Focus on Inbound Tourist Consumption Behavior! "April 2026 Analysis of Products with Surging Interest from Inbound Tourists"

Payke Inc. (Headquarters: Naha, Okinawa; CEO: Keisuke Furuta; hereinafter "Payke") has analyzed product viewing data from inbound foreign tourists for the period of April 2026, collected through its barcode scanning app "Payke" and affiliated apps.

The analysis confirmed an increasing trend in the product viewing rate* for certain products compared to the previous month. This report explains the product viewing trends for items that gained high interest in categories such as beauty, skincare, and daily necessities, reflecting the overlap of the cherry blossom season and spring holidays in various countries in April.

*"Payke" is an app that allows inbound foreign users to scan the barcodes on product packages with their smartphones to check information such as product features and usage instructions in their native language. Since users scan products in-store while physically holding them and considering a purchase, this scanning action is considered to represent "concrete interest after handling the product" rather than mere browsing. The "product viewing rate" in this article is a metric based on the number of times inbound foreign users viewed product information through these scans, used as an indicator of user interest.

The data revealed a trend of inbound tourists' interest expanding to "newly released and limited-edition products that are hard to obtain outside of Japan," "functional products that address early spring seasonal factors," and "categories that are a topic of discussion in South Korea regarding price and availability." The reasons for picking up a product varied, including new release timing, local media coverage, and the convergence of seasonal factors.

Specifically, movements of interest were observed in the following categories:

- Leave-on overnight masks
- Limited-quantity pore care cleansing gels
- Medicated face powders for sensitive skin
- Compactly designed sanitary napkins
- Skin medications for eczema and itching

■April 2026 Ranking of Products with Rapidly Increased Viewing Rates

The following products showed particularly significant growth in April 2026. Growth was seen in the beauty, skincare, and daily necessities categories by users from Thailand, South Korea, and Taiwan.

*This ranking is based on the month-over-month increase in the "product viewing rate" of inbound foreign users on Payke. It is not a sales ranking.

Nationality

Manufacturer

Product Name

MoM Increase

Thai

Shiseido Company, Limited

Shiseido Elixir Reflet Balancing Oyasumi Mask 90g

23.3x

Korean

Stylinglife Holdings Inc.

Tsururi Pore Dirt Decomposition Gel Black

15.5x

Korean

Shiseido Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

IHADA Medicated Face Protect Powder 9g

2.4x

Korean

Unicharm Corporation

Sofy Center-in Compact 1/2 Sweet Floral 22pcs

2.3x

Taiwanese

Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Mentholatum Mediquick Pro Ointment 8g

1.3x

1. [Thailand] Interest in Leave-on Overnight Masks (Shiseido Elixir Reflet Balancing Oyasumi Mask 90g)

The product viewing rate by Thai users increased approximately 23.33 times month-over-month and 14.0 times year-over-year, marking the highest growth in this month's ranking.

[Factors]

This product is a leave-on overnight mask from the "Reflet" sub-line of Shiseido's aging care brand "Elixir," focusing on pore and sebum balance. It contains ingredients like glycylglycine, water-soluble collagen, peach seed extract, and scutellaria baicalensis root extract to care for the skin during sleep. The suggested retail price is 1,980 JPY (tax included).

Although the product itself is a long-selling item launched in 2019, it won 1st place in the @cosme review rankings for the "Wash-off Pack/Mask Category" from December 12, 2025, to March 11, 2026. This indicates that its high evaluation has been sustained even years after its release.

[Analysis]

The product is officially distributed in Thailand through Shiseido Thailand and is available on major local e-commerce platforms like EVEandBOY, Central Online, and Lazada Thailand for around 990 THB (90g). The Japanese suggested retail price of 1,980 JPY is equivalent to approximately 440 THB, creating a price difference of about double. The price advantage, including tax-free purchases in Japan, is likely a motivation for buying during their visit.

Furthermore, the Songkran holiday from April 13-15, 2026, is Thailand's peak season for overseas travel, and the major local English newspaper, Nation Thailand, featured Japan as a top visa-exempt destination. According to JNTO, the number of foreign visitors to Japan in April 2026 set a new single-month record, with Thailand remaining the largest market in the ASEAN region. The combination of continuously accumulating high ratings on @cosme and the historic volume of visitors during the Songkran period is thought to have driven this month's growth.

2. [South Korea] Interest in Limited-Quantity Pore Care Products (Tsururi Pore Dirt Decomposition Gel Black)

The product viewing rate by Korean users showed a remarkable increase of about 15.5 times month-over-month for a new, limited-edition SKU.

[Factors]

This is a limited-quantity product (15g) from the pore care brand "Tsururi" by Stylinglife Holdings Inc. BCL Company. It's a warming boost enzyme gel with added charcoal. It contains three types of enzymes, a warming gel, charcoal, volcanic ash, and three types of vitamin C derivatives, and comes with a silicone brush for spot-treating the nose area. The suggested retail price is 990 JPY (tax included).

This black SKU was released nationwide in limited quantities on November 4, 2025, with a pre-sale at some Don Quijote stores starting in October. At the time of its launch, it was featured in multiple media outlets such as PR TIMES, Oricon News, FORTUNE, and MyNavi Woman.

[Analysis]

Official distribution of the black SKU cannot be confirmed on major Korean e-commerce platforms like Olive Young, SSG, or Coupang. Its availability is virtually limited to purchases made during visits to Japan and through proxy services for Mercari (like Mercaring, Mercai, Mercargo) or cross-border e-commerce on Qoo10. Its rarity as a limited-edition item and the difficulty of obtaining it locally likely motivate purchases during trips to Japan.

According to JNTO, the number of South Korean visitors to Japan in April 2026 was 878,600, a 21.7% increase year-over-year, setting a record for a single month of April and making South Korea the largest source of visitors for the month. It is believed that about six months after its November 2025 launch, the timing coincided with an increase in Korean users encountering the product on the shelves of major drugstores during the peak cherry blossom travel season, leading to a significant increase in scans on Payke.

3. [South Korea] Interest in Medicated Face Powder for Sensitive Skin (IHADA Medicated Face Protect Powder)

The product viewing rate by Korean users showed a significant increase for a long-selling product, up approximately 2.39 times month-over-month and 13.62 times year-over-year. The refill SKU also grew, up 2.84 times month-over-month and 17.6 times year-over-year, with both the main product and refill growing simultaneously.

[Factors]

This is a quasi-drug pressed powder from Shiseido Pharmaceutical's sensitive skincare brand "IHADA." It claims multi-protection from skin-irritating factors such as UV rays (SPF40・PA++++), blue light, pollen, PM2.5, and yellow dust. It is free of UV absorbers, alcohol, parabens, and fragrance, and is designed to be removable with soap. The suggested retail price is 1,980 JPY (tax included).

Since its launch in February 2022, it has won awards in multiple beauty media, including 3rd place in the @cosme Best Cosmetics Awards 2022 First Half New Best Powder, 1st place in the MAQUIA Petit-Pla Cosme Grand Prix Face Powder category, and 1st place in the VOCE Best Cosmetics Petit-Pla Base Makeup category.

[Analysis]

Official distribution of this product on major Korean e-commerce platforms is not confirmed; it is available through parallel import stores for Japanese cosmetics or individual listings on Naver Shopping. Price tracking sites show the main unit at around 32,340 KRW and the refill at around 19,750 KRW. Compared to the Japanese suggested retail price (1,980 JPY ≈ 17,800 KRW), there is a price difference of about 1.8 times for the main unit.

April is the peak month for 황사 (yellow dust) occurrences according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. On April 20, 2026, the major Korean English newspaper Seoul Economic Daily reported that dense yellow dust from China covered the entire country, with warnings issued for Seoul and most of the nation. The product's claims (UV + pollen + PM2.5 + sensitive skin) align with the seasonal skin concerns in South Korea during spring. The simultaneous growth of both the main unit and the refill suggests that a certain number of repeat purchases are being made by experienced visitors to Japan.

4. [South Korea] Interest in Compactly Designed Napkins (Unicharm Center-in Compact 1/2 Sweet Floral)

The product viewing rate by Korean users showed stable growth in the daily necessities category, up approximately 2.31 times month-over-month and 4.62 times year-over-year.

[Factors]

This product is the "Center-in Compact 1/2 Sweet Floral" 22-pack (21.5cm, with wings) from Unicharm's Sofy brand. It boasts portability with a package size half that of a regular slim napkin, a "Fit-up" structure that bulges in the center for a better fit, and a scent containing natural geranium. The actual selling price for a 22-pack is generally in the 245-298 JPY range.

In October 2025, Unicharm also launched a limited-edition collaboration package with the Japanese girl group "HANA" for the "Center-in Compact 1/2" series, increasing the series' visibility in stores.

[Analysis]

Since a controversy over domestic napkins in South Korea in 2017, the behavior of bulk-buying Japanese napkins during visits to Japan has been continuously reported by major local media. Furthermore, in Q1 2026, there were government-level reports regarding the price of domestic napkins. On January 20, 2026, the Seoul Economic Daily reported that the president stated in a cabinet meeting that domestic napkin prices were "about 40% higher than overseas." On February 7, the Korea Times published a feature titled "Why do Korean women buy sanitary pads in Japan?" The start of free distribution in public facilities was also reported on March 10-11, indicating that the discourse around price and quality was sustained over a period.

This product is not available in regular Korean retail channels and is limited to distribution through proxy/parallel import channels like Little Japan, Japanday, and Coupang's Rocket Jikgu Japan store, making purchases during visits to Japan more likely. The combination of the record-high number of South Korean visitors in April 2026 (per JNTO preliminary data), the ongoing discourse about prices in South Korea, and increased in-store visibility from the series-wide collaboration is thought to be behind this month's growth.

5. [Taiwan] Interest in Skin Medication for Eczema and Itching (Mentholatum Mediquick Pro Ointment 8g)

The product viewing rate by Taiwanese users showed steady growth in the pharmaceutical category, up approximately 1.31 times month-over-month and 1.36 times year-over-year.

[Factors]

This product is from the PRO line of Rohto Pharmaceutical's Mentholatum "Mediquick" series, an OTC topical medication classified as a designated Class 2 drug. Its main claim is to treat "eczema with redness," and it contains nine active ingredients centered on the antedrug steroid Prednisolone Valerate Acetate (PVA). Its indicated uses are for "eczema, dermatitis, rashes, itching, heat rash, hives, and insect bites."

Since its launch in March 2022, it has been sold on the Rohto official online store for around 1,628 JPY (tax included) and is eligible for the self-medication tax system.

[Analysis]

In the Taiwanese market, Rohto's local subsidiary, "樂敦製藥／曼秀雷敦," markets a wide range of Mentholatum products, and brand recognition is very high. However, this specific "Mediquick Pro" ointment is not found in major retail channels like Watsons Taiwan, Cosmed, Poya, PChome, or momo shopping. Distribution is mainly through Japanese drug purchasing platforms like 小熊藥妝 and EBISU日藥直送. On these channels, it is sold for around NT$430 (list price NT$499). Compared to the Japanese suggested retail price (1,628 JPY ≈ NT$330), there is a price advantage of about 30% when purchasing in Japan.

As a recent development, on December 26, 2025, the Japan travel media outlet for Taiwan, "樂吃購!日本," published an article titled "2026 Japan Must-Buy 16 Recommended Medicines," which featured this product along with several other Rohto and Mentholatum products. In terms of timing, the number of Taiwanese visitors to Japan in March 2026 was 653,300 (a 24.9% increase year-over-year), a record for a single month of March, and the Q1 cumulative total was also high, up 25.7% year-over-year. With the Qingming holiday from April 3-6 overlapping with the peak cherry blossom viewing season, it is plausible that Taiwanese travelers are purchasing it in Japan as a readily available product for skin troubles encountered during their trip, or as a souvenir.

Conclusion

This data suggests that the consumption behavior of inbound foreign tourists is not limited to "souvenir shopping" but is also broadly directed towards practical, everyday items like beauty, skincare, and daily necessities, as well as new and limited-edition products unique to Japan.

Furthermore, the increase in viewing rates for each product was driven by different factors, including "the rarity of products hard to obtain outside of Japan," "the price advantage in Japan," "new product launch timing," "early spring seasonal factors," and "buzz in local media."