skincare products.

In the 1970s,

the company began exploring uses

for rice other than the
brewing of alcoholic drinks.

(upbeat music)

And in the 1990s,

it developed extracts
with improved capacity

to promote moisture
retention in the skin.

These extracts have been
confirmed to work

on the entire epidermis to
increase the moisture retention

of the skin itself.

Restoring moisture
would be expected to

make the skin smoother
and more translucent.

These extracts, like sake,
are fermentation products

created by mixing rice with
kōji mold and other microbes.

After fermentation,
the liquid is aged.

The whole process
takes about 90 days.

This is Japanese-style biotechnology

harnessing the power of nature.

Eventually, even major manufacturers
started selling products

incorporating rice extract.

Now, most of the Kagawa
brewery's 3 billion yen

in annual sales comes from
skincare related products.

It's one of many recent
examples of companies

adapting existing technologies
for skincare products.

The developer of these cosmetics
makes photographic film.

The connection between film

and cosmetics may not be obvious

but skin and film actually
do have something in common.

Collagen is the main raw
material for photographic film.

Human skin is about 70% collagen.

Film has photosensitive emulsion layers

a fraction of a millimeter thick,

similar to the corneum of the skin.

(upbeat music)

This company applied the technology

and expertise it acquired
in the production of film

to the making of skincare products.

The products incorporate
natural astaxanthin,

a compound with a strong
antioxidant effect.

It had already been studied for many years

for its contribution to making
long lasting photo prints.

Color photographs fade
over time due to oxidation.

The company tested 4,000 antioxidants

including astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin, though, is
barely soluble in water,

so nanotechnology was used

to create tiny soluble particles.

This technology was originally developed

by the company to add
compounds to thin films.

After four years,
skincare products derived

from film technology were
generating over 10 billion yen

in yearly sales.

Let's take a look at
some common techniques

for using Japan's vast
assortment of skincare products.

- What are the characteristics
of current Japanese skincare?

- It starts with taking your
makeup off using cleansing oil

or makeup remover.

Then, rinse your face.

Next, you lather up your face
with facial cleansing foam.

Some people use
soap, and again, rinse,

it's a double-clean regime.

One, remove the makeup,
two, wash your face,

then you add moisture using face lotion

followed by the application
of serum and then emulsion.

You massage it in.

If you want to use a face pack,
this is when you apply it.

But for Japanese women, face
washing is very important.

Japanese people have an
ancient belief in water

as the most cleansing and
purifying substance for the body.

When visiting a shrine, for example,

you wash your hands
and rinse your mouth

with clean, fresh water.

In the same way,
the desire to be clean

with makeup or without means

that face washing is the
be-all and end-all of beauty.

- [Narrator] Let's see a typical way

for a Japanese woman to wash her face.

You need a good lather of facial soap,

spread the lather over your face.

Imagine you are rolling the
suds over your whole face

as you gently rub them in.

The forehand and nostrils
have a lot of sebum

which is removed with circular
motions of the fingertips.

Rinse with cold or lukewarm
water for about one minute

and be sure to remove all the soap.

Don't rub dry with a towel.

Pat your skin gently.

Japanese-style face washing
thoroughly cleanses the face.

The key point is how
you work up the lather.

An expert explains.

- Squeeze out about a centimeter
of facial cleansing foam.

Use all your fingers to spread
it across your whole hand.

Try spreading it right out.

- [Peter] Your hand is
whiter than my hand is.

- It's totally covered in white,

but this isn't a lather yet.

The point here is to add
water about a teaspoon

at a time two or three times
as you work up the lather.

So here we go.

This is the first time,
about this much water.

Don't let it spill,

cup your hand a little.

You want to aerate the lather

and build it up bit by bit.

- [Peter] I can already
see that you're a pro.

- Once the leather is worked up

add more water and
work it up even more.

- [Peter] I spilt
some of that.

(laughing)

A little [unclear].
(chuckling)

- You're spilling loads.

(both laughing)

- The point is to really aerate it.

- It's like beating eggs.
(both laughing)

- Doing this makes it puff
right up like whipped cream.

- [Peter] Yes, really.

- We have a good lather.

And look, the lather
is nice and springy.

- Oh, that's very beautiful, yeah.

- You can turn it upside
down and it won't fall.

The lather is as smooth
and stiff as cream.

This will get every bit of sweat
and grime off of your face.

- Can I just touch that
and see how it is?

Ooh. It's like marshmallow almost.

(both laughing)

(upbeat music)

- Hi, I'm Matt Alt.

Have you ever heard
the term "beauty witch"?

in Japan, it doesn't refer to an old hag

riding a broomstick.

It means someone who
is an ageless beauty,

who manages to
stay young-looking

by almost magical powers.

Today, we're going to
meet just such a person.

Let's check it out.

- Hello.

- Hello.

Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.

I'm Kako Iizuka.

- [Narrator] Meet a beauty witch,

she's 56 and a housewife
with two children.

At age 50, she was featured

in a woman's magazine as a
[unclear] with perfect skin.

Since then, she has published
her own book of beauty tips

and helped to produce a
line of skincare products.

Here's how Iizuka looks
with no makeup on.

She doesn't get salon treatments;

her perfect skin is self-made.

- So, Ms. Iizuka,

what types of treatments
do you do on a daily basis?

- I wear a face pack
while I wash the dishes.

I do facial muscle exercises
while I vacuum the house.

I do as much skincare as I
can while doing other things.

- [Narrator] Here are
the skincare products

that Iizuka uses on a daily basis.

- Tell me about this.

What is this thing?

It looks like some kind of
knife or medical device.

- This is a facial beauty device

that cleanses ultrasonically.

- Can I try it?

(speaking foreign language)

- Be my guest.

- [Narrator] Matt's never
even seen one of these devices

which can clean out
your keratin in pores.

Iizuka uses it every
day while watching TV.

- (laughing) That really tickles.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Iizuka] This will make
your skin really beautiful.

- Oh, nice and smooth.

(speaking in a foreign language)

- Really smooth, like a
hard boiled egg.

(Matt laughs)

- Now, what the heck is this?

It's like an alien shed its skin.

Well, it sure looks wet.

It's cold, oh, my God, it's cold.

- [Narrator] This is actually a big help

when you're using a face pack.

- The pack will come off
unless you secure it.

So, we put this over the top.

- Okay.

It fits very nicely,

and I noticed that
as I move my head,

the mask doesn't come off.

- That's right.

Without this, the pack would slip off.

This lets me work on
keeping perfect skin

even while I'm at the
computer and so on.

Handy, isn't it?

- [Matt] Yes.

- [Narrator] Now, here is
something with a medical function.

It helps people who have
paralysis around the mouth,

but Iizuka uses it for
maintaining her skin.

- Oh!

Oh!

Ooh!

- Try and make sure it doesn't pop out.

It really exercises the
muscles around your mouth,

perks up any drooping
and boosts blood flow

to keep skin supple.

- Next up, I hear Ms. Iizuka
has some special techniques

for keeping one's skin
beautiful outdoors.

Show me what you got.

- (chuckling) Wow, Ms. Iizuka,

you're not just a beauty witch,

you're a ninja, too!

- My UV protection gear.

- So, tell me about this getup.

What are you wearing?

- A hat that blocks 100% of UV,

sunglasses that keep out
light from the side, too.

And a mask to protect
my face, neck, and so on

from the sun.

Then gloves.

I also take a parasol when I go out.

- [Matt] Wow.

- Care to try these on?

- Sure.

- Okay.

Go right ahead.

Hang it from your ears.

Yes.

- Okay.

- Very nice, it actually suits you.

- So, do you ever get reactions
when you're walking around

in a big crowd dressed like this?

- I find that even on crowded streets

a path will open up for me.

- Well, now you've got me into this.

I really want to try it.

Is that okay?

- Please do.

- I'll start with the sunglasses

and then the hat.

Look at us!

- Just perfect.

(upbeat music)

- Tips and techniques

for keeping your skin
looking young and beautiful,

no matter your age.

See you next time.

- [Narrator] Japanese
women seeking perfect skin

are also very careful
about their makeup.

These days, a natural
look is in vogue.

It's a makeup technique
that uses foundation

and other products
to conceal skin flaws,

and create the look of the
ideal skin you wish you had.

In recent years, so-called
"no makeup look" makeup

has become the technique of choice.

The idea is to use makeup

to achieve an optimally natural look.

- These days it's outdated

to look like you have
heavy makeup on.

- I go lighter on the foundation,

and I mix it with moisturizing cream.

- If you're going to spend
a lot of time and effort

getting your skin really looking nice,

and then keeping it looking nice,

why put a lot of makeup
on it and cover it all up?

- (chuckles) Good question.

Natural-look makeup is an
artificial version of natural.

You're creating your own image of natural.

- They do like that in Japan, don't they?

In a lot of other fields as well.

- Yes. A bonsai is a classic example.

The plants wouldn't grow
like that naturally.

They're painstakingly shaped for years,

and yet, people perceive
them as looking natural.

- Good point.

- Same with makeup.

- Okay. Okay.

- [Narrator] Let's take a closer look

at natural look makeup.

Many Japanese women
want a baby's skin look.

- For that baby skin look,
the skin needs to be smooth.

There should be no visible pores.

So I'm going to use a foundation cream

that is really good at covering pores.

- [Miyako] Hiding the
pores is really important.

- That's right.

- You start with a really
thorough application

of foundation cream.

That step is very important.

This is going to change
the way she looks.

It will make her skin
look less bumpy.

It will seem much smoother.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Next comes the foundation.

This step is critical to
getting the baby skin look.

- Her skin has a naturally rosy tone,

but the rosiness is not even,

so we conceal that with foundation.

And then we're going

to add the natural rosy blush back in,

that's where the magic happens.

- Artificial natural.

- It takes a lot of work to achieve.

Now, over here we
have some red spots.

On those we're going to
use a stick-type concealer

that covers up even better.

I use a brush tip to make sure
the concealer is applied only

in the places where it's needed.

And that gives us this look.

- [Peter] Wow. Magic.

(all laughing)

- [Narrator] Face powder is also applied

only when needed.

Not making it uniform all over

makes the skin glow
seem more natural.

(cheerful music)

- A few minutes ago, we
covered up the rosiness,

and now we're going to
bring it back with rouge.

Her cheeks were naturally rosy.

That rosiness was around here.

The key to applying rouge
is to keep the brush

at a flat angle,

then the skin will look more natural.

- It really does look natural, doesn't it.

(laughing)

- [Narrator] Before, her
uneven skin tone stood out,

after, her color is rosy,

and her skin looks smooth
and soft as a baby's.

- What I was most
impressed by, I suppose,

was when you talked about
how the Japanese play

with nature and reinvent nature,

and to see the way makeup is done

as an extension of that
was actually something

I'd never even thought about.

So, that was another
good piece of education-

this has been a very educative
show for me (both laughing)

I must tell you.

- That's good to hear.

- Thank you very much.

- Thank you very much.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Next time, bladed tools

Japanese blades take countless forms,

from knives for fish
to scissors for sweets.

We explore the cutting edge

of a sophisticated craft culture.