Making Japanese Sake Culture More Accessible. Fermented Skincare Brand "1684 AZUMAMINE," Winner of the Good Design Award, Launches Its 2nd Item "Sake Lees Face Wash Soap" on April 15, 2026.
1684 AZUMAMINE, a fermented skincare brand using sake lees from Iwate's oldest brewery, will launch its additive-free "Sake Lees Face Wash Soap" on April 15, 2026. Following the success of its lotion, the soap delivers the natural benefits of fermentation.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 06:15 (90h 43m after Collected)
"Authentic beauty, a heart to cherish the skin, and sincere craftsmanship" is the motto of the fermented skincare brand "1684 AZUMAMINE" (1684 Co., Ltd. / Shiwa Town, Shiwa District, Iwate Prefecture, CEO: Emi Furukawa), which will launch its second product, the "Sake Lees Face Wash Soap," on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, following the Good Design Award 2025-winning Sake Lees Lotion.
By using the lotion and soap together, you can enjoy a fermented skincare line completed with the blessings of sake lees, from washing to moisturizing.
1684AZUMAMINE brand visual
Water and rice are the only ingredients. Additive-free sake lees made straight into soap.
The base of this new face wash soap is the sake lees produced during the brewing of pure rice sake (junmaishu) at Azumamine Sake Brewery, Iwate Prefecture's oldest sake brewery founded in 1684.
By carefully processing additive-free sake lees made only from water and rice using the cold process method, an additive-free soap was born that delivers ingredients like amino acids nurtured by fermentation just as they are.
1684AZUMAMINE Sake Lees Face Wash Soap
Not adding anything unnecessary is the very essence of the "sincere craftsmanship" attitude that 1684 AZUMAMINE values. We believe that being simple maximizes the richness of the ingredients.
"Opening the door" with lotion and "reaching deep" with soap
The first product, "Sake Lees Lotion," is a natural-formula product containing sake lees extract.
To make it easy for those unfamiliar with Japanese sake or trying fermented skincare for the first time to pick up, we focused on a fresh texture and a simple formula.
"Lowering the hurdle" to Japanese sake culture was an important theme of the first product.
1684AZUMAMINE Sake Lees Lotion
This new face wash soap is a product containing an abundance of the sake lees themselves.
Based on the brand's core concept of "a heart to cherish the skin," it was created with the desire for people to directly feel the fresh scent and beauty ingredients of natural sake lees in their daily face-washing routine.
By combining the lotion and soap, a skincare routine facing authentic beauty is completed.
Comments from CEO Emi Furukawa:
"When we made the lotion, the first thing we valued was lowering the hurdle to Japanese sake culture. We wanted even those unfamiliar with sake to naturally incorporate the blessings of fermentation into their daily lives as skincare.
For the soap we are starting to sell this time, we took a step further and focused on using sake lees as they are. Every time you wash, we want you to feel the scent, touch the washed skin, and directly experience your authentic beauty.
We would be happy if using the lotion and soap as a set becomes something you can comfortably incorporate into your daily life.
1684 Co., Ltd. CEO Emi Furukawa"
Expanding amenities to hotels and accommodations
In conjunction with this launch, a 10g sample size of the Sake Lees Face Wash Soap will also be available.
Sized for use as amenities at accommodation facilities like hotels and ryokans, it is expected to be utilized as a touchpoint to deliver Japanese sake culture and the charm of Iwate and Shiwa to guests.
If you wish to install or wholesale amenities for facilities such as hotels, ryokans, or salons, please feel free to contact us below.
E-mail: info@1684.jp / Official LINE: https://lin.ee/DLMRfJv
Gaining attention before release. Reached the goal in 3 days after starting crowdfunding.
This product was pre-sold on the social issue-solving crowdfunding platform "for good" in February-March 2026.
It achieved its first goal in just 3 days after publication, attracting high interest even before its official launch. Currently, the shipping of crowdfunding returns is underway.
Crowdfunding page (Ended)
Product Overview
Product Name: 1684 AZUMAMINE Sake Lees Face Wash Soap
Release Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Price / Content: 1,900 yen (tax included) / 80g (standard size), Not for sale / 10g sample size
By using the lotion and soap together, you can enjoy a fermented skincare line completed with the blessings of sake lees, from washing to moisturizing.
1684AZUMAMINE brand visual
Water and rice are the only ingredients. Additive-free sake lees made straight into soap.
The base of this new face wash soap is the sake lees produced during the brewing of pure rice sake (junmaishu) at Azumamine Sake Brewery, Iwate Prefecture's oldest sake brewery founded in 1684.
By carefully processing additive-free sake lees made only from water and rice using the cold process method, an additive-free soap was born that delivers ingredients like amino acids nurtured by fermentation just as they are.
1684AZUMAMINE Sake Lees Face Wash Soap
Not adding anything unnecessary is the very essence of the "sincere craftsmanship" attitude that 1684 AZUMAMINE values. We believe that being simple maximizes the richness of the ingredients.
"Opening the door" with lotion and "reaching deep" with soap
The first product, "Sake Lees Lotion," is a natural-formula product containing sake lees extract.
To make it easy for those unfamiliar with Japanese sake or trying fermented skincare for the first time to pick up, we focused on a fresh texture and a simple formula.
"Lowering the hurdle" to Japanese sake culture was an important theme of the first product.
1684AZUMAMINE Sake Lees Lotion
This new face wash soap is a product containing an abundance of the sake lees themselves.
Based on the brand's core concept of "a heart to cherish the skin," it was created with the desire for people to directly feel the fresh scent and beauty ingredients of natural sake lees in their daily face-washing routine.
By combining the lotion and soap, a skincare routine facing authentic beauty is completed.
Comments from CEO Emi Furukawa:
"When we made the lotion, the first thing we valued was lowering the hurdle to Japanese sake culture. We wanted even those unfamiliar with sake to naturally incorporate the blessings of fermentation into their daily lives as skincare.
For the soap we are starting to sell this time, we took a step further and focused on using sake lees as they are. Every time you wash, we want you to feel the scent, touch the washed skin, and directly experience your authentic beauty.
We would be happy if using the lotion and soap as a set becomes something you can comfortably incorporate into your daily life.
1684 Co., Ltd. CEO Emi Furukawa"
Expanding amenities to hotels and accommodations
In conjunction with this launch, a 10g sample size of the Sake Lees Face Wash Soap will also be available.
Sized for use as amenities at accommodation facilities like hotels and ryokans, it is expected to be utilized as a touchpoint to deliver Japanese sake culture and the charm of Iwate and Shiwa to guests.
If you wish to install or wholesale amenities for facilities such as hotels, ryokans, or salons, please feel free to contact us below.
E-mail: info@1684.jp / Official LINE: https://lin.ee/DLMRfJv
Gaining attention before release. Reached the goal in 3 days after starting crowdfunding.
This product was pre-sold on the social issue-solving crowdfunding platform "for good" in February-March 2026.
It achieved its first goal in just 3 days after publication, attracting high interest even before its official launch. Currently, the shipping of crowdfunding returns is underway.
Crowdfunding page (Ended)
Product Overview
Product Name: 1684 AZUMAMINE Sake Lees Face Wash Soap
Release Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Price / Content: 1,900 yen (tax included) / 80g (standard size), Not for sale / 10g sample size