Amazing Japanese Beauty Products to Give You That Coveted "Glass Skin" (2024)

Japan has always been a rich source of beauty inspiration, from the ancient beauty traditions of geishas' clear skin, bold makeup and shiny hair, to the advanced technology and sophisticated packaging of modern times.

Now, thanks to the boom in online shopping and the rise of multinational brands, Japanese beauty (also known as “J-Beauty”) products are now widely available in the U.S. You can find everything from cutting-edge skincare, hair and makeup formulas and textures to traditional ingredients like rice water and camellia flower from Japanese beauty brands, all created with a respect for skin and hair as well as design.

The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab experts rounded up the best Japanese beauty products you can buy, including cosmetics, anti-aging, hair products and more, from luxury skincare and makeup brands to drugstore finds:

This decadent Shiseidoanti-aging cream gives skin a lift with botanical ingredients. "I like adding richer moisturizers to my skin routine, and I love usingthis one day and night," says GH Beauty Lab senior chemist Sabina Wizemann."It smells nice,feels luxurious on skin, and keeps itbouncy and tighter."

It's called a lotion, but thisCurél formula, from the best-selling skincare brand in Japanfor sensitive skin, is actually a liquid essence. Infused with softening glycerin, castor oil, and allantoin, and fragrance- and alcohol-free,it's great for lightly nourishing and refreshing skin without irritating."It just soaks into your skin,never makes my face oily or feels heavy, andmakes a huge difference for my dry skin," anUlta reviewer reported.

From the iconic Japanese beauty brand Shiseido, this high SPFsunscreen stick for face and body is an example of the next-generation formulas the country is famous for:It's a completely clear solidgel, so it leaves no visible residue behind. The stick"applies onto the skin translucent without a white cast," a Dermstore reviewer said. "It is super convenient to throw in a bag (without worrying about potential leakage) and for reapplication purposes."

From a brand that honors the beauty secrets of Japanese geishas, Tatcha's face wash does double duty, sloughing skinwith the fibers of the Japanese luffa fruit as it cleanses. "This gently exfoliates, but I really love how non-drying the formula is," says GH beauty assistant Katie Berohn."I have dry skin and my face tends to feel tight and uncomfortable after cleansing, but not when I use this."

A cult classic and one of the original facial cleansing oils, Japanese brandDHC's olive oil-based wash has more than 2,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. "You’re getting your face clean from deep down in your pores without it stripping away your face’s natural oils," a reviewer raved. "Ialways have the best skin when I use it regularly."

Wear this jelly-like leave-on lip mask from Tatcha overnight to wake up to softer lips. Infused with Japanese camellia oil, "It leaves lips feeling plush with no sign of flakes or dryness," GH's beauty director says."I couldn't stop putting it on and used it until the last drop."

A GH Beauty Award winner, this unique flower-shaped Shiseido powder makeup brush is crafted by hand. Its compact size and curved edges make it easy to grip and help it hug face contours seamlessly.“My makeup looks airbrushedand the bristles are so soft,” a fan said.

Made bySK-II, a brand based on a proprietary yeast extract developed when Japanese scientists noticed that older sake brewery workers had smooth and clear hands from soaking them in the fermented yeast, thisgently exfoliating liquid has become iconicfor its skin-smoothing effects on mature skin. "My skin texture and tone really improved shortly after I started using this," a Dermstore reviewer said.

Made with softeningJapanese camellia seed oil and strengtheningrice water, MyKirei by Kao's conditioner works on all hair types. "My strands felt supple and smelled lightly floral after use," GH's beauty director says.

These GH Beauty Award-winning weightless cream color potsfrom Shiseido are the ultimate makeup multitaskers and have a unique, futuristic bouncy texture. They can be used as eyeshadow, over lipcolor or as highlighter on cheekbones and more. “Foolproof application with fingers, and the subtle shimmer enlivened my face,” a tester noted.