Kirei Style Survey: Over Half of Female Cosmetics Buyers Check Ingredient Labels, with Stronger Interest Among Women in Their 40s and 50s

Bizki Inc., which operates Kirei Style, a platform that shares beauty and health information under the concept “Update today’s me with Kirei Style,” conducted a survey of 2,000 women across Japan on cosmetics ingredient labels and summarized trends by age group and other demographics. The survey targeted women aged 20 to 59, with 2,000 respondents nationwide. It was conducted online on January 30, 2026. Respondents were asked, “When purchasing cosmetics, do you check the ingredient label?” with four answer options: “I check every time,” “I check occasionally,” “I do not check,” and “I do not purchase cosmetics.” Overall, the most common response was “I check occasionally.” Excluding those who said they do not purchase cosmetics, 51.8% of regular cosmetics buyers answered either “I check every time” or “I check occasionally,” exceeding the share who said they do not check. This suggests that many consumers are interested in cosmetics ingredients. By age group, women in their 50s were the most likely to answer “I check occasionally,” exceeding women in their 20s, the lowest group, by 15.6 percentage points. Women in their 40s were the most likely to answer “I check every time,” followed by those in their 50s. These results indicate that women in their 40s and 50s tend to check ingredient labels when buying cosmetics, although the frequency differs. The survey also suggests that as consumers age, more of them prioritize product contents over packaging appearance or social media buzz. By occupation, the largest gap appeared in the “I check every time” category. The highest share came from the “self-employed and management” group, suggesting strong interest in ingredient labels and a tendency to research, compare, and judge products carefully before purchase. Conversely, the “students and part-time workers” group had the highest share of respondents who said they do not check. Younger consumers such as students may place greater importance on affordability, ease of purchase, package design, or social media popularity than on ingredients. Meanwhile, the “unemployed and other” group had the highest share of respondents who said they do not purchase cosmetics, with one in four in this group not buying cosmetics. This may reflect a tendency to view cosmetics as discretionary goods or to assign them lower priority. By household income, the share of respondents who said they do not check ingredient labels was almost the same among those earning under 5 million yen and those earning between 5 million and under 10 million yen, and both groups were less likely to check than those earning 10 million yen or more. In contrast, the highest share of respondents who said they check every time was found among households earning 10 million yen or more. This group may have more opportunities to buy higher-priced cosmetics and appears to value ingredient quality, functionality, and whether the product justifies its price before making a purchase. The survey found that middle-aged consumers are more interested in cosmetic ingredients than younger consumers, and that people with greater financial flexibility, such as executives and business owners, are more likely to check ingredient labels. As consumers gain age and experience, they may become better at identifying ingredients and quality that truly suit their skin, rather than being influenced mainly by appearance or popularity. Kirei Style provides information related to health and beauty for people who want to solve daily concerns or enjoy beauty more. Under the concept “Update today’s me with Kirei Style,” the platform shares a wide range of content, including skincare, haircare, body care product reviews, beauty industry job information, gourmet topics, fashion, and outing ideas. Kirei Style says it will continue delivering beauty and health information to a wider audience while contributing to the growth of the beauty market.