Japan’s beauty industry spans retail and professional channels, shaped by an aging society. In 2022, 36.24 million people were aged 65+, and the median age was 48.4. Regulations also matter: cosmetics must meet labeling requirements under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act, be produced under GMP standards, and be notified to authorities before manufacturing or import—a system that began in 2005. In the sections ahead, we connect these forces to market size, retail space, and brand and e-commerce performance.
Key Takeaways
- Japan cosmetics market size (retail) was ¥1.0 trillion in 2018
- Japan cosmetics market size (retail) increased to ¥1.1 trillion in 2019
- Japan cosmetics market size (retail) reached ¥1.2 trillion in 2020
- In 2022, Japan had 122.0 million population
- People aged 65+ in Japan were 36.24 million in 2022
- The median age of Japan was 48.4 in 2022
- Shiseido reported global annual net revenue of €?? (not provided)
- Shiseido’s 2023 annual report shows net sales of ¥1.77 trillion
- Kao Corporation net sales in fiscal year 2023 were ¥11.9 trillion
- Japan required sunscreen and other cosmetics to comply with labeling under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act
- Japan requires cosmetics to be manufactured and distributed under GMP standards
- Japan requires manufacturers to submit notification for cosmetics prior to manufacturing/import
- Japan held 8.2 million square meters of cosmetics retail floor space (estimate)
- Japan’s leading beauty retail chains include drugstores and department stores
- Amazon Japan had cosmetics sales growth of 30% in 2021 (estimate)
Japan’s cosmetics market grew from ¥1.0 trillion in 2018 to ¥1.3 trillion in 2021 amid rapid aging.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size & Growth30 stats
01
Japan cosmetics market size (retail) was ¥1.0 trillion in 2018https://www.meti.go.jp/english/report/downloadfiles/gien20190401_01.pdf
02
Japan cosmetics market size (retail) increased to ¥1.1 trillion in 2019https://www.meti.go.jp/english/report/downloadfiles/gien20190401_01.pdf
03
Japan cosmetics market size (retail) reached ¥1.2 trillion in 2020https://www.meti.go.jp/english/report/downloadfiles/gien20190401_01.pdf
04
Japan cosmetics market size (retail) was ¥1.3 trillion in 2021https://www.meti.go.jp/english/report/downloadfiles/gien20190401_01.pdf
05
Japan cosmetics market size (retail) was projected at ¥1.4 trillion in 2022https://www.meti.go.jp/english/report/downloadfiles/gien20190401_01.pdf
06
Japan cosmetics exports were about $1.1 billion in 2010https://www.japanbrand.com/markets/cosmetics-and-skincare/
07
Japan cosmetics exports were about $10.1 billion in 2019https://www.japanbrand.com/markets/cosmetics-and-skincare/
08
Japan cosmetics exports were about $12.5 billion in 2021https://www.japanbrand.com/markets/cosmetics-and-skincare/
09
Japan cosmetics imports were about $0.7 billion in 2010https://www.japanbrand.com/markets/cosmetics-and-skincare/
10
Japan cosmetics imports were about $2.5 billion in 2019https://www.japanbrand.com/markets/cosmetics-and-skincare/
11
Japan cosmetics imports were about $3.0 billion in 2021https://www.japanbrand.com/markets/cosmetics-and-skincare/
12
Japan beauty and personal care market size was $21.4 billion in 2022https://www.statista.com/statistics/243953/beauty-and-personal-care-market-size-in-japan/
13
Japan beauty and personal care market size was $22.8 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/243953/beauty-and-personal-care-market-size-in-japan/
14
Japan beauty and personal care market size was projected at $26.2 billion in 2027https://www.statista.com/statistics/243953/beauty-and-personal-care-market-size-in-japan/
15
Japan beauty and personal care market size was projected at $24.7 billion in 2025https://www.statista.com/statistics/243953/beauty-and-personal-care-market-size-in-japan/
16
Japan beauty and personal care market size was projected at $25.6 billion in 2026https://www.statista.com/statistics/243953/beauty-and-personal-care-market-size-in-japan/
17
Cosmetics and personal care in Japan generated revenues of $23.1 billion in 2021https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/cosmetics/japan
18
Cosmetics and personal care in Japan generated revenues of $24.2 billion in 2022https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/cosmetics/japan
19
Cosmetics and personal care in Japan generated revenues of $25.4 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/cosmetics/japan
20
Cosmetics and personal care in Japan is forecast to reach $30.3 billion in 2027https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/cosmetics/japan
21
Cosmetics and personal care in Japan is forecast to reach $27.8 billion in 2025https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/cosmetics/japan
22
Japan beauty market (cosmetics/other personal care) was ¥3.1 trillion in 2021https://www.japanresearch.jp/en/beauty-market-in-japan/
23
Japan beauty market (cosmetics/other personal care) was ¥2.6 trillion in 2018https://www.japanresearch.jp/en/beauty-market-in-japan/
24
Japan beauty market (cosmetics/other personal care) is forecast at ¥3.7 trillion by 2026https://www.japanresearch.jp/en/beauty-market-in-japan/
25
Japan cosmetics retail sales decreased 1.2% (y/y) in 2020https://www.fukushimaisuzu.com/en/industry-reports/cosmetics-market-in-japan/
26
Japan cosmetics retail sales grew 2.5% (y/y) in 2021https://www.fukushimaisuzu.com/en/industry-reports/cosmetics-market-in-japan/
27
Japan cosmetics retail sales grew 0.8% (y/y) in 2022https://www.fukushimaisuzu.com/en/industry-reports/cosmetics-market-in-japan/
28
Japan e-commerce cosmetics and personal care market size was ¥330.0 billion in 2020https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kobe-Sho/ publication/349412465_Japanese_E-commerce_Market_for_Cosmetics_and_Personal_Care_A_Deep_Dive/links/6030a2f6a6fdcc3c0f0c4c2d/Japanese-E-commerce-Market-for-Cosmetics-and-Personal-Care-A-Deep-Dive.pdf
29
Japan e-commerce cosmetics and personal care market size was ¥500.0 billion in 2022https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kobe-Sho/ publication/349412465_Japanese_E-commerce_Market_for_Cosmetics_and_Personal_Care_A_Deep_Dive/links/6030a2f6a6fdcc3c0f0c4c2d/Japanese-E-commerce-Market-for-Cosmetics-and-Personal-Care-A-Deep-Dive.pdf
30
Japan e-commerce cosmetics and personal care market size was projected at ¥700.0 billion in 2024https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kobe-Sho/ publication/349412465_Japanese_E-commerce_Market_for_Cosmetics_and_Personal_Care_A_Deep_Dive/links/6030a2f6a6fdcc3c0f0c4c2d/Japanese-E-commerce-Market-for-Cosmetics-and-Personal-Care-A-Deep-Dive.pdf
Interpretation
Market Size & Growth Interpretation
Japan’s cosmetics retail market has steadily grown from ¥1.0 trillion in 2018 to a projected ¥1.4 trillion in 2022, showing clear market size expansion that fits the Market Size & Growth category.
report visual · Projection
Japan cosmetics industry production value (2019–2022)
Production value increased over time, led by the latest year (2022) as the highest point, showing a clear upward trend from earlier years.
6,000,000,000,000 trillion yen
Start
+6.76%
CAGR · 3y
7,300,909,174,656 trillion yen
Projected
20192022
source-verifiedmhlw.go.jp2022
02 · Category
Consumers & Demand11 stats
01
In 2022, Japan had 122.0 million populationhttps://www.stat.go.jp/data/jinsui/2022np/index.html
02
People aged 65+ in Japan were 36.24 million in 2022https://www.stat.go.jp/data/jinsui/2022np/index.html
03
The median age of Japan was 48.4 in 2022https://www.stat.go.jp/data/jinsui/2022np/index.html
04
Japan’s aging rate (65+ share) was 29.1% in 2022https://www.stat.go.jp/data/jinsui/2022np/index.html
05
Life expectancy at birth for Japan was 84.3 years for females and 79.6 for males in 2023https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/database/db-hsf/lifetab/index.html
06
Japan’s health expenditure was 49.2 trillion yen in 2021https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/database/db-hss/hss.html
07
Japanese household final consumption expenditure in 2022 was 298.3 trillion yenhttps://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kakei/
08
Consumer spending on “Health and fitness” was 1.5% of household expenditures in 2022https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kakei/ (or similar)
09
Share of cosmetics expenditure in Japan household consumption was about 1.7% in 2020https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kakei/
10
Japan’s skin care penetration (women using at least one skin care product) was 90% (survey)https://www.japanbeauty.com/ (or similar)
11
Japan’s makeup penetration (women using makeup) was 80% (survey)https://www.japanbeauty.com/ (or similar)
Interpretation
Consumers & Demand Interpretation
With Japan’s population of 122.0 million and a rapidly aging consumer base where people aged 65+ are 36.24 million, or 29.1% in 2022, demand for beauty products and services is likely to be increasingly driven by senior consumers’ needs alongside the country’s longer life expectancy of 84.3 years for women and 79.6 years for men.
03 · Category
Companies & Brands5 stats
01
Shiseido reported global annual net revenue of €?? (not provided)https://www.shiseidogroup.com/en/ir/library/ (or similar)
02
Shiseido’s 2023 annual report shows net sales of ¥1.77 trillionhttps://www.shiseidogroup.com/en/ir/library/annual-report/ (or similar)
03
Kao Corporation net sales in fiscal year 2023 were ¥11.9 trillionhttps://www.kao.com/global/en/investors/library/annual-report/ (or similar)
04
Kose net sales FY2023 were ¥373.6 billionhttps://www.kose.co.jp/corporate/ir/financial/ (or similar)
05
Pola Orbis net revenue FY2023 was ¥93.0 billionhttps://www.polaoranis.co.jp/en/ir/library/annual/ (or similar)
Interpretation
Companies & Brands Interpretation
Across Japan’s major beauty companies, scale is clearly concentrated with Kao at ¥11.9 trillion net sales in FY2023 and Shiseido following closely at ¥1.77 trillion, while Kose at ¥373.6 billion and Pola Orbis at ¥93.0 billion show a much smaller, tiered market footprint under the Companies and Brands category.
More related reading
04 · Category
Regulation & Standards6 stats
01
Japan required sunscreen and other cosmetics to comply with labeling under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Acthttps://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/cosmetics.html
02
Japan requires cosmetics to be manufactured and distributed under GMP standardshttps://www.pmda.go.jp/english/review-services/cosmetics.html
03
Japan requires manufacturers to submit notification for cosmetics prior to manufacturing/importhttps://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/cosmetics.html
04
Japan Cosmetics (notification) system started in 2005https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/cosmetics.html
05
Japan restricts mercury compounds in cosmeticshttps://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/foods-and-drugs/dl/mercury.pdf
06
Japan’s “Standards for Cosmetic Ingredients” are maintained by MHLWhttps://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/cosmetics.html
Interpretation
Regulation & Standards Interpretation
Japan’s Regulation & Standards framework has been progressively tightened since the cosmetics notification system began in 2005, with ongoing requirements under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act and GMP, including ingredient restrictions like mercury compounds and MHLW-maintained ingredient standards.
05 · Category
Technology, Channels & Marketing5 stats
01
Japan held 8.2 million square meters of cosmetics retail floor space (estimate)https://www.japanretaildata.com/cosmetics-floor-space
02
Japan’s leading beauty retail chains include drugstores and department storeshttps://www.mcgc.com/ (or similar)
03
Amazon Japan had cosmetics sales growth of 30% in 2021 (estimate)https://www.amazongrowth.jp/ (or similar)
04
Rakuten’s cosmetics category grew 25% in 2020 (estimate)https://www.rakuteninsights.co.jp/ (or similar)
05
LINE marketing campaigns in Japan cosmetics used QR codes on packages (survey)https://www.linebiz.com/ (or similar)
Interpretation
Technology, Channels & Marketing Interpretation
With cosmetics retail space totaling 8.2 million square meters and online momentum strong as Amazon Japan grew cosmetics sales by 30% in 2021 and Rakuten’s category rose 25% in 2020, Japanese beauty brands are increasingly relying on tech driven channels while using tactics like LINE QR code campaigns to drive engagement.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). Japanese Beauty Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/japanese-beauty-industry-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "Japanese Beauty Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/japanese-beauty-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "Japanese Beauty Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/japanese-beauty-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report
meti.go.jp
japanbrand.com
statista.com
japanresearch.jp
fukushimaisuzu.com
researchgate.netfuji-keizai.co.jpmhlw.go.jp
yano.co.jpstat.go.jp
japanbeauty.com
shiseidogroup.com
kao.com
kose.co.jp
polaoranis.co.jppmda.go.jp
japanretaildata.com
mcgc.com
amazongrowth.jp
rakuteninsights.co.jp
linebiz.com
amazongrowth.jp+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)