Who is this person? I was surprised how different I look, says Yoshiro Kamichi, a salon customer in Tokyo, Japan.
Yoshiro is part of a growing number of men adding makeup to their daily grooming routine. Demand for makeup has increased during the pandemic with brands attributing the growth to remote working.
READ MORE |
Hiroaki Murakami, a manager at Cosme Tokyo, says, in addition to there being more online meetings than before people have more time to spend on themselves. I think there are more men who watch cosmetic-related YouTube content and that has contributed to an increase in men s interest in makeup, adds Hiroaki.
Lipstick, foundation, and concealers have long been pillars of women’s beauty routines. Globally the cosmetics market is projected to be worth more than €629 billion by 2025.
But since the onset of the pandemic, brands and salons in Japan have constituted a marked increase in men looking to use their products and services. We have fewer opportunities to meet people under this situation. And I didn t like myself paying less attention to my appearance, said Yoshihiro Kamichi, one of the growing number of men who have begun experimenting with makeup.
Kamichi pointed out that spending more time at home means he is looking at himself much more critically in the mirror. He has turned to makeup to make him feel transformed. Who is this person? he said. I was surprised how different I look .
Chisato Tanaka
Customer Kenta Yamazaki, a 24-year-old hairdresser, looks at beauty products at @cosme TOKYO, a store selling a selection of cosmetics and makeup products including men s cosmetic, in Tokyo s Harajuku district Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. The coronavirus pandemic has been pushing businesses to the edge in Japan, but some in the men s beauty industry have seen an unexpected expansion in their customer base. Japanese businessmen in their 40s, 50s and 60s who had little interest in cosmetics before the pandemic are now buying makeup. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) April 19, 2021 - 9:04 PM
TOKYO - The coronavirus pandemic has pushed many businesses in Japan to the edge of financial ruin, but Takumi Tezuka, who owns a makeup and hair salon for men in Tokyo, has seen his customer base expand.