Many people often get confused about Japanese lotions. They’re more commonly refer to as toners, astringents, or softeners in the Western Hemisphere.

Here are what Japanese lotions are NOT:

-They’re not a type of skin moisturizers.
-They’re not designed to remove traces makeup/cleanser left behind, to balance pH, nor to close pores (which by the way, it’s scientifically impossible to do).
-They’re also not meant to be swiped on.

Function/Purpose of Japanese lotions:

There is no equivalent product available in North American or European brands. This step is primarily a Japanese concept and it is a considered a must-have step for the majority of Japanese women regardless of age.

1. Prepare skin for skincare products that follow by softening skin.

2. Moisturize/hydrate skin. Majority of them contains a combination of several humectants. Many product lineups offer 2–4  different moisture levels to suit different skin types.

3. There’re also a myriad of additional features available (depending on the product) like brightening, whitening, soothing, firming, anti-aging, reducing acne… the list goes on. These formulations act as a skin treatment in addition to the 1st 2 basic functions listed above.

There’re 3 main methods to apply Japanese lotions, and the method you choose depends on how much time you have and what you have available.

1. Pour appropriate amount onto your palm and gently pat into skin till absorbed.

2. Pour appropriate amount on to a soft cotton pad and gently press and hold it against your skin.

3. Saturate a sheet mask (or a few cotton pads…. toilet papers would also work) and place on skin for 15-20 minutes as a treatment-mask. *This is generally done on a weekly or bi-weekly basis in addition to applying it twice a day using the one of the 2 methods mentioned above.

How can they moisturize the skin when most are high in alcohol?

Alcohol is a common ingredient in Japanese lotions (and other skincare products like sunscreens). This is added to give it a lighter texture and help it absorb into the skin faster. In a lot of Japanese lotion formulations, the alcohol content doesn’t dry out the skin due to other moisturizing and hydrating ingredients that are also present.

In very high humidity environment like Japan (and Taiwan!) alcohol is an important ingredient since without it, the product can take quite long to absorb into skin completely or skin will feel sticky. There’re alcohol-free formulations available but those products are generally rated rather poorly in Japan for the reasons just mentioned. They can work well, however, if you live in a very dry environment.

Don’t automatically dismiss a product simply because it contains alcohol.  The ingredient itself is not a pro-oxidant and it is not “bad”. Just because it is present in a product, it doesn’t automatically means that it is going to be drying or irritating… it’s not an accurate or fair assumption at all. Like everything else, some do a better job than others.

Hopefully this post answered some of your questions and cleared up some confusions you might have on Japanese lotions.

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