Matsukiyococokara adds a limited-run mascara to its nake private-label line
Matsukiyococokara is adding a ¥1,540 limited-edition mascara to its nake private-label line from November 11 -- a low-risk way for Japan's largest drugstore group to test a new formulation on its own shelves before committing to a standing item.
Matsukiyococokara & Co. said its private-label beauty brand nake will add a limited-edition mascara, nake Totonoe Mascara, developed with cosmetics maker Isehan, to its line-up from November 11, priced at ¥1,540 and sold in limited quantities at Matsumotokiyoshi and Cocokara Fine stores nationwide (some stores excluded) and online.
The 5-gram mascara combs and curls lashes and is formulated with eleven ingredients the company lists as three types of hyaluronic acid and eight amino acids for lashes, alongside plant-derived ceramide, collagen and botanical extracts for moisture, according to the release. It comes off with lukewarm water and is designed to be used over lash perms or extensions.
The launch extends nake's positioning as what the brand calls skincare that goes a step beyond bare skin but short of full makeup -- built around a celebrity ambassador it has run since March -- onto one of the more habitual, repeat-purchase items in a beauty routine.
It is a small, low-risk move for the group -- Matsukiyococokara runs more than 3,600 stores in Japan and a further 105 across six overseas markets, according to its own release -- but a telling one: a limited-edition run under a private label lets a drugstore chain test a new formulation and price point on its own shelves, with none of the concession or wholesale terms a national cosmetics brand would require, before deciding whether to carry it as a standing item.