Recently started large discount event 'Megawari' at Qoo10 in Japan shows that Korean cosmetic brands dominate the top sales rankings, indicating the popularity of K-beauty in Japan. Megawari is an abbreviation of 'mega' meaning 'very large' and 'waribiki' meaning 'discount', and it is Japan's largest e-commerce discount event held for about two weeks every quarter.
During the Megawari period, various brands present diverse product assortments and benefits for this event. This year's third-quarter event runs from 5 p.m. on the 31st of last month (local time) to 11:59 a.m. on the 12th of this month. The total transaction amount for the first-quarter Megawari event was approximately 49 billion yen (about 46.4 billion won), a 25% increase compared to the same period last year, with 6 million visitors on the first day alone.
According to Qoo10 in Japan on the 2nd, as of 2 p.m. that day, all of the top 10 accumulated sales items in the Megawari event were occupied by Korean cosmetic brands. The top item is the vitamin skincare set product from Anua, developed by The Founders, which recorded accumulated sales of about 5.9 billion yen (about 5.5 billion won). Anua introduced a set product consisting of new items during this Megawari, and increased sales from the beginning of the event through a discount of up to 61%. Typically, during Megawari, customer orders tend to spike at the start of the event.
In second place is the product set 'Booster Pro' from AGE-R, a beauty device brand under Medicube, with an accumulated sales amount of about 4.5 billion yen (about 4.2 billion won). The third and fourth places were taken by Medicube's skin care set and VT Cosmetics' mask pack set, with accumulated sales amounts of 4.2 billion yen (about 4 billion won) and 1.2 billion yen (about 1.1 billion won) respectively.
In addition, Korean brands dominated the sales rankings from 5th to 10th place, including Numbers in, Medicube, VT Cosmetics, Bioheal Bo, Anua, and Dalvab. Even when widening the scope to the top 20, Korean brands captured 18 spots, including 12th (Anua), 14th (Medicube), 15th (SKIN1004), 16th (Buyyour), 17th (Rom&nd), 18th (Anua), 19th (Astra), and 20th (Puy).
The popularity of K-beauty in Japan is on the rise. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the export amount of cosmetics to Japan last year was about $1.04 billion (about 1.4466 trillion won), an increase of 29.1% compared to the previous year. Additionally, among imported cosmetics in Japan, the proportion of Korean cosmetics was recorded at 30.1%, surpassing France (24.3%) to hold the top spot for three consecutive years.
Domestic cosmetic companies are also actively entering the offline market in Japan. Olive Young opened a standalone store for its private brand Bioheal Bo in Shinjuku, Tokyo, last year. Major cosmetic companies, including APR, are increasing their presence in Japan's key distribution channels such as Don Quijote.
Local stores in Japan are also actively attracting Korean cosmetic brands. Ainz Tohorai, a Japanese cosmetic specialty drugstore, has filled about 30% of new cosmetics with Korean brands since last year. In Japanese major city drugstores and convenience stores, there are separate sections for Korean brands.
Kim Seong-mi, from KOTRA Fukuoka office, said, "Korean cosmetics not only stimulate the emotions of Japanese consumers through design and practicality but also through experiences in Korea and social media viral marketing, establishing themselves as trendy fashion items."
She continued, "To continuously succeed in the Japanese market, where various Korean products are popular, strategies for design and individuality that match the changing trends of Japanese consumers are necessary."