Consumer concerns are growing over cosmetics imported from Japan or made with Japanese ingredients in the aftermath of the radioactive leak at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Department stores are fielding dozens of inquiries every day about the safety of Japanese brands like SK-II, which tops sales in department stores here, and Shiseido, the market leader in Japan.
Retailers are also being bombarded with inquiries over the Internet about the safety of DHC and Orbis, which are largely sold online.
The nuclear scare is starting to affect domestic brands as well. Some of them import ingredients from Japan to add whitening or UV shielding effects to their products, an area where Japanese firms hold a large number of patents.
LG Household and Health Care's flagship brand Su:m37 contains naturally fermented extracts from plants grown in Hokkaido, while The Face Shop's new product line Smim is made with fermented sake from Tottori Prefecture. Amore Pacific also imports about 10 percent of ingredients from Japan.
