Research and Development & Quality Assurance

Our R&D and quality assurance teams work together to create products that meet our customers’ requests. With our reliable quality control system, we thoroughly inspect all products one by one from diverse perspectives to ensure product safety and “peace of mind” of the customers: inspection of raw materials and materials, inspection of bulk (content) and products, and physical properties testing.

R&D

Creating prototypes to meet clients’ needs by leveraging our vast experience

We have a track record of carrying out product development on behalf of our diverse customers with different business models, from those who are just moving into the cosmetics business to beauty salons, esthetic clinics, and leading cosmetics companies. Our experienced service representatives will propose the optimal product to suit your needs.

Wide-ranging proposals for raw materials and ingredients

We participate in exhibitions and seminars in and outside Japan to consistently collect the latest information on cosmetics to ensure we can make high-quality proposals based on a wealth of knowledge. We have a large selection of cosmetic raw materials supplied by more than 280 manufacturers to meet whatever needs you may have.

Examples of raw materials brought in by our customers

  • Soap pod
  • Royal jelly
  • Squalane
  • Tourmaline
  • Dokudami (Houttuinya)
  • Shell ginger
  • Bittern
  • Granite porphyry
  • Papaya
  • Five-leaf ginseng
  • Zeolite
  • Famous spring waters nationwide
  • Tea leaves
  • Horse oil
  • Olives
  • Hot spring water
  • Soy milk
  • Sake lees
  • Tomato
  • Yuzu etc.

Efficacy evaluation

We thoroughly conduct efficacy evaluation with our measurement devices, cultured cells, and in-human testing from the original raw materials to the final products. We develop products that make a difference in the actual feeling based on scientific evidence so that we can entice our customers to repeatedly purchase our products.

Evaluation items

  • Anti-aging and anti-wrinkle evaluation (testing in compliance with Guideline for Evaluation of Anti-wrinkle Products)
  • Evaluation of moisturizing and skin surface barrier function
  • Whitening evaluation
  • Pore cleansing evaluation
  • Product rheology evaluation
  • Skin penetration evaluation
  • Finishing evaluation (for makeup products)
  • Conditioning evaluation (for haircare products)
  • Microscopic evaluation of hair surface (for haircare products)
  • Evaluation of color tone and color endurance (for hair color products)
  • Measurement of SPF/PA for sunscreen products

Safety evaluation

To ensure we provide products that can be used with peace of mind, we evaluate safety for human use through alternatives to animal testing and safety testing in humans. Products that have passed human testing are eligible to be labeled as “allergy tested,” “patch tested,” or “non-comedogenic tested”

Evaluation items

  • Animal testing alternatives
  • Skin irritation testing In vitro skin irritation test using three-dimensional reconstructed human epidermis (RHE)
  • Phototoxicity testing (3T3 NRmethod)
  • Eye irritation testing (HCE method)
  • Genotoxicity testing (Ames test, in vitromicronucleus test, chromosomal aberration test)
  • Human safety testing
  • Human sensitization testing
  • Human phototoxicity testing
  • Human photosensitization testing
  • Human comedogenicity testing
  • Human continuous skin irritation testing
  • Human patch testing
  • Stinging test

Quality assurance

  • Bacterial test

    Products are tested to determine the presence of bacteria and examine whether they are contaminated with microorganisms.

  • pH measurement

    The pH is measured with a pH meter to specify the acidity or alkalinity of the product. pH values under 7 indicate acidity, over 7 indicate alkalinity, and pH 7 indicates neutrality.

  • Viscosity measurement

    Viscosity is an indicator related to the texture of the product. The higher the viscosity value, the thicker and stiffer the product.

  • Specific gravity measurement

    Specific gravity is the ratio of the mass per unit volume (density) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. It is measured with a pycnometer using purified water as the reference material.

  • Quasi-pharmaceutical inspection

    Quasi-pharmaceutical products are assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography to confirm whether the product contains the specified amount of the active component associated with the efficacy of the product.