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Navigating the Drugstore Beauty Aisles: Basic Survival Devoni Guise (Saitama)
This is the scenario: You venture to your local drugstore needing a face wash, because the two bottles you bought from home are gone and there is no way you are paying 10,000 yen plus shipping to buy them online. You have dry skin with patches that look like the onset of eczema, so you’ll prefer a face wash that is relatively creamy and non-drying. Your skin is also sensitive around your jawline, so nothing with harsh ingredients or acids. You are also aware of the skin whitening effects some products in Asia claim to have, but you like your skin tone thankyouverymuch so those products are a hard no. And with the scenario set, where do you start? Well, looking for a special product and need recommendations? Search Cosme rankings! Cosme.net is a review portal site. It also has information about beauty trends and news. Majority of the products come from Japan. Cosme is useful because it has over four million users, many Japanese women, who review various beauty related products. What is really helpful is that at certain points of the year, Cosme will rank products and crown favorites based on reviews. I specifically seek out products with Cosme backing and have never been disappointed. You can find Cosme awarded products by the seal placed on them. Be careful, though; some products sport replica seals that look almost exactly like the one Cosme doles out. You can find English translations of the rankings here. I find Cosme a better resource for discovering new products than Reddit or Youtube which focuses on well-known brands that are easy to get internationally. Being in Japan, it would be a waste not to venture out and try amazing products by little known or new brands. So, if you are interested in Japanese products and want something that has been reviewed and loved by the public, go to Cosme.net
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Amazon, Ebay, Reddit, and Youtube are great resources for finding reviews of products you are not sure about and in ENGLISH! However I would caution against buying them online, unless you are buying from a seller verified by the company, or from a website by a major distributor. Fake products are a problem in the beauty industry. Learn the return policy before you buy! Some stores do not allow returns on products that have been opened, to ask in Japanese: すみ ません、これ、返品(へんぴん)でき ますか. (Sumimasen, kore, henbin dekimasuka?) Use point cards. Over time, depending on special promotions, you can save money on future purchases, get samples of new products, and receive discounts. Point cards are not only good for beauty purchases but can be used for a variety of goods. As you are going through the store, be cognizant that not all products are grouped together by brand or use, I noticed at my local Welcia that the placement of the product on the shelf really depends on the brand. For instance, a brand will have its face emulsion cream always placed next to a competitor, while the rest of their line is separate. This can make it hard to find products you are interested in, but don’t give up! I always keep a screenshot of what I want so for when I am tired of perusing the aisles by myself, I can show it to a clerk and we can scan the aisles together.
