More freedom in makeup. The genderless men who changed the norm and created a market.

This series explores marketing utilizing the "Innovators by Genre" concept proposed by Dentsu Inc. Gal Lab. Part 4 focuses on the expanding "male cosmetics market." While makeup is strongly associated with women's enjoyment, this conventional wisdom is gradually shifting. Behind this change lies the existence of "genderless men" who freely enjoy makeup and fashion regardless of gender boundaries.

We invited Kondou Yoji, a representative of these genderless men, and producer Marumoto Takashi, the mastermind behind the boom, to discuss how they created this new genre and what impact it is having on the market.

※1: Refers to highly influential individuals possessing deep, otaku-level knowledge in a specific field and holding the key to driving that market.

Marumoto: To begin with, Yoji himself didn't actually call himself a genderless man. When he first came to Tokyo from Osaka and had his first photoshoot, he saw the level of the other models and lost confidence. He started wearing makeup to hide his insecurities.

Around 2014-15, the term "genderless" was trending in the fashion industry. We thought it would be best to initially position it as a distinct fashion style genre, including the easily mockable phrase "genderless men." We figured defining it as a genre would make it more likely to go viral.

Kondo: Since my family is all female—my sister, my mom, and me—I naturally started skincare in middle school. But I first tried makeup at 19. That's late compared to today's genderless guys.

Everyone around me was so cool, and I thought there was no way I could succeed as a model. That's when I started researching makeup.

Reading women's magazines and makeup books, I found myself enjoying how I kept changing. Makeup really boosts my mood. I wish everyone would try it. I don't want to be a girl, but my mindset when I do makeup is no different from a girl's. That's why I use women's products, and conversely, the term "for men" feels off to me.

That said, I did get reactions like, "A guy doing makeup?!" People found it amusing and started expecting me to have more "girl power" than actual women, which was a bit much. But when people actually came to see me, they started copying my style or cheering me on, so I never thought about quitting.

When I started YouTube streaming, more people told me, "I liked you after seeing how surprisingly normal you are."

Marumoto: I think what resonated was the authentic, down-to-earth side of Yoji shown on social media. For handsome male celebrities you can actually meet, male followers are only about 10%, but for Yoji, it's around 30%—a higher percentage of male fans.

Kondo: Right now, I'm doing makeup lessons for men. I teach even complete beginners who have no idea how to do it. I use a skill-sharing service where you can buy and sell knowledge and skills. I get the client's information and preferences beforehand, have them prepare the necessary makeup tools, and then give them a roughly one-hour lecture via video chat. It's challenging, but it helps me improve my own skills, and teaching men is a new challenge I'm enjoying.

Some people told me they wanted to try this kind of makeup or fashion but couldn't before. Others said, "Seeing Yoji-kun, I thought, 'If I can change this much, I'll give it a try.'" Maybe I've helped create a spark for a world where boys like me can live more easily.

Marumoto: I don't think you can deliberately create a new genre. I believe the only way is to start by expressing yourself, like genderless men do. That's how you gain more people who resonate with you. Even if others criticize you, it's crucial not to care and not to water down your message. Compromises made by listening to everyone's opinions are usually uninteresting on social media. I think it's best to boldly put out your own opinion, even if it's a bit excessive.

Kondo: As media platforms for sharing content, I prioritize Instagram and YouTube. Instagram is for interacting with fans, while YouTube is where I show my true self. I use Twitter to spread the word about content posted on those two platforms.

Right now, about half the comments on my Instagram and YouTube come from Korea. It started when fans began adding Korean subtitles to my videos and reposting them.

Marumoto: Considering Japan alone, the follower base for genderless men is limited, so we're also targeting Asia, including China and Korea. We repost and spread Yoji's Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter content on Chinese social media too. Recently, his Weibo followers suddenly jumped by over 10,000, showing how unpredictable the trends can be.

China's influencer landscape is more advanced than Japan's. It seems super influencers have genre-specific influencers acting as conductors beneath them. Even within cosmetics, there's specialization—like influencers dedicated solely to whitening.

Kondo: The male makeup niche in Japan is also becoming more specialized. I focus on variety makeup, while others specialize in ingredients or detailed skincare, or are experts in before-and-after makeup transformations. It's becoming just as fragmented as the female market.

Marumoto: Personally, I don't think we'll see many fashion brands reaching hundreds of billions in annual sales going forward. Instead, we'll see more small-scale brands that are major players within their niche, generating significant profits, and a surge of individuals earning substantial income independently.

Take influencers in the "singing artist" niche, for example. They mainly perform on online videos, covering songs and uploading them. A key feature is that they don't show their faces, using illustrations to complete their image. A singer friend of mine earns about 300 million yen annually selling merchandise and apparel. They run an online shop with minimal staff.

It's a niche genre, so it's not widely known, right? But these creators fill venues like Makuhari Messe for live shows, and their businesses are thriving. They don't necessarily care about being famous. Maybe because getting money directly from fans is more stable.

In that case, earning fans' trust becomes crucial. Lies get exposed instantly on social media, so Yoji can't promote things like double makeup routines or diet products – stuff he doesn't personally need.

Kondo: I get asked to promote products myself, but I basically only take on things I'd want to use myself. Also, whether it's a requested product or a personal recommendation, I make sure to actually use it first. Then, I try to introduce its good points without overhyping it.

Marumoto: Looking ahead at influencer marketing, I think influencers should be mindful of aligning themselves with fashion brands.

Fashion brands can become clear symbols, like magazines. With magazines, you can picture the fans (readers) thinking, "This is the kind of person who reads this." Similarly, with fashion brands, you can see the faces of the fans (customers) who visit the stores.

On the other hand, influencers often struggle to show their fans' (followers') faces, inevitably being judged by follower count alone. I believe influencers can become more appealing to companies by linking themselves to fashion brands and communicating the persona of their own followers.

Also, companies should assign staff dedicated to studying social media. I handle PR for the fashion brand WEGO, and Yoji also plays a role. It might be beneficial to have someone like me at WEGO who connects with influencers tied to our brand.

Mr. Kondou and Mr. Marumoto's insights were very helpful. For Gal Lab's future research on genre-specific innovators, we want to focus on these two points:

① Influential genre-specific innovators can spread new values

Gyaru Lab believes that the expansion of the "genderless" value—which blurs traditional gender distinctions and was once a minority perspective—couldn't have happened without genre-specific innovators like Kondou-san championing it. Even values that initially seemed unconventional can gain traction and evolve into new trends when consistently communicated, attracting like-minded individuals.

Just as Kondo-san's makeup journey began with self-consciousness, many men who struggle with concerns like "I want to do something about the dark circles under my eyes" or "I want to hide my pimples" simply hadn't been visible before. They had no choice but to go barefaced. However, Kondo-san's advocacy likely lowered the barrier for men to wear makeup, enabling them to gain confidence in themselves.

Furthermore, producers like Marumoto-san, who support his activities, solidified Kondou-san's position as a category innovator.

・His unwavering commitment to his social media presence, no matter the noise from others
・A spirit of challenge that effortlessly crosses borders, setting sights on the world beyond Japan's market
・Building trust through an unwavering commitment to honesty

This accumulation likely creates strong fans and gives rise to influential genre-specific innovators.

② New values create new markets

Indeed, more men around us are using men's cosmetics and visiting hair removal salons.

Using toner, in particular, is becoming commonplace among young men. A glance at the cosmetics sections of department stores and drugstores reveals increasingly robust men's lines. Last year, major department store cosmetics brands launched men's lines, generating significant buzz.

The men's facial care market (※2), which had expanded annually until 2013 before stabilizing, began growing again around 2015 with the emergence of "genderless men." Over the past decade, sales have grown by 53%, with the market size expected to reach ¥23.3 billion in 2019.

※2: The face care market refers to the combined market for facial cleansers, skin conditioners (toners and serums), facial wipes, and makeup items.

 

Major cosmetics manufacturers are also beginning initiatives like offering seminars to businessmen on the importance of skincare and how to do it. In these cases, men caring for their skin is often treated as a "business skill." Meanwhile, overseas, items for "men making themselves look more beautiful" are gaining popularity, with some enjoying using eyeliner and mascara to enhance their appearance.

This trend isn't just flowing from men to women; it's also permeating in the opposite direction with "genderless girls." This term often refers to women who prefer masculine fashion, possess androgynous charm, and are considered "handsome."

To give a more relatable example, I recently went to a department store looking for lip care products. When I asked a salesperson for recommendations, they handed me a lip balm from the men's line. "It's highly moisturizing, so it's popular with female customers," they explained. In this way, more women are wearing or using men's products without hesitation, simply because the product is high quality or because men's-style fashion is cute.

As Ms. Kondō mentioned in an interview, feeling discomfort with the term "for men" itself, the very distinction between women's and men's products may disappear in the future.

It's precisely because these are highly specialized genres that category innovators possess such strong influence and purchasing power that they can thrive even in C2C markets. If the systems and approaches for matching these category innovators with companies continue to improve, product information will reach the people who truly want it, and more people will be saved from their worries. Rather than waiting for distinctive flags to appear, it may be crucial for us to dedicate time to truly understand them, create dedicated roles, and actively seek them out ourselves.

This series will continue exploring the potential impact of genre-specific innovators on consumption from various angles. Next time, we speak with Noah Sato, vocalist and model for the immensely popular teenage girl band suga/es, hailed as a social media icon.