SAPPORO - Cosmetics made with ingredients ranging from salmon and sugar beet to birch sap are attracting growing interest, with manufacturers tapping Hokkaido's natural resources while forging closer ties with local communities.
The products, many of which make use of natural or food-derived ingredients, are also providing a boost to regional economies through factory tourism, local employment and efforts to support areas producing the raw materials.
At a cosmetics exhibition and sales event held at the Hokkaido government offices in May, seven local companies showcased products featuring ingredients from across the island.
Sapporo-based Abyssal Japan displayed a body scrub containing sugar beet granules designed to gently remove impurities from the skin. The product is said to be mild enough for babies with sensitive skin and people with atopic dermatitis.
Other products on display included serums containing moisturizing ingredients derived from salmon nasal cartilage and sunscreen made with Japanese peppermint.
"They are particular about the ingredients they use, which gives me peace of mind and keeps me coming back," said a 55-year-old female investor from Sapporo as she listened closely to exhibitors explaining their products.
While cosmetics made with Hokkaido ingredients can be found at airports and souvenir stores, some consumers are traveling directly to factories in more remote parts of the island.
Cosmetics maker and retailer Shiro Co., which was founded locally in 1989, opened a factory in Sunagawa, about an hour's drive from Sapporo, in 2023. Visitors can create fragrances to suit their own tastes at the facility, which had attracted a total of 800,000 people as of June.
Shiro uses 13 Hokkaido ingredients in its products, including asparagus and Rawan-buki, a variety of giant butterbur.
"We searched around the world for ingredients before realizing we had excellent materials right here in Hokkaido," facility manager Kohei Takeda said. "That message has resonated with our customers and keeps them coming back to our products."
Tokyo-based skincare company Natural Science Co., meanwhile, opened a factory and museum on the site of a former junior high school in Shiraoi, drawn by spring water from Lake Kuttara, known for having some of the clearest water in Japan.
Calendula, an herb used in the company's body creams and beauty oils, is grown on the grounds. The facility attracts about 80,000 visitors a year and has also created local jobs, with nearly 80 percent of its 94 employees hired from the area.
Major cosmetics maker Kose Corp. has taken a different approach, working with the town of Bifuka, where white birch sap used in its products is sourced.
Under an agreement aimed at forest conservation and regional revitalization, the company helps cover the cost of managing neglected forests, plants white birch trees and uses their sap in its products, with the initiative intended to support the sustainable development of local industry.
"We hope this will also help raise Bifuka's profile as a source of raw materials," said Hiroki Ogura, a section chief in the town government.
