Okinawa’s beauty brands redefine skin care by sourcing local ingredients to create products that elevate skincare into a craft. Located in the South of Japan and nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea, Okinawa Prefecture is made up of 160 islands. Famously known within Japan as a tropical getaway, travelers can island hop, scuba dive and explore historical sights.
You’ll find me, however, scouring markets in search of a new moisturiser. Okinawan products incorporate special ingredients into their skincare, such as gettou (shell ginger), kucha (a clay found in the central and southern seas of Okinawa), shikuwasa peel (a native citrus fruit), moringa (a drought-resistant tropical tree) and nigari (a liquid left after salt has been precipitated from seawater). So, let’s dive into some of these intriguing ingredients and highlight a few Okinawan brands that will give you a healthy, tropical glow.
Nature Plants Skin Care
Created by makeup artist Rie Morimoto, Nature Plants Skin Care launched in 2016 after she found how important skincare was when applying makeup on clients. After moving to Okinawa in 2011, Morimoto connected to the local culture and community while learning about the healing properties of Okinawa botanicals. In partnership with local farmers, Nature Plants Skin Care incorporates organic and sustainable practices to produce food grade skincare that is free from preservatives, chemicals and alcohol.
Nature Plants Skin Care’s Aloe and Amethyst Lotion is one of the most impressive products I’ve had the pleasure of applying on my skin. Made up of Yonaguni Island’s distilled seawater, fresh mozuku seaweed and aloe vera, the lotion’s ingredients are blended within 30 minutes of harvesting to ensure the highest natural potency.
This lotion has a semi-viscous consistency that glides over the skin and leaves it plump with hydration. Recently, heat rash and sunburn caused itchy red bumps to spread across my chest and arms. Taking the chilled lotion from the fridge, I applied it to my face, neck, décolletage and arms to soothe the damage caused by the sun. The redness immediately subsided.
If you’re someone prone to dry skin and are looking for a deeply hydrating moisturizer, Nature Plants Skin Care’s Face Cream has a rich and thick formula that melts into the skin and leaves a long-lasting moisture barrier. Your over-the-counter drugstore moisturizer is probably filled with preservatives and alcohol which can weaken the skin barrier, making you susceptible to various skin conditions, dehydration and breakouts.
Face Cream is formulated with Yonaguni Island’s distilled water, Okinawa beeswax, African baobab, Shea butter, pomegranate and apricot oil to help support and strengthen the skin barrier, brighten the skin and reduce inflammation. This cream will work wonders come autumn and winter when the skin needs a heavy-duty moisturizer to combat the dry climate.
Nature Plants Skin Care products are carefully shipped as refrigerated items to retain their food grade quality.
Wellness Hamlet
I’m going to say it now and will continue to say it for the rest of my life: whatever magic is in Wellness Hamlet’s products, I need a lifetime supply. The key ingredient is moringa, which the company grows — chemical and pesticide free — in Okinawa. The prefecture’s climate is ideal for growing moringa as the tree is native to Northern India and thrives in tropical climates. Known to house over 90 nutrients, moringa is said to be a miracle plant. It is rich in antioxidants and may help lower blood sugar levels and reduce inflammation.
Wellness Hamlet’s Moringa Starter Set, which includes a face oil, moisture lotion and handmade kucha soap, has become a new staple in my skincare routine. After rigorously extracting some clogged pores one night, I applied the moringa lotion and face oil over my broken skin. The oil formed a barrier with a glow for it to regenerate and, come the morning, had erased all traces of congestion and damage from the day before.
For those with sensitive skin or dermatitis, feel reassured knowing that all ingredients in Wellness Hamlet’s Kucha Soap are 100% raw and natural. This unscented soap contains deep sea minerals, wasabi seed oil and seawater that gently moisturize the face and body. Easy to lather into a foam, this cold pressed soap left my skin feeling soft and supple.
Wellness Hamlet also focuses on inner beauty, offering supplements and tea as well as outer-care products for hair and the body. If you’re looking for an all-natural, organic miracle product, I’d hurry, as you may find I’ve bought all the stock.
Ruhaku
Ruhaku is the first Japanese beauty brand to receive an Ecocert, a certification recognizing organic and natural cosmetics, fair trade and sustainable practices. A very popular skincare brand in Tokyo, Ruhaku’s main ingredient is JAS organic certified shell ginger, also known as gettou; a native plant that is part of the ginger family and is said to be packed with antioxidant properties.
Ruhaku’s new Gettou UV Veil is an organic sunscreen that piqued my interest a while ago. Specifically formulated for people with sensitive skin, UV Veil boasts an SPF 50+ PA++++, and is made with 100% natural and vegan ingredients. Prepare to be grounded with UV Veil’s light herbal scent, which adds a relaxing layer to your morning skincare routine.
When first applying, I found the formula to be runny, but thicker in texture than the average Japanese sunscreen. The thicker texture instilled the feeling of a protective barrier between the sun’s UV rays and my skin. Given the intensity of Okinawa’s tropical sun, I felt reassured using Ruhaku’s UV Veil. Not only did this sunscreen tone up the dullness of my skin, it was also resistant to water, sweat and, most importantly, didn’t leave me with irritated skin or sunburned.
