Japan’s beauty culture, from a Geisha’s elaborate makeup to modern J-beauty makeup and beauty influencers, has captivated people globally. The country’s focus on appearance and detail has led to the creation of unique beauty practices and sought after beauty products.
Japanese culture places a strong emphasis on “kawaii,” or cuteness, which is reflected in fashion, makeup, and hairstyles. This preoccupation with appearing youthful and innocent is exemplified through the widespread use of pastel colours, hair accessories, and makeup to achieve a “doll-like” aesthetic. However this is not the only trend and we find many variations. Compared to western societies, where beauty is often associated with glamour and sex appeal, Japan’s beauty culture places a greater emphasis on subtlety, harmony, and balance. The goal is to achieve a look that is natural and effortless, yet still polished and refined.
Japanese beauty standards prioritise clear and radiant skin, which led to popular Japanese beauty skincare trends. This philosophy promotes using gentle, natural ingredients like green tea and rice bran, and following a multi step routines that includes cleansing, toning, moisturising, and face masks for healthy skin. Japanese beauty YouTubers are relatable because they focus on honesty and explain product reviews in a way that is easy to understand, unlike many fashion magazines that focus on perfection.
The go to social media platform in Japan for information is YouTube, as users can easily find topics that interest them and product recommendations videos. In terms of makeup, female influencers dominate on YouTube, so YouTube is the right place to find Japanese influencers giving beauty advice. Japan recently lifted face covering restrictions in public spaces, so many Japanese feel urged to revisit makeup and beauty tips, for the first time in 3 years.
The top 10 Japanese Beauty YouTubers 2023
- Maataso
- Haruna Kawaguchi official channel
- Hera Hera Three Musketeers
- nanako
- Saaya
- Naenano
- Miki Kawanishi
- Yuuri Fukuse
- Yokiki
- Yua channel
1. Maataso
Subscribers: 2.1M
Maataso is an unconventional beauty YouTuber as she calls herself ‘miraculously ugly.’ She first became famous when she posted a before-after makeup photo on Twitter. Since she jokes about her looks and laziness in her videos, she is popular among male audience as well.
2. Haruna Kawaguchi official channel
Subscribers: 1.79M
Haruna is a Japanese actor and model. She started her YouTube channel in 2020 and gained over 700K subscribers in a month. Her beauty content includes makeup and hairstyle tutorials, daily routines, hot springs and more. Her authentic and honest attitudes are popular among audiences.
3. Hera Hera Three Musketeers
Subscribers: 1.75M
This Japanese girl group YouTube channel posts many things about their private life – from beauty surgery, relationship talks, to nights out. They share updated beauty trends and information thanks to their experience as an idol group and study abroad in South Korea, which is famous for its beauty industry.
4. nanako
Subscribers: 1.39M
This Japanese beauty content creator and influencer posts about makeup, fashion, skincare, diet, and product reviews. Her makeup tutorial is especially popular among young women. Last year she launched her own cosmetic brand ‘leur charme.’
5. Saaya
Subscribers: 1.12M
Saaya used to be a model in the Japanese fashion magazine Popteen, but started to focus on YouTube after her makeup videos became popular. Her feminine and ‘kawaii’ style fashion and makeup videos are popular, but also videos featuring her little brother are also popular.
6. Naenano
Subscribers: 1.1M
Naenano is very popular among Japanese teenagers. Her overall followers on Japanese social media, including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, exceeds 5 million. On YouTube, she mainly shares makeup, daily routine and baking videos.
7. Miki Kawanishi
Subscribers: 1.05M
Miki is a Japanese fashion model and YouTuber having been on the platform for almost 10 years. She creates videos for makeup tutorials as well as product reviews from famous websites and shops such as the online shopping site Qoo10 and a lifestyle goods store PLAZA.
8. Yuuri Fukuse
Subscribers: 1.02M
As a fan of Marilyn Monroe, Yuuri has always been interested in makeup since she was very young. This has led to her gaining advanced makeup skills and to her success as a beauty YouTuber. Being a mother of two, she also shares diet food, cooking and lifestyle information.
9. Yokiki
Subscribers: 1M
Yokiki is the only male makeup YouTuber who ranks in this list. He became interested in makeup during high school and became famous when he posted so-called ‘deceit makeup’, which describes a technique where you look completely like a different person after makeup.
10. Yua channel
Subscribers: 70.9K
This Japanese Beauty YouTuber, TikTok star and fashion model creates a variety of content such as makeup, diet, vlog, and food videos. As she’s a 17-year-old high school student, one of her popular videos was about a relationship, which attracted the attention of many other teenagers.
Working with popular Makeup and Beauty YouTubers in Japan!
This year’s list of Japanese Beauty and Makeup YouTubers is more diverse than ever, with a range of creators from different backgrounds, ages, and themes. This shows that people are becoming more accepting of different styles in Japan, no matter their gender or identity. It’s a great time for influencer marketing in Japan because businesses can now better understand and target their audience. It also opens up new opportunities for the beauty industry to reach a wider and more diverse customer base than before.
If you’re looking to work with Japanese beauty and makeup influencers you can read our guide which is a great place to get started, or you can get in touch.
