Japanese Makeup Brands (2026): 45 Drugstore, Department-Store and Luxury Labels — What Each Is Known For, and How to Buy the Japan-Only Ones

TL;DR

As of September 2026, Japanese makeup comes from four big groups — Shiseido (founded 1872^[1]: Maquillage, Integrate, Majolica Majorca, Clé de Peau Beauté), Kao / Kanebo (Kate, Lunasol, Coffret D’Or, Sensai, and SUQQU and RMK through E’quipe), Kosé (Visee, Fasio, Cosme Decorte, Addiction, Jill Stuart) and Pola Orbis (THREE, Amplitude) — plus the independents that own the drugstore shelf: Canmake, Cezanne, Excel, Kiss Me Heroine Make, Dejavu, Opera, Love Liner, UZU, Chifure. The table below lists 45 brands, sorted by tier, with what each is known for.

• Drugstore (“puchi-pura”) is where Japan is unusual. A Canmake blush is ¥600, a Cezanne highlighter ¥660, a Kate Lip Monster ¥1,540, a Heroine Make mascara ¥1,320, an Excel quad ¥1,650 — and they are the products that win the @cosme awards, not the luxury lines.
• Half of it never leaves Japan. Canmake, Cezanne, Kate, Visee, Heroine Make and Dejavu have no Western distributors; SUQQU and Cosme Decorte sell abroad through a handful of counters; limited shades, seasonal collections and Don Quijote sets are domestic only.
• Japanese and Korean makeup are different products. J-beauty favours sheer, skin-like base, brown liner, curled-not-thick lashes, cream blush high on the cheek, glossy tinted lips; K-beauty favours full-coverage cushion, straight brows, gradient lips. Rom&nd, 3CE, TirTir and Peripera are Korean; Judydoll and Flower Knows are Chinese; none of them is a Japanese makeup brand, whatever the packaging suggests.
• Search in Japanese. キャンメイク, セザンヌ, ケイト, ヒロインメイク, デジャヴュ, オペラ, スック find the full catalogue, the limited editions and the discontinued shades.

Every Japanese makeup brand that matters, in one table

Skincare is a separate list — our Japanese skincare brands guide covers Hada Labo, Sekkisei, Curel, Fancl and the rest. This table is makeup only: colour, base, eyes, lips and the tools. Each brand name links to live Japanese listings.

Top 10 Japanese makeup brands

If you want one answer to “which Japanese makeup brand is best”, “most famous”, “most popular” or “top Japanese cosmetic brands”: Shiseido by size, Kate by drugstore sales, Canmake by affection, SUQQU by prestige. The list of Japanese makeup brands people actually buy, though, is the drugstore tier — and that tier is mostly Japan-only.

KATE Popping Silhouette Shadow RD-1 (¥1,530)

$10.56

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Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Long Long Long EX BK999 (¥1,450)

$10.01

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OPERA Lip Tint N, 303 Apricot Beige (¥2,498)

$17.24

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SUQQU Signature Color Eyes 14 Yûkohaku (¥8,380)

$57.82

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Japanese drugstore makeup brands (cheap, affordable, puchi-pura)

The affordable Japanese makeup brands are Canmake (Ida Laboratories, since 1985 — Cream Cheek, Perfect Stylist Eyes, Marshmallow Finish Powder, Quick Lash Curler), Cezanne (since 1964 — Pearl Glow Highlight, UV Foundation EX, Tone Up Aqua Shadow), Kate (Kanebo — Lip Monster, Designing Eyebrow, Tone Dimensional Palette), Visee (Kosé), Integrate and Majolica Majorca (Shiseido), Kiss Me Heroine Make (Isehan), Dejavu and Opera (Imju), Excel, Love Liner, D-UP, Chifure, Media, Fasio, Fujiko. Most items are ¥500–¥1,800 at Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Welcia or Don Quijote, and the “best Japanese drugstore makeup” lists on Reddit and YouTube are drawn almost entirely from these names. Brands like Canmake in the sense of cute packaging at low prices: Cezanne, Majolica Majorca, Integrate, Rom&nd (Korean), Etude (Korean), Sweets Sweets and Kiss Me.

Japanese high-end and luxury makeup brands

The expensive Japanese makeup brands live at department-store counters: SUQQU (E’quipe, Kao group — the Signature Color Eyes quads at ¥7,700–¥8,800 are the most-imported luxury Japanese eyeshadow), Cosme Decorte and its AQ line (Kosé), Clé de Peau Beauté (Shiseido’s top brand), Lunasol and Sensai (Kanebo), Addiction, RMK, THREE, Amplitude, Shu Uemura, Albion and Elegance, Koh Gen Do, Shiro, Jill Stuart Beauty (for the packaging), Paul & Joe Beauté (the cat lipsticks). The most expensive Japanese makeup brand by a distance is Clé de Peau — a foundation is ¥14,000–¥18,000 — with SUQQU and Cosme Decorte AQ behind it. Japanese makeup brands at Sephora or Ulta in the US are limited to Shiseido, Clé de Peau, Shu Uemura (online), Tatcha (American-owned) and occasionally Koh Gen Do; SUQQU is at Selfridges and Harrods in the UK; everything else is Japan-only.

Best Japanese makeup by category: foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, blush, lipstick

A few notes on why Japanese formulas are different. Japanese eyeliner is overwhelmingly brown, liquid, very fine-tipped (0.1 mm brush) and film-type — it sets to a film that survives oily lids and humidity but comes off with warm water; that is why “Japanese eyeliner that doesn’t smudge” and “for waterline / tightlining” are the same products (Dejavu, Heroine Make, Love Liner, UZU). Japanese mascara is built for straight, short Asian lashes: fibre or tubing formulas that lengthen and hold a curl (Heroine Make Long & Curl, Fiberwig, Lash Expander), with dedicated removers; volumising is rarer. Japanese foundation is sheer-to-medium, usually with SPF, in a narrow shade range (fair to light-medium ochre) — shoppers with dark skin do better with Koh Gen Do, Shiseido Synchro Skin or RMK, which go deepest. Japanese blush is a cream or liquid worn high and wide under the eyes (the igari / “drunk blush” look), often pink-orange, and Canmake’s ¥600 Cream Cheek is the archetype. Japanese lipstick leans glossy, sheer and tinted: Opera Lip Tint N, Kate Lip Monster and Visee Nenmaku Rouge are the three viral ones; matte is a niche. The traditional red is beni (safflower lipstick in a bowl, from Isehan Honten in Tokyo), which is the answer to “Japanese beni lipstick where to buy” — search Isehan beni.

Waterproof vs film-type, coloured liners and the other product questions

Waterproof or not? Japanese mascaras and liners come in two families. Waterproof (WP) formulas — Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Waterproof, Fasio Ultra WP, Majolica Majorca Lash Expander — need an oil or the brand’s own mascara remover; film-type (“non-waterproof” / “not waterproof” in Western terms, though sweat- and tear-resistant) formulas such as Dejavu Fiberwig, Heroine Make Long & Curl Advanced Film, Canmake Quick Lash Curler and UZU Mote Mascara come off with warm water and are the ones people mean by “Japanese mascara that is easy to remove”. Waterproof Japanese eyeliner pencils are Dejavu Lasting Fine and Kate Rare Fit; liquid waterproof liners are Heroine Make Smooth Liquid and Love Liner. Colour: UZU’s Eye Opening Liner comes in 13 shades (blue, green, purple, burgundy, grey, pink, orange, khaki), Kate, Visee and Canmake sell blue, green and purple liquid liners and shadows, Heroine Make and Dejavu make brown and burgundy mascaras, and coloured mascara (blue, green, purple, grey tubes) is a Japanese drugstore staple every summer. Textures: jelly blush and jelly lipstick (Canmake, Cezanne, Kate), pot eyeshadow and pot lipstick (Excel, Addiction, RMK), satin and sparkly shadows (Visee, Majolica Majorca), kohl and crayon liners (Canmake, Kate), felt-tip and micro-tip liquid liners (D-UP Silky Liquid, Love Liner, Dejavu), lengthening and volumizing mascaras (Heroine Make Volume & Curl, Majolica Lash Expander), and the double-sided mascara-plus-comb wands (Kiss Me). Contour and highlighters: Canmake Shading Powder, Cezanne Pearl Glow and Face Glow, Kate Slim Create Powder, Excel Gradation Cheek. Cleanser and mascara remover: Heroine Make Speedy Mascara Remover, Fasio Mascara Remover, Kiss Me’s cleansing gel — then a Japanese cleansing oil (Shu Uemura, DHC, Fancl) and a foam cleanser (Biore, Senka). Expiration: Japanese cosmetics are not required to print an expiry date if they are stable for three years unopened, so most have none; use within a year of opening. Miniso and Olive Young mascaras and liners, by the way, are Chinese and Korean retail brands, not Japanese, and Loreal and Revlon “Japanese” versions are just their Japan-market formulas.

Japanese makeup brush brands

The best Japanese makeup brushes come from Kumano in Hiroshima, the town that makes most of Japan’s writing and cosmetic brushes: Hakuhodo, Chikuhodo, Koyudo, Mizuho, Tauhaus and Saikoho. Brush sets from ¥3,000 and single goat- or squirrel-hair brushes from ¥1,500 to ¥30,000 sell in Japan at prices well below the export boutiques, and the SUQQU, Cosme Decorte and RMK face brushes are made by the same workshops. Brush cleaners and sponges: Shiseido, Koji and Rosy Rosa.

Japanese makeup styles: igari, jirai kei, gyaru, and the “no makeup” look

Search interest in Japanese makeup is as much about looks as brands. The igari (hangover) look — blush high under the eyes, glossy lips — came from makeup artist Shinobu Igari and is the default “Japanese makeup look” of the 2020s; jirai kei (“landmine”) is the pink-black doll look with heavy under-eye blush and red eyeliner; gyaru is the 2000s tan-and-lashes style that D-UP and Dolly Wink were built for; the namida-bukuro (aegyo sal) under-eye highlight uses Canmake, Kate and Cezanne glitter sticks; blush glasses (megane blush) is the viral trend of drawing blush across the nose bridge like spectacles. Japanese vs Korean makeup: the Japanese look is lighter base, browner eyes, curled lashes, and colour on the cheeks; the Korean look is glass-skin cushion, straight brows, gradient lips. Traditional Japanese makeup — the white face (oshiroi), red beni lips and the geisha / kabuki styles — uses Isehan beni and the Mitsuyoshi and Chacott stage lines still sold in Japan.

Japanese makeup must-haves, trends, magazines and the pretty-packaging brands

Must-haves / essentials / haul list if you buy one thing from each category: Canmake Cream Cheek, Cezanne Pearl Glow Highlight, Kate Lip Monster, Opera Lip Tint N, Excel Skinny Rich Shadow, Dejavu Lasting Fine liner, Heroine Make Long & Curl mascara, Maquillage Dramatic Powdery foundation, Kate Designing Eyebrow, Yojiya oil-blotting paper from Kyoto, and a Muji acrylic makeup organizer (the vanity, box, pouch and desk organisers half of Japan uses). Trends 2026: cool-tone and blue-based blush, jelly and “glass” textures, Y2K and gyaru revival lashes, jirai-kei red-brown liner, the igari under-eye blush, and the “simple / natural” office look built on sheer base and brown liner; routines, techniques and ideas are catalogued each month in the Japanese beauty magazines Voce, Maquia, Bi-teki and &Rosy and on @cosme. Pretty, cool, fancy and cute packaging brands: Jill Stuart Beauty (crystal), Anna Sui (rose and butterfly compacts), Paul & Joe (cats), Majolica Majorca (fairy-tale), Shiro and THREE (minimal), Addiction and SUQQU (black lacquer), Canmake and Cezanne (pastel drugstore cute), and the gift sets each releases for Christmas. Japanese makeup brands starting with S: Shiseido, SUQQU, Shu Uemura, Sana, Shiro, Sensai. For goth and gothic looks: Kate’s darker Lip Monster shades, Visee black-cherry lips, D-UP and Dolly Wink lashes, and the jirai-kei liners. Kyoto’s makeup heritage is Yojiya (blotting paper) and the beni makers; Japanese makeup culture as a whole is documented at the Pola Research Institute of Beauty and Culture in Tokyo. Local, small Japanese makeup brands worth knowing: Whomee, Fujiko, Rom&nd’s Japanese rival Ririmew, Kesalan Patharan, Sweets Sweets and Chacott.

Cruelty-free, vegan and clean Japanese makeup brands

Japan does not require animal testing for cosmetics, and Shiseido ended animal testing on its products in 2013; the practical exception is brands that sell in mainland China, where some testing rules still apply. The Japanese brands that market themselves as cruelty-free and largely vegan are the mineral and clean labels — Etvos, MiMC, Naturaglé, Only Minerals, Celvoke, To/One, Athletia — plus THREE and Shiro on natural ingredients, and Muji for the “non-toxic” minimalist shopper. Organic makeup brands in Japan overlap with the same names; check each brand’s own policy page, because “clean” is not a regulated term in Japan either.

Where Japanese makeup is sold: drugstores, Donki, Loft, department stores

Every one of those is domestic-facing. The department-store counters, the drugstore chains and the brands’ Rakuten and Amazon Japan shops all stop at a Japanese address at checkout, which is why buying Japanese makeup online from abroad means a proxy service — and why the export subset on YesStyle, Amazon US or Watsons is a fraction of the catalogue at two to three times the price.

Japanese makeup words to search with

How to buy Japanese makeup from Japan

1. Search the Japanese brand and product name. キャンメイク クリームチーク (Canmake Cream Cheek), ケイト リップモンスター (Kate Lip Monster), ヒロインメイク マスカラ, デジャヴュ アイライナー, セザンヌ パールグロウ, スック アイシャドウ, plus the shade number (色番).
2. Pick the marketplace. New stock and multipacks: Rakuten, Amazon Japan and the drugstore chains’ online shops. Limited editions and discontinued shades: Mercari and Rakuma (unopened only — Japanese listings state 未使用 / 未開封).
3. Buy through a proxy. Paste the listing into OneMall and we purchase it to our Japanese warehouse. For most Japanese shops the service fee is 5% of the item price (minimum ¥200, maximum ¥1,000 per order); Mercari items are a flat ¥300 each. The cheapest Japan proxy fee comparison shows the totals and our guide to the best Japan proxy services helps if you are still choosing.
4. Consolidate. Makeup is the ideal consolidation cargo: twenty items from five sellers still weigh under a kilo. Our limited-edition cosmetics guide shows a worked example.
5. Know the shipping rules. Powders, pencils, lipsticks and mascaras ship by any method; aerosol setting sprays and some alcohol-based mists cannot fly — see what cannot be shipped from Japan. Cosmetics generally clear customs without duty below the small-parcel thresholds; our customs guide lists them by country.

FAQ

What are the most popular Japanese makeup brands?

By sales in Japan: Kate, Canmake, Cezanne, Maquillage, Visee, Integrate, Kiss Me Heroine Make, Excel, Opera and Dejavu in the drugstore tier; SUQQU, Cosme Decorte, Lunasol, Addiction, RMK and Clé de Peau at counters. Abroad, the names people search for are Canmake, Kate, SUQQU, Shiseido and Shu Uemura.

Which Japanese makeup brand is best?

For value, Canmake and Cezanne. For eyes, Excel (drugstore) and SUQQU (luxury). For mascara and eyeliner, Kiss Me Heroine Make and Dejavu. For base, Maquillage, RMK or Clé de Peau depending on budget. For lips, Kate Lip Monster and Opera Lip Tint.

Is Japanese makeup better than Korean?

Different rather than better: Japanese formulas prioritise long wear in humidity, sheer natural base and eye products for straight lashes; Korean formulas prioritise glow, coverage and trend colour. Many people use a Japanese liner and mascara with a Korean cushion.

Are Japanese makeup brands cruelty-free?

Not universally. Japan does not mandate animal testing; Shiseido stopped in 2013 and most large groups followed, but brands selling in mainland China may still be subject to testing there. The mineral brands (Etvos, MiMC, Naturaglé, Only Minerals, Celvoke) are the ones marketed as cruelty-free.

Where can I buy Japanese makeup brands in the US, UK, India or the Philippines?

Shiseido, Clé de Peau and Shu Uemura have counters or online stores in most countries; Canmake has small distributions in Southeast Asia; SUQQU is in the UK. For everything else — Kate, Cezanne, Visee, Heroine Make, Dejavu, Excel, Opera — buy from Japanese listings through a proxy or pay the resellers’ mark-up.

Is makeup cheaper in Japan?

For Japanese brands, yes: drugstore items are ¥500–¥1,800 at list price, and even Donki’s tourist sets undercut export prices. Western brands (MAC, Dior, YSL) are not cheaper in Japan.

Which Japanese makeup brands are for sensitive or acne-prone skin?

Etvos and MiMC (mineral), d program and Ipsa (Shiseido), Chifure (fragrance-free, ingredient-listed), Cezanne (most items fragrance-free), and Ettusais, which was built around acne-prone skin.

Related reading

• Japanese skincare brands: 30 J-beauty labels and what each is for
• How to buy Japan’s limited-edition cosmetics
• Where to buy skincare and makeup in Japan and why Japanese beauty brands are popular in the US
• Japanese stationery brands, Japanese jewelry brands and Japanese watch brands — the other brand maps in this series

Last updated: 12 September 2026. Company facts checked against manufacturer profile pages on 12 September 2026; prices from live Japanese listings the same day.

References

1. Shiseido Co., Ltd. — corporate history (founded 1872 as Japan’s first Western-style pharmacy). corp.shiseido.com
2. Kosé Corporation — company profile. kose.co.jp
3. Kao Corporation — corporate outline (Kanebo Cosmetics and E’quipe group companies). kao.com
4. Ida Laboratories — Canmake official site. canmake.com
5. Cezanne Cosmetics — company profile. cezanne.co.jp