Monthly snapshots of Japan's cosmetics shelves, in English.

What's on the shelves at Tokyo drugstores right now. Which new products launched this month. How the @cosme rankings changed. Compiled from publicly visible sources and delivered as a PDF on the first business day of every month.

No credit card required. Published monthly.

Issue Sample

Tokyo Shelf Report

Monthly cosmetics shelf observations from Tokyo

What's inside every issue

New Arrivals

Every cosmetics product launched on shelves this month. Fifteen to twenty SKUs per issue, with product images, prices, manufacturers, and translated specifications.

Shelf Observations

Photographic records of category shelves at three Tokyo drugstores, with notes on what changed since last month's visit.

Ranking Movements

Month-over-month changes in @cosme Best Cosme, Amazon Japan, and Qoo10 rankings for skincare, makeup, and haircare categories.

Brand Updates

Official announcements from twenty to thirty major and emerging Japanese cosmetics brands, translated into English.

Ingredients & Claims

Full ingredient lists and regulatory claims (quasi-drug status, functional cosmetics designations) translated for every SKU covered.

Monthly Data Sheet

A spreadsheet export of all observed SKUs, ready for your internal analysis.

Who reads Tokyo Shelf Report

Beauty Buyers at Overseas Retailers

Keep track of Japanese drugstore hits before they reach your local distributors. Spot fast-moving SKUs worth importing.

Product Developers at Cosmetics Brands

Monitor ingredient formats, packaging trends, and claim patterns in one of the world's most mature beauty markets.

Sourcing Managers at D2C Brands

Identify Japanese manufacturers and products worth evaluating. See what drugstore shelves reveal about real consumer demand.

Analysts at Investment Firms

Ground-level observations to complement top-down market models. See what's moving at the SKU level inside major and challenger brands.

We don't forecast. We observe.

Most Japan market reports predict where the market is going. We don't.

We tell you what we saw on the shelves last week. We tell you which products appeared in the new arrivals section at Matsumoto Kiyoshi. We tell you how @cosme's skincare ranking moved since last month. We translate what brands officially announced.

Every data point comes from publicly visible sources: store shelves, published rankings, official brand announcements, and regulatory filings. If we can't observe it, we don't write it.

This is a working document for people who need facts, not forecasts.

See exactly what an issue looks like

Enter your email and we'll send you a twenty-page sample PDF from a recent issue. You'll also receive one free sample issue per quarter going forward.

No credit card required. Unsubscribe anytime. We never share your email.

Simple monthly pricing

Starter

USD 250 / month

Monthly PDF, new arrivals, shelf observations, rankings, brand updates.

Pro

USD 600 / month

Everything in Starter, plus monthly deep-dive, full ingredient translations, expanded store coverage.

Enterprise

USD 1,800 / month

Everything in Pro, plus custom observation requests, brand monitoring, priority access, account support.

Common questions

What language is the report in?

All reports are in English. Japanese source material is translated by our team.

When is each issue delivered?

The first business day of every month, by email, as a PDF attachment and a download link.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. You can stop your subscription at any monthly renewal point. We don't charge cancellation fees.

Do you cover brands outside Japan?

No. We only cover cosmetics products sold in Japan, including Japanese, Korean, Western, and other international brands available on Japanese shelves.

Do you accept custom research requests?

Yes, under the Enterprise plan. One custom observation request is included each month.

Start with a free sample

Or contact us directly: contact us