Over 30% of Mothers Feel a Cosmetic Burden Supporting Children's Sports

Narice Cosmetics Co., Ltd. (Representative: Hiroyoshi Muraoka, Headquarters: Osaka City, Fukushima Ward) has entered into a sponsorship agreement with professional tennis player Honori Oyama starting this April. This partnership serves as a catalyst for supporting initiatives aimed at promoting lifelong sports in Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture, which has been our main factory since 1967 and is also Honori Oyama's hometown. The initiative is based on the concept of "A town where people can live healthy and fulfilling lives through sports." Through this initiative, we understand that parental support plays a significant role in children's sports, and this survey was conducted to understand the awareness of parents involved in their children's sports. (Survey Period: June 16-22, 2026; Survey Method: In-house internet survey; Target Audience: 2,186 women nationwide aged 30-49 with children. Note: The number of respondents varies depending on the question, and 'n' is indicated in each chart.)

【Survey Topics】

1 Approximately 40% of children participate in sports on a regular basis.

Of children participating in sports, approximately 60% are boys and approximately 40% are girls.

2 The most common sports for children are "Swimming," "Soccer," and "Baseball/Softball" in that order.

For boys, the order is "Soccer," "Swimming," "Baseball/Softball."

For girls, the order is "Swimming," "Dance," "Gymnastics/Trampoline."

3 Approximately 70% of parents attend or observe their children's sports practices or games.

The rate of attendance/observation decreases as the child's age increases, falling below half for those over 15 years old.

4 Regarding support for children's sports, the "time burden, such as transportation" is felt to be the greatest.

Over 30% feel a cosmetic burden, such as sunburn and dry skin.

5 Supporting children in outdoor sports imposes a significant physical burden.

The sports with the highest percentage of parents feeling a physical burden are "Tennis," "Track and Field," and "Soccer" in that order.

【Survey Results】

1 Approximately 40% of children participate in sports on a regular basis.

We asked 2,186 women aged 30-49 with children whether their children participate in sports regularly. If they have multiple children, they were asked about their youngest child. 42.2% responded that their children "participate in sports," while 54.4% responded that they "do not participate in sports." Of those who answered that their children "participate in sports," 58.7% were boys and 41.0% were girls.

2 The most common sports for children are "Swimming," "Soccer," and "Baseball/Softball" in that order.

We asked 923 respondents whose children participate in sports about the types of sports. If they participate in multiple sports, they were asked to choose the one they spend the most time on. Overall, the most common sport was "Swimming," followed by "Soccer" in second place, and "Baseball/Softball" in third place.

We examined this by child's gender. For boys, the most common sport was "Soccer" at 19.0%, followed by "Swimming" at 15.7% in second place, and "Baseball/Softball" at 13.3% in third place. For girls, "Swimming" was first at 22.2%, "Dance" was second at 13.0%, and "Gymnastics/Trampoline" was third at 10.8%.

We also looked at this by gender and age. (Items with a small number of respondents, n=30 or less, are considered reference values and excluded from the analysis.) For boys, "Swimming" was ranked first for ages 4-6 and 7-9, but "Soccer" became first for ages 10-12. It is expected that preferred sports change with age. There was not much difference in age for third-ranked "Baseball/Softball." For girls, "Swimming" was ranked first for ages 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. "Dance" appears to be a more popular sport for girls compared to boys, ranking third in all age groups from 0 to 15 years old. (Excluding others.) Both boys and girls show similar trends, but many people start sports around ages 4-6, with a peak around ages 7-9, after which the participation rate decreases with age. Also, preferred sports seem to change with gender and age. "Swimming" appears to be started by many people of both genders from a young age. For girls, "Tennis" is often played around ages 10-15, and "Volleyball" is often played around ages 13-18, suggesting the influence of school club activities.

3 Approximately 70% of parents attend or observe their children's sports practices or games.

We asked whether parents attend or support their children's sports practices or games. 36.7% responded "Often attend," and 32.1% responded "Somewhat attend," totaling 68.8%, or about 70%. "Rarely attend" was 17.1%, and "Never attend" was 11.1%.

We looked at this by the child's age. For ages 0-3, although 'n' is small, 53.8% "Often attend" and 26.9% "Somewhat attend," totaling 80.7%. For ages 4-12, the combined percentage of "Often attend" and "Somewhat attend" (i.e., "Attend") showed little change, but for ages 13 and over, the percentage of those who answered "Do not attend" seems to increase.

Next, we examined differences in attendance/support by sport type. "Baseball/Softball" had the highest attendance rate at 83.2%. "Dance" was second at 80%, and "Soccer" was third at 79.1%. Amidst recent continuous heatwaves, there is a tendency to avoid watching outdoor sports, so we divided them into mainly outdoor and indoor sports. However, "Baseball/Softball" (ranked first) and "Soccer" (ranked third) are both outdoor sports, suggesting that whether a sport is indoor or outdoor may not significantly affect parental attendance and support for their children's sports.

4 Regarding support for children's sports, the "time burden, such as transportation" is felt to be the greatest.

We asked 521 women who attend or support their children's sports practices or games about their concerns and burdens. The most common response was "Time burden, such as for practices, games, or away games," accounting for 46.8%, or nearly half. The second most common response was "Financial burden, such as tuition, facility fees, or away game expenses," at 43.4%. Third was "Social obligations with other parents and assisting with operations," at 42.8%. However, "Cost of equipment such as uniforms and shoes" and "Physical burden from long-term spectating in extreme heat or cold" also accounted for nearly 40% each, indicating high percentages. 33.6% cited "Cosmetic burden, such as sunburn and dry skin," exceeding 30%, and "Concerns about reduced study time for children" was 30.9%. On the other hand, 8.4% responded, "I feel no burden."

5 Supporting children in outdoor sports imposes a significant physical burden.

We cross-referenced the burdens and concerns of mothers supporting children in sports with the types of sports their children participate in. (Items with fewer than 30 respondents are considered reference values due to the small number of responses.) While "I feel no burden" was 8.4% overall (less than 10%), it was close to 20% for "Judo/Karate/Kendo" (19.2%) and "Swimming" (19.0%). Looking at mainly outdoor sports (orange) versus mainly indoor sports (gray), based on a previous survey on the sports environment, sports practiced mainly outdoors, such as "Soccer," "Baseball/Softball," and "Tennis," tend to involve more burdens for women.

Specifically, those feeling the "Physical burden from long-term spectating in extreme heat or cold" were predominantly in outdoor sports: "Tennis" at 57.6%, "Track and Field" at 56.2%, and "Soccer" at 53.1%. Furthermore, regarding "Cosmetic burden, such as sunburn and dry skin," "Tennis" was the highest at 54.5%, exceeding half, and "Soccer" and "Baseball/Softball" were also over 40%, higher than the average. "Gymnastics/Trampoline" generally had the lowest percentage of burdens and concerns.

【Overall Discussion】

Through our sponsorship of professional tennis player Honori Oyama, Narice Cosmetics aims to understand the awareness of young athletes and their parents, and to contribute to improving the sports environment and support systems through our cosmetic products. The sports environment faces difficulties not only due to the abolition of school club activities but also due to prolonged heatwaves. Outdoor sports, in particular, seem to impose not only physical but also cosmetic burdens on parents. On the other hand, sports are considered to play a crucial role in the future growth and character development of young people. Reducing the anxieties and burdens not only for children but also for their supporting parents is believed to lead to a better sports environment for children. Narice Cosmetics wishes to support children who play sports and their parents who support them through products such as sunscreens and other cosmetics and toiletries.

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