Born in South Korea, Hanna Kang works in Japan as a TV personality, poet, international socio-cultural scholar, and founder of a beauty brand. That work attracts attention from many angles; some of that attention is on her tanka poems, through which she expresses her candid thoughts in Japanese, a language that is not her mother tongue. These poems have received high praise: Starting in 2016, she was selected for the Kadokawa Tanka Award for three consecutive years. In 2019, her first poetry collection, Mada Mada Desu (KADOKAWA) was published, and in March 2021, she won the 21st Contemporary Tanka Newcomer Award. Her reputation as a poet continues to grow. 

On top of it all, she launched BEAUTY THINKER in 2019 and vegan beauty brand Mirari in November 2020. It’s only natural that Mirari, started by the multi-faceted Kang, is also diverse in its expression. Her wide range of expression may appear scattered at first glance, but she’s always expressing the importance of “facing yourself.” In this interview, Hanna Kang talks to TOKION about her thoughts on the brand.

——First, could you tell me why you came to Japan?

Hanna Kang: I was originally working as a newscaster and columnist in Korea, but I was so busy with work that I’d lost sight of myself. I wanted to find myself, so I traveled to 40 different countries across the world, and I felt like Japan was the right place for me. I couldn’t speak Japanese at the time, but it was a place that made me feel like I was onto something. So in 2011, I moved to Japan.

——Until you launched your brand, Mirari, what were you doing in Japan?

Hanna: I’m also an international socio-cultural scholar. I enrolled in the Graduate School of Urban Innovation at Yokohama National University, and I’m still doing research in the doctoral program. My research mainly focuses on international media content, and in parallel with that, I’m also a TV personality.

——I heard that you started composing tanka poems because of a show you appeared on as a TV personality. What got you so into it?

Hanna: I started composing tanka poems after appearing as a regular guest on NHK Tanka. Tanka is a form of writing for self-expression, so it requires understanding yourself on a deeper level. Sometimes, in the process of soul searching, I have to face things that are unpleasant or that I don’t like about myself. It’s really difficult, but as I searched, I began to understand who I was. As someone who had lost sight of herself while trying to please others, it [tanka] was something that I was meant to encounter, and I did.

Beauty is expressed through confidence, conscience, and words

——Why did you start your vegan skincare brand, Mirari, in Japan?

Hanna: I started a brand in Japan because I wanted to give back for everything I’ve been able to do until now. Also, my brand values conversations with every individual, so the fact that I’m physically in Japan and can communicate with people here, as well as my desire to help Japanese women are reasons, too. In the 10 years I’ve been working in Japan, I’ve listened to many women’s concerns. Many Japanese women are humble and reserved. That’s an incredible thing, but at the same time, I think it’s also connected to insecurity. I wanted to help people like that.

——What do you think about the social climate and the unique challenges women face in Japan?

Hanna: From a Korean perspective, I’m quite Japanese. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t express their opinion directly. But I think many Japanese people aren’t able to speak out when they don’t like something or think something is wrong. It’s very Japanese to read between the lines, and I like that about the culture, but a lot of people are just putting up with things. I want to tell them that it’s okay to be a bit spoiled. But also, I think our minds are meant to be strengthened rather than healed. In life, there will always be trials and tribulations. If you catch a cold, you try to strengthen your body and take measures to prevent it from happening again, right? So, we should also prepare our minds rather than wait in fear.

——Mirari is based on the concept of facing oneself, right?

Hanna: The brand name, Mirari, has two “i”’s in it, and the logo design features the two letters facing each other. This represents facing oneself, and also the brand facing users.

——Why do you want to convey the concept of “facing oneself” through skincare?

Hanna: When I thought about people’s beauty, and what beauty is, I realized there were three elements. The first is external appearance. I believe that cleaning up your appearance connects to confidence. Putting on makeup to change your appearance is pretending to be someone you’re not, which is different from just cleaning up your appearance. To give an example, it’s to strive to be a version of yourself that thinks you’re pretty even if when you’re crying.

The second element is conscience. I made vegan products to bring out people’s conscience. The third is words. I think words create a good mindset. For example, every item in the Facial Treatment Mask line has a name with “more” in it, like “more moisture” or “more love myself.” Cosmetics are often described in terms of issues, like dry skin or problem skin, so I chose the word “more” to say that you’re already good, but this is something to be even better.

——So you mean the beauty that comes from within. As a vegan beauty brand, how do you think Mirari brings out people’s conscience?

Hanna: Choosing items that aren’t tested on animals and don’t use animal-derived ingredients isn’t only eco-friendly and sustainable—it also brings out kindness. I’m not personally a vegetarian, but I think it’s easy to incorporate into skincare.

——Your products are vegan certified by EVE VEGAN, right?

Hanna: Our first line of products that are currently on sale, the Facial Treatment Masks, are made at a factory in Korea. To be EVE VEGAN certified, a factory inspection is necessary, so one of the reasons I worked with a Korean factory was that the factory already had that system in place. Also, I had the option of choosing the materials I wanted to use. I was able to create special sheet masks that don’t dry out even after 40 minutes as well as clear packaging.

——There are 6 kinds of face masks, all of them in clear packaging with different designs. What’s the thought behind that?

Hanna: Mirari has 13 promises. One of the promises is “We’ll do our best to communicate both online and offline to maintain a direct relationship with you.” Our clear packaging conveys safety by showing what’s inside, and it represents our commitment to disclosing what’s inside.

Hanna listens not only to her customers’ skin concerns, but their feelings

——Other than with the product, how else do you create a “direct relationship”?

Hanna: Online, Mirari holds webinars and Instagram Live streams, and we also value offline touchpoints. Recently, Mirari held a pop-up project with Marui called “Marui to Mirari.” I’m also particular about where we stock our brand’s items, and we won’t distribute to drugstores and such where the products are lined up against competitors. That connects to one of Mirari’s 13 promises: “We will give our relationship with you our undivided attention. We won’t compete and compare ourselves with other brands.” When there are many face masks lined up in a store, it’s difficult for consumers to choose. Our pop-up at Marui helped people understand Mirari’s philosophy, and I was able to communicate with visitors through our special brand installation. Also, once a month, I set up a “Mirari Day” and invite customers.

——What kind of event is “Mirari Day”?

Hanna: Some of the attendees are fans of my work as a TV personality or poet, and others are people who agree with the brand philosophy. Recently, all kinds of people have come, including high schoolers. With each person, I have a one-on-one counseling session for 20 to 30 minutes. When there are a lot of people, there might be dozens of people there at once. So it’s a lot of work, but it’s also a valuable time for me to get hints.

——That’s a pretty long counseling session. What kind of things do you talk about?

Hanna: They talk to me not only about their skin type or skin concerns but also their state of mind and emotions. It’s important to face the person you’re talking to and talk to them with empathy. But everyone tends to be reserved, so I start by saying, “It’s okay, you can talk to me about anything!” to get them to open up. (laughs)

In the past, a lot of people would buy products used by people they admired, like models and beauticians. But since the products were chosen by someone else, of course, sometimes they don’t work for you. With Mirari, I want to select, create, and propose products that work for each person. Just as with our products, I don’t want women to compare themselves to anyone else. That’s why I don’t want people to look up to me, either.

——Apart from events, how else do you interact with customers?

Hanna: The application, My Mirari, features radio, music, and newsletters. It also has a diagnostic function, and that data can be used to make discoveries. One of our 13 promises is that “We will take thorough feedback, and challenge ourselves to create new products that reflect that. We won’t give up until we find the best of the best for you.” It’s impossible to create something perfect from the start. I write about what I’m thinking or worrying about instead of hiding it. The important thing is to keep improving without giving up.

——How do you want to grow the brand in the future?

 Hanna: Our skin and minds change every day. So we can’t achieve real beauty unless we face [that]. While I still hope to focus on conversations in the future, if we get more customers, it’ll be difficult for me to do it alone. Mirari has a six-month user ambassador program selected from fans of our products, and I hold monthly meetings and interviews with them. Eventually, I’d like to hire someone from there to become a community manager. I want people who understand and love Mirari’s brand philosophy to be able to communicate that in the same way. I’m looking to expand globally in the future, but since conversations are at the core of the brand, I want to keep the conversation going no matter where we go. 

 Hanna Kang
After working in Korea as a newscaster, MC for an economic channel, and columnist, Hanna Kang moved to Japan in 2011. She is currently enrolled in the doctoral program at Yokohama National University’s Graduate School of Urban Innovation in the Department of Infrastructure and Urban Society. After appearing as a regular on the NHK Educational TV show, NHK Tanka, she became involved in poetry. She was selected for the Kadokawa Tanka Award for three consecutive years from 2016, and her first poetry collection, Mada Mada Desu (KADOKAWA) was published in December 2019. In March of 2021, she won the 21st Contemporary Tanka Newcomer Award. In November 2020, she launched her vegan beauty brand, Mirari.
https://mirari.jp
Twitter：@kang_hannah
Instagram：＠kang_hanna_jp

Photography Hiroshi Fujiwara
Transltation Aya Apton

Latest articles on TOKION BEAUTY

• J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 11:　EviDenS de Beauté offers the best solutions for all women who suffer from sensitive skin.
  by 井上エリ
  2023-12-01
• J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 10: a poetic story of Floraïku Paris spun with haiku and scent
  by 井上エリ
  2023-08-02
• J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 9: IPSUM ALII maximizes the power of traditional medicine Kampo and bring J-Beauty rituals to the world.
  by 井上エリ
  2023-06-18
• J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 8: TSUKI Cosmetics reveals and develops the underlying strength of J-Beauty in Spain
  by 井上エリ
  2023-05-05
• J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 7: Through warew, an investor shares Japanese philosophy with the world through J-Beauty
  by 井上エリ
  2023-02-27

The post Hanna Kang, the founder of Mirari, on the beauty that comes from facing yourself appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

“UNNATURALLY NATURAL” is a skincare brand started by Ai Gemma Hirano, a founding member of the fashion brand “self-portrait.” Because of the brilliant career and the fact that the products are 100% vegan and environmental-friendly clean beauty brand, she was featured in many media in Japan.However, the actual message the brand wants to send is a little different.

“Non-natural” ingredients can also lead to healthier skin.

Ai studied in the UK at the age of 15.She spent her high school and university years in the UK, following her childhood dream of becoming a fashion designer, which she had dreamed of since she was five years old.Her inspiration for creating skincare products came long before the launch of self-portrait, when she lent a friend a skin toner lotion she had used as a student.

“She had sensitive skin and the skin toner l lent her didn’t work well with her skin. It caused her skin to become problematic and irritated. The experience was so shocking that it inspired me to create skincare products that are gentle and safe for all skin types.”

It was Vegan, which she arrived in the pursuit of gentle skincare. Vegan refers to things that does not contain ingredients of animal origin or exploited by animals. “Growing up in the UK, veganism was familiar to me, but I didn’t really adopt it until I was in my late twenties. I started avoiding dairy products because they didn’t fit my body, and that’s when I switched to a vegan diet. When I tried it for myself, I realised that veganism was safer and gentler on my skin,” she says.

In March 2019, she founded her own company, PORTFOLIOS, and launched her own vegan cosmetics brand, UNNATURALLY NATURAL, which combines effective “un-natural” ingredients with “natural” formulations that are vegan, cruelty-free, ethanol-free, gluten-free and sulfate-free.

“It’s not always true: all of the natural ingredients are good for your skin, and not all non-natural ingredients are bad for your skin. My priority is to provide high performance skincare with ingredients that are effective and directly benefit the health of the skin.

A selection of ingredients from around the world are used in the products. Some of the more rare ingredients include kiwi seed oil, which is rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, and pumpkin fermented extract, which breaks down dead skin cells and reduces the appearance of pores. As for fragrances, “the alcohol used in the extraction process is strictly controlled, including carry-over values. The combination of fragrances themselves is also strictly controlled in accordance with our list of non-use ingredients and clean philosophy”.

It currently offers three products, a toner, a serum and a moisturiser, but also planning to expand product range to include part care.

Vegan is not something special.

According to a survey by Grand View Research, the global vegan cosmetics market will grow to $14.4 billion in 2019 and $20.8 billion in 2025, accounting for 30% of the total.

As proof of “UNNATURALLY NATURAL” is a vegan product, the certification marks of the British Vegan Society “Vegan Society” and the American animal protection group “PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)” are shown on the package. It is not uncommon in areas where vegan cosmetics are already known well, such as Europe, the United States and South Korea, but they are rarely seen in Japan. That means the market is still in the growth stage.

For this reason, when the brand was first launched, some people said, and wonder whether the vegan market would really grow in Japan.

“In Japan, the term vegan is not very familiar, and some people find it difficult to understand, or have a negative or a strict image of the word itself. For this reason, many people feel that they cannot be called vegan unless they practice it thoroughly. However, in recent years, vegan awareness and activities have become a little more flexible, and more and more people are starting close to home. In other countries, people have the flexibility to choose to be vegan for a set period of time, or just for one meal today, and I think it’s good to start in any way you can.”

For example, Meat Free Monday is a coined word that “stops eating animal food only on Mondays”. Veganuary is a word coined from the combination of vegan and the month of January, and refers to the idea of living a vegan lifestyle for the month of January. In addition to vegans who do not consume any animal origin, various choices are depending on the person, such as pescatarians who eat seafood.

“If you write “vegan brand”, it may seem that only vegans should use it. That’s why we call our brand ‘UNNATURALLY NATURAL’ is ‘vegan-friendly’. I think it makes it easier for more people to use the products, and I want everyone to be able to pick them up.”

Environment, animal welfare, social issues… Who should care about these issues?

Ai also says: “It’s great and surely happy that people buy our products because they are environmentally friendly or vegan. But it would be even better if the products you pick up and  buy for their cute packaging, which are actually vegan, sustainable, and other environmental factors without realizing it. I hope that vegan and sustainable premise will become the standard in the cosmetics industry.”

She believes that consumers should be able to choose products without having to think about environmental and social issues in the first place.
“That’s a goal that manufacturers should achieve, and consumers should simply choose a product based on whether they like it or not, or whether it’s good or not. Ideally, every product on the shelf should be a product that has been taken into consideration.”

“UNNATURALLY NATURAL” products are not only vegan, but also environmentally friendly in many ways. The bright pink plastic bottle were also chosen for their sustainability credentials. “Some brands use glass bottles for environmental reasons, but as we are taking our brand global, we opted for plastic for our international shipments. Plastic is lighter, has a low burden of carbon dioxide emissions and is less likely to break in transit. I don’t think there’s one correct answer when it comes to bottles,” she says. The company also has a multifaceted approach to social issues, donating a portion of its sales to organizations that support women and children, such as Make A Wish and UN Women.

This way of thinking and attitude comes naturally to Ai, she says. ” I’ve always wanted to do something that contributes to society. In the UK, there are companies with clean values like ‘Lush’ and ‘The Body Shop.’ I think I’ve been influenced by that environment.”

A “brand” that creates a sympathetic audience for the story.

Cosmetics with clean ingredients like “UNNATURALLY NATURAL” have been categorized as “clean beauty” and have been attracting attention mainly in Europe and the United States for the past few years. The market is expanding overseas, and “UNNATURALLY NATURAL” aims to be sold in the United States.

“I was often asked by many people why I didn’t launch my brand in Europe and the United States, where the market is already established. But I believe there is a market for vegan and clean beauty products in Asia,” says Ai. She already has customers in Thailand and Singapore, and often ships overseas.

Of course there are people in Japan who are looking it, but the real vegan market and vegan advocates in Japan are five or ten years away. “We want to grow to the point where we can import back from the US,” she says, “when today’s junior and senior high school students grow up. Today’s younger generation is exposed to global information through social media, so they are very flat-minded and flexible, and they don’t have a lot of prejudice against veganism. Many of them have their own opinions and see the brand at its core. We want to be the brand of choice for those generations and people.

Indie brands are appearing one after another overseas, ,and the clean beauty market in particular is growing rapidly. A good example is  “Drunk Elephant” which was acquired by Shiseido. On the other hand, the products from Japan sold in foreign countries are the brands of major manufacturers. When asked what the difference lies, she replies is that it is still core of the brand.

“In my opinion, in Japan, a ‘brand’ means something that gives you or leads to a sense of trust, so most likely the major manufacturer is a brand. In other countries, a brand is about creating a product that tells a story, not just a concept for each season, but a story about what you want to be in the long term.”

Different perceptions of a brand lead to different expressions. Major manufacturers tend to make strong appeals about effectiveness, which makes it difficult to understand the overall concept of the brand.In recent years, a number of D2C brands have emerged in Japan, and more and more of them have adopted a way of presenting brand stories. We may see more Japanese brands competing on a global scale in the future.

For “UNNATURALLY NATURAL”, the brand story is not just about being skin-friendly and vegan. ” I wanted to create a brand that was natural, yet approachable”, so it was important to me not only to have a formula and ingredients, but also a pop and cute design. If you’re not happy with the product, including its appearance and price range, you won’t choose it. To be sustainable, it’s important to be able to continue and appreciate the product, otherwise it won’t continue.” The brand’s greatest strength is that it is kind to the skin, to society, and to the people who use it and their feelings!

Ai  Gemma Hirano
Studied in England at the age of 15. She studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins and launched the fashion brand “self-portrait” in 2013 with Han Chong, whom she met while studying abroad. After returning to Japan, she established her own company PORTFOLIOS, in March 2019. And in 2020, she will start a vegan cosmetic brand “UNNATURALLY NATURAL”.
https://unnaturally-natural.com

Latest articles on TOKION BEAUTY

• J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 11:　EviDenS de Beauté offers the best solutions for all women who suffer from sensitive skin.
  by 井上エリ
  2023-12-01
• J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 10: a poetic story of Floraïku Paris spun with haiku and scent
  by 井上エリ
  2023-08-02
• J-Beauty report from Europe Vol. 9: IPSUM ALII maximizes the power of traditional medicine Kampo and bring J-Beauty rituals to the world.
  by 井上エリ
  2023-06-18

The post “It’s not going to last, unless you are happy” Goal of the vegan cosmetic brand “UNNATURALLY NATURAL” appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.