Yamato Cosme and Kinki University Industry-University Design Collaboration Local Sheet Mask "Tsutsumashi Face Version" Containing Nara Prefecture's Local Specialty Products Local sheet masks "Tsutsumashi face version" will go on sale on September 27!

Max Corporation, Kinki University (Headquarters: Yao City, Osaka Prefecture; Office: Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture; Representative: Noriko Ohno), a manufacturer of cosmetics for skin care, body care, hair care, etc., and Kinki University (Higashi Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture) announce that "Yamato cosmetic Rice Fermented Liquid Blended Beauty Mask The product will be available at souvenir stores and hotel kiosks in Nara Prefecture, Nara antenna stores in Tokyo, and on the Internet from September 27, 2024 (Friday).

This product is the most popular of the "Yamato cosmetic series (launched in February 2019)," which was created as local cosmetics containing Nara's specialties such as persimmon leaves and sake as beauty ingredients through joint research with Nara Prefecture and the Faculty of Agriculture at Kinki University, with the aim of revitalizing the tourism market in Nara by Max. This is the third version of the most popular beauty mask containing rice fermentation liquid in the Yamato cosmetic series (released in February 2019). We worked on the mask, package design, and product PR with students majoring in tourism marketing and travel industry theory in the seminar of Professor Sang-Joon Kim, Department of Commerce, Faculty of Business Administration, Kinki University.

New product "Yamato cosmetic rice fermentation liquid blended beauty mask Tsutsumashi face ver.

＜Yamato Cosmetic and Kinki University collaborated on the design of the mask and packaging.

Yamato cosmetic: Rice Fermentation Liquid Blended Beauty Mask Tsutsu-mashi Face Ver.

<Combination ingredients from Nara Prefecture>.

Package (joint production)

Sake "Omineyama (Fujimura Sake Brewery)" as an ingredient in the formula.

＜Students also tried their hand at modeling for a product photo shoot.

Model photo shoot

Product Overview

Yamato cosmetic Tsutsumashi Face ver. is a beauty mask formulated with rice fermentation liquid, which has a unique design that gives the wearer a humble face like that of the Buddha of Nara (reserved attitude and gentle face). The mask is also formulated with a rice fermented liquid extracted from persimmon leaves (Ishii Bussan) in Tenri City, Nara Prefecture and Japanese sake "Omineyama" from the Fujimura Sake Brewery in Yoshino County, Nara Prefecture, to keep skin moist and hydrated.

For the mask and package design, we analyzed the tourism market and customers' purchasing psychology together with students of Professor Sang-Joon Kim of the Department of Commerce, Faculty of Business Administration, Kinki University, and jointly selected the motif of the Buddha of Nara and decided on the color and design composition.

■Background of Industry-Academia Collaboration

As a company with a long history in business for 119 years (founded in 1905), Max aims to develop cosmetics that add value by "helping to solve social issues" in order to continue to be a company needed by society. One such product is the "Yamato cosmetic series" (to be launched in February 2019), which was created through industry-academia-government-private sector collaboration and aims not only to make people beautiful through cosmetics but also to revitalize Nara's tourism industry and encourage interest in prefectural products by blending several beauty ingredients such as agricultural products representative of Nara. The purpose of this project is not only to make people beautiful through cosmetics, but also to revitalize Nara's tourism industry and to attract interest in prefectural products.

In 2020, this activity was selected by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) as a "leading good example of regional revitalization through industry-academia-government collaboration," and since that year, as part of our SDGs (regional revitalization through education of the younger generation and PR of Yamato Cosme activities), we have been giving lectures on the theme of "Examples of regional revitalization marketing through local cosmetics" at universities in the Kansai region. In 2022, we received a request from Professor Kim of the Department of Commerce, Faculty of Business Administration, Kinki University, through an introduction from Osaka Prefecture, and held a lecture in July of the same year. At that time, Professor Kim and Max's goals of "regional development from the tourism industry" matched, and they decided to collaborate on the marketing of Yamato cosmetic as one of Professor Kim's seminar activities from the spring of 2023. In January 2024, "Yamato cosmetic Kaki-no-ha blended hand gel cream" was launched. In January 2024, "Yamato cosmetic Kaki-no-ha blended hand gel cream" was launched.

Outline of Sang-Joon Kim's seminar at Kinki University's College of Business Administration

The aim of this seminar is to elucidate the mechanisms of the tourism business from the perspective of so-called "regional development," the creation of an autonomous and sustainable society in which each region and locality in Japan makes full use of its own characteristics and builds attractive local communities. Our main activities are the development of new products related to tourism and local regions, the development of tourism resources and contents, the planning of travel products, and marketing activities to promote local regions, all conducted with the cooperation of local governments and companies. Much of our fieldwork is problem-solving oriented, and we are engaged in research to develop individual knowledge into organizational knowledge.

In FY2024, in addition to the Tourism Promotion Group in this case, the seminar activities are divided into four groups: the Regional Revitalization Group, the Travel Product Development Group, and the Local Product Development Group.

■Outline of Launch

Release date: September 27, 2024 (Friday)

Price: 550 yen (tax included)

Sales channels: (1) Souvenir stores and hotel kiosks in Nara Prefecture

　　　　　 GOTO-CHI Nara Store (Kintetsu Nara Station), Nara no Umaimono Plaza (JR Nara Station),

　　　　　 Nara Hotel (Nara City), Nara Meihinkan Nara Park Bus Terminal (Nara City),

　　　　　 Hotel Agir Nara (Nara City), Wazoku Horyuji Temple (Ikaruga Town), etc.

　　　　(2)Antenna Shops in Nara Prefecture

　　　　　 Nara Mahoroba-kan (Tokyo)

　　　　(3)Internet shop

　　　　　 Max's directly-managed stores

Future Planned Activities

As a PR activity for the new product, we will conduct sampling to influencers together with students to create a buzz on SNS and hold sales events at souvenir stores together with seminar students to promote the product.

Sales Event

Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (scheduled)

Place: Heijo Palace Site Historical Park, Tenpyo Umashikan

Reference materials

Max Co.

A cosmetics manufacturer founded in 1905 (Meiji 38), it has produced a large number of "lemon soaps" known as hand-washing soap for elementary schools in the old days, The company has since expanded into the production and sale of skin care, body care, and hair care products. The company manufactures almost all of its products in-house, with more than 90% of production taking place at its Nara Plant.

Headquarters: 2-9-29 Uematsu-cho, Yao, Osaka 581-0084, Japan

Nara Office : 12-4, Soga-cho, Kashihara, Nara 634-0831, Japan

Tokyo Branch: Asada Bldg. 2F, 2-1-1 Kanda Sarugakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0064, Japan

Representative: Noriko Ohno, President and Representative Director

Establishment : March 1905

Phone: 072-994-5050 (switchboard)

FAX: 072-994-4531 (switchboard)

URL : https://www.soapmax.co.jp/

Description of Business : Soap, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, bath salts, lotion, and body wash,

　　　　　　 Planning, manufacturing, and sales of cosmetics such as soap, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, bath salts, lotion, body cream, and quasi-drugs,

　　　　　　 Planning, manufacturing and sales of cosmetics and quasi-drugs such as soap, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, bath salts, lotion and body cream.

Professor, Department of Commerce, Faculty of Business Administration, Kinki University

Degree: Doctor (Economics)

Area of expertise: Tourism marketing, regional development theory, travel industry theory

Research Theme : (1) Mechanisms of tourism business from the viewpoint of regional development

　　　　　　(2) Inbound business

Papers, etc. : The Actual Situation of Inbound Business from the Viewpoint of the Distribution Structure of Travel Products (Kin, 2019)

　　　　　　And many others

Awards : 2023 Glocal Tourism International Academic Conference Best Paper Award (2023),

　　　　　　Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award (2022, Northeast Asia Tourism Association), etc.

Publications: New edition of "The Changing Travel Business" (co-authored, 2009, Bunri-Kaku), etc.

＜List of Press Appearances and Publications

July 11, 2023 Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, Nabari City's Council for the Creation of Regional Vitality

October 14, 2022 NHK "Ohayo Nippon" (Good Morning Japan), on the seminar's activities

September 8, 2022 NHK "Hot Kansai" on the seminar's activities

NHK Osaka "News Hot Kansai" on October 21, 2020

　　　　　　　　　About the current situation and background of the popularity of workcations

July 21, 2020 Mainichi Broadcasting System "Mint!

　　　　　　　　　July 21, 2020 Mainichi Broadcasting System "Mint!" About the reason why there is a rush of hotel openings in Kyoto