Nader Sammouri

OSAKA: The Japanese are very well-known for their seeking of high-quality products and their use of carefully chosen natural elements, and the time has come for a high quality halal cosmetic product to be made in Japan.

Organic Halal VKSARA, is Japan’s first halal serum created to target the Muslim community in Japan and hopefully in the gulf area.

“I used to own an aroma salon and naturally, with time, got acquainted with the problems that many women face with their skin. With that knowledge, I ventured to create a natural product that solves the existing problems that I found,” said Yumiko Nakano, the president of Plaisir, a company that she established to create multiple halal products.

Organic Halal VKSARA is a halal cosmetic brand that is certified by the Japan Islamic trust. It is an all-in-one serum that uses high-quality formulations like Fullerenes, a Nobel Prize-winning ingredient, which aims to maintain flawless skin for women and even men of all ages. By halal, it means that the serum doesn’t use any alcohol or pig collagen, and it embeds six functions in this one anti-aging product, including brightening and moisturizing the skin.

“I met with Muslim customers and realized how hard it is for them to find halal cosmetics in Japan because most of them use non-halal ingredients. I then decided to dig deeper into that problem and started thinking about how to use natural skin-friendly ingredients to create a halal product,” Yumiko said.

She then added that “It is initially created for Muslims in Japan, but it’s a product available for everyone, including Japanese women who are trying to seize the full potential of their aesthetic appeal, and even little children.”

Muslims and Japanese women generally share a profoundly mutual aspect of beauty. Both cherish their beauty humbly rather than openly, dressing conservatively rather than in a showy manner. Plaisir understands that fundamental commonality and embraces it by leveraging advanced Japanese technology.

“I named it Sara because I thought it was a cute Arabic name which is popular at the same time and has a nice meaning ‘noblewoman’. This name exists in Japan as well,” Yumiko explained.

Yumiko also wishes she can get her product accepted in the gulf market, particularly Dubai, because she understands that people there value Japanese products.

“Though, one major reason is that I felt it would be such a pity if Muslim women couldn’t apply our products just because of the halal issue,” Yumiko said.

Eiichi Fukuoka is a consultant in the beauty industry specializing in the Japanese market who supports Yumiko’s product. Fukuoka expresses how he got drawn to Yumiko’s vision, saying:

“I was drawn to Yumiko’s mission to fulfil a serious need and her unique approach to serving a niche market that is Muslim women. Plaisir mainly targets Muslims, so I started researching how to communicate with the Muslim community in Japan. Generally, Japanese people don’t understand Muslims and halal and don’t mind pig or alcohol ingredients.”

Otani Yoshihito is another player in the game, who joined Plaisir last November, and leads a global role as a specialist in the overseas market who operates his own company in Dubai and has been helping bring Japanese products to the gulf and the world for the past 5 years.

“Most of our customers in Dubai are local Emiratis who, we believe, are drawn to Japanese products. Marked with a Halal certification, it becomes very safe and desirable for them,” Yoshihito said.

Yumiko’s initiative to start a halal brand is certainly a unique act that merges the Japanese sense of perfection with Islamic values. The world shows us once again the beauty of diversity and mutual benefits.