Driven by a rapidly ageing society, increasing awareness of the mind/body connection, and younger consumers prioritising preventative care, Japan’s ‘inner beauty’ market is sophisticated and highly segmented. With an estimated market size of £30.3bn in 2025 and a CAGR of 6.64% until 2034 (Imarc, 2025), steady growth presents opportunities to diversify.

Anti-ageing beauty launches, especially serums, were ubiquitous at Cosme Tokyo 2026, featuring cutting-edge functional ingredients such as human stem cells, iPS (induced pluripotent stem cells) technology, and NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide). Globally trending actives like exosomes, niacinamide and PDRN were also much in evidence among the new products presented by Japanese exhibitors.

An essential step in the daily face care routine, there’s an endless choice of cleansing brands, product types and textures in Asia. Offerings are highly sophisticated, with gentle ingredients and textures that efficiently remove make-up and impurities without drying out the skin. Launches at the fair showcased a wide range of formats, from cleansing wipes to serum cleansers to powder washes.

Most of the personal fragrance innovation and scented beauty products at Cosme Tokyo 2026 came from the Korean exhibitors. Traditionally, the Japanese are not heavy fragrance users, preferring lighter colognes or scented bodycare. However, younger consumers are starting to embrace fragrances to express their individuality.

The face/sheet mask – a core Asian beauty product – gets an upgrade, with new launches addressing an array of needs and showcasing a range of hybrid materials and solutions to make masking a much easier experience.

Scalp care is a major category within the Asian haircare market, and manufacturers are tackling scalp health and hair loss issues with high-tech anti-ageing ingredients and beauty devices inspired by facial skincare tech. Scalp serums were particularly visible amongst new launches at the show, usually formulated with cutting-edge face care ingredients such as exosomes.