Taking a trip to Japan and want to know what Japanese skincare and beauty to bring back? Check out my list below plus tips on where to find them. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

Japan has been known for good skincare for a long time. My 90-year-old grandmother has been using Shiseido for as long as I can remember. While Kbeauty seems to have viral products that change quickly with trends, Japanese beauty tends to focus on a select few cult favorites that stay popular for years. Of course, Japan also has trendy makeup and skincare that passes quickly as fads, but for this post I’ll be focusing more on the tried and true favorites that stay popular for decades. If you’re traveling to Japan and want to stock up on beauty products, here’s a list of suggestions.

AND if you’re not traveling to Japan but just want to know the best Japanese beauty products, I’ll include the links to where you can buy these online!

1. Biore UV Aqua Rich Sunscreen

This sunscreen has been my holy grail for years and years. Even now when my Japanese friends go back to visit family, they bring back an entire suitcase of these sunscreens upon return to the states. Check out my Best Japanese Sunscreens post for a more detailed review!

2. Melano CC Vitamin C Essence

They call it an essence, but it really appears more like a vitamin C serum. Actually it feels like a lightweight oil on the skin. The Melano CC Vitamin C Essence is another cult favorite Japanese skincare product that gets packed in bulk into suitcases by my friends. I have one on my shelf right now. It’s my favorite of all the vitamin C serums I’ve used.

3. Cezanne or Canmake Sunscreen Primers

Japanese skincare is known for both sun protection and makeup. So it makes sense that they’ve developed the best sunscreens which also act as makeup primers at the same time! My favorite drugstore sunscreen/primer is the Cezanne Make Base, but lately I can’t find it at my usual stores (edit: I’ve found it on websites that import from Japan!). It seems they have a new version called the UV Ultra Fit Base, which I was able to find in Japan at drugstores.

Canmake is another really popular drugstore brand that has a highly raved about sunscreen primer. Their mermaid skin gel has SPF 50 and comes in different color correcting tints.

I have a more detailed description of both these sunscreens on my Best Japanese Sunscreens post!

4. Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara

The Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara line has been popular for at least 20 years. Seriously. I’ve been using it since high school. It is THE MOST WATERPROOF MASCARA EVER. There’s different styles, but I like the volumizing one.

5. Canmake Cream Cheek Blush and Creamy Touch Eyeliner

Pretty much anything from Canmake is a good drugstore makeup buy in Japan, but one of their most popular products is their cream blush. They come in a variety of flattering colors, and they blend really well. I have the apple cream red color.

A more recent product they came out with is their stick eyeliner. It has AMAZING lasting power. Even without eye primer, this stuff does not budge on my lids. And I love that it is a super super fine tip, so I can get a very thin line. It seems that this is very popular in Japan too, because when I looked for it, it was sold out in my color at two stores! So I bought some in Canada instead.

6. Kanebo Kate

Kate is another popular Japanese drugstore brand more popular with the over 25 crowd. It’s owned by Kanebo, so you might see the brand listed as “Kanebo Kate.” They have many beloved makeup products, but their lip products and eyebrow/eye products are especially popular. The Kate line tends to have more natural, neutral, and subdued colors (compared to more sparkly and bright colors in other lines with younger target audiences).

7. Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion

This is the product that started the hyaluronic acid craze! The OG hydrating liquid! It’s had a cult following for over a decade and for good reason. The Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion is a viscous liquid that you can use as a hydrating toner. If you don’t have a hyaluronic acid toner in your routine, you definitely should pick this one up.

8. Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen

This is another sunscreen that has a cult following. Anessa is owned by parent company Shiseido, so it’s much more expensive than the Biore sunscreen, but it’s still flying off shelves. The Anessa sunscreen can also be used as a makeup primer, so if you’re feeling like you want a *fancier* primer sunscreen, you should pick this one. This is another one I mention in my sunscreens post, which I know I keep referencing, but sunscreens really are popular in Asia.

9. Anything Shiseido

Shiseido still reigns supreme among Japanese beauty products. When the US dollar is strong, my friends go to Japan and stock up on their expensive Shiseido department store products. However, like with the Anessa, Shiseido also has various lines of drugstore products. They own the very popular Tsubaki line of hair care products. They also own Senka, which has the cult favorite Perfect Whip Beauty Foam cleanser. And they own Majolica Majorca, which has brightly colored and glittery makeup products aimed at younger audiences. I quite enjoy their eyeshadows.

10. SK-II

Just like with Shiseido department store products, you can obviously get SK-II products in America. However, if you’re coming from a country whose currency is strong against the yen, you might as well stock up while you’re in Japan for a slight discount. With products as expensive as SK-II, every penny helps, right?

11. Skin Aqua Tone Up UV Essence

On my recent trip to Japan, I saw this EVERYWHERE. So of course I picked one up. It’s another sunscreen that boasts hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. This one is tinted lavender for brightening. I’m not sure if you really need to pick up five different types of sunscreen on vacation, but I guess it’s nice to have options that are all great.

12. Face Masks

Face masks are pretty popular among Asia in general. In the past, I used to see more Saborino face masks, but on my most recent trip, this Keana Rice Mask was literally at every shop. I think face mask brands may still fall under the “fad” category, with popular ones switching out every few years, but we’ll see if this one stands the test of time.

13. More Toners – Sana Soy Milky Toner and Naturie Hatomugi

I’m putting these down at the bottom of my list not because they’re not good products, but because how many toners does one really need?! Japanese skincare is seemingly obsessed with toners, which they call “lotions.” What we call “lotion” would probably be called a “cream” or “milk” in Japan. Anyway, these two toners have been popular for many years in Japan (I think I used the soy one over a decade ago) and while they may not be trendy anymore, I still saw them stocked at every drugstore. Personally, I like my Shiseido and the Gokujyun toners a little better, but everyone is different!

Where to Buy Skincare and Makeup in Japan

For high end skincare and makeup, you can look for the company’s flagship stores. For example, Shiseido has a flagship store in Ginza, Tokyo. Brands like Shiseido and SK-II will also, of course, be in high end department stores and malls and in the airports.

For more budget items, you can look for brands like Canmake, Biore, and Melano CC at drugstores in Japan. It seems that in big cities like Tokyo, they’re on almost every block, almost as frequent as convenience stores. In Tokyo, a common chain of drugstores is called Matsumoto Kiyoshi. However, even just walking around in my neighborhood, I also stumbled across two other drugstores randomly.

Speaking of convenience stores, they will also carry the most popular skincare. I saw face masks and sunscreen at 7-11 and Lawson, even the small ones.

If you’re looking for what’s trendy and popular and maybe more along the beauty side than the skincare side, I recommend going to department stores. Popular department store chains include Loft and Tokyu. They often will have an entire floor dedicated to beauty. The items they stock tend to be a little bit higher end than drugstore ones but may more affordable than Shiseido.

Another department store type shop is Cosme. It’s a dedicated store to beauty and makeup, kind of like a Sephora. They come out with Japan beauty awards annually so you can see what’s currently popular in Japan. However, I tend to stick with drugstore products for the price, with the exception of my Shiseido.

More Asian Beauty Recommendations

Those are my top choices for best Japanese skincare and makeup! Looking for more Asian beauty recs? Check these out: