Japan's fashionistas have fallen in a big way for a rare commodity in the Land of Wa -- black hair. Seriously. AERA says the "black hair boom" is the result of shampoos like Shiseido's Tsubaki, which have focused their marketing campaigns on classic Japanese beauty. Long, black tresses have always been an important sign of Japanese beauty, but the past decade has seen nearly every adult Japanese woman dye or color her hair in some way. Tsubaki shampoo came on sale in March this year and immediately sold like hotcakes. Shiseido set an annual sales target of 10 billion yen for the shampoo, but the treatment meant to highlight coal-colored locks achieved that figure in a mere five months and by the end of October had reached 13 billion yen. Stars like Olympic gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa and actress Yuko Takeuchi -- both with long ebony manes -- promoted the shampoo on TV and it was selected as No. 3 in the year's top hits by Nikkei Trendy, the benchmark of commercial success for new products. "People are starting to turn their eyes toward the beauty of the Orient," trend watcher Miyako Kudo tells AERA. "I think that's the influence of more Asian stars on the world stage"...more...

Mulboyne wrote:Mainichi: Dyejobs make for the nearest stylist as hair experts proclaim black is back

Shampoo advertising in Japan typically featured glamorous blondes praising imports from Procter & Gamble and Unilever. But ads for Tsubaki, the latest hit from a local cosmetics maker, Shiseido, feature famous Japanese women and an unusually direct slogan: "Japanese women are beautiful." The message has struck a chord at a time when Japanese women are increasingly looking to role models in their own ranks, rather than stars from abroad, for definitions of their self worth. Advertisers are beginning to recognize that. "Japanese women are starting to have confidence in themselves," said Yoko Kawashima of Itochu Fashion System, a marketing company. For decades, beauty standards in Japan were dictated by the West, home to famous fashion houses like Christian Dior and Gucci, which remain extremely popular in Asia. But now, young people are taking a different cue from Westerners and rediscovering sushi, manga animation, kimono and other elements of Japanese culture, said Kawashima, who has written a book about the success of Shiseido's branding strategy. "Westerners are saying Japan is cool, and that view is winning acceptance in a kind of reverse import," she said. "Shiseido's advertising didn't even talk about the shampoo's features. Its message, that Japanese women on the go are beautiful, was more about a feeling"...more...