Generally speaking, Japanese women are well-known for the beauty of their skin and crossing the ages so easily. They have always cared a lot about how to keep their complexion looking beautiful and pure, and even create various hand-made cosmetics on their own. And so, some national cosmetics companies, such as Makanai, have decided to highlight the most well-kept beauty secrets of Japanese women.
The history of Makanai is closely related to Yoshitaka Gold Foundry, an old company that specialized in the making of gold leaf, and originally based in Kanazawa since 1899. Under severe working conditions, the women always kept in mind how they could have skin as beautiful as the gold leaf they were making. They began to develop their own cosmetics recipes, iterating them over time and gradually improving the recipes. In 2005, Makanai decided to leverage these traditional, authentic recipes, by developing skincare cosmetics based on this accumulation of wisdom and know-how, and using original, traditional ingredients such as konjac, soy, and gold leaf.
Here are some of the best Makanai products:
Hand cream
The Orange & Bergamote Handcream is available exclusively at the Solamachi store. Made from common ingredients like persimmon tannin, thin skin of eggs, and soybeans, this natural handcream leaves you with nurtured, soft, and beautiful hands. Its recipe is based on the know-how developed by the working women of the gold leaf industry during the last century. Makanai handcream is still very popular in Japan among many age groups, and could be a good souvenir for your friends or family.
Beauty oil
Beauty oil is a key product for any woman responsibly taking care of her skin. Makanai's skin care beauty oil is pure in essence, using natural ingredients like jojoba, sasanqua and sesame. Just one drop of this fantastic product is sufficient to make your skin well and truly moisturized. It was created by a lady who worked for the former gold leaf shop in Kanazawa, using Japanese traditional items such as lanterns and Geisha fans.
Konnyaku face sponge
One of the hit Makanai cosmetics. This facial sponge is made from konjac fiber and is very easy to use. After removing your make-up and washing your face, you simply have to stroke your face gently with it. The konjac sponge leaves behind soft and smooth skin, without any scrubs, hair, or old keratin. And so, you can use special Makanai skin lotion to prepare your skin for hydration with their moisturizing beauty oil.
You can find many other Makanai classics in the Solamachi shop, such as lip cream, rice-bran bags, traditional face wipes, gold leaf sheet skin masks, UV cream or Japanese paper body towels. These high-quality products are not so expensive, and in addition to the welcoming staff, you can benefit from all the advantages of tax-free shopping for tourists.
