10 weird Japanese beauty products that we can’t believe exist (just why?!)

Besides South Korea, another Asian country well known for their beauty innovations and industry is Japan. In addition to their skincare and makeup products well-loved by beauty junkies all around the world, Japan is also known for coming up with some very creative innovations in the realm of beauty tools.

From a tool meant to exercise your facial muscles, to masks that make you look like something out of a horror movie, Japan surely has some of the most interesting beauty inventions around.

Read on to find out more about some of the strangest inventions they have and how you might get your hands on them to try out if you are feeling particularly adventurous!

1. Pure Smile Choosy Lip Pack

Have you ever felt like your liquid lipsticks are sucking all that moisture out of your lips and causing them to flake and look chapped? You may certainly look like a little strange when applying this mask, but this product is admittedly the mildest on our list in terms of weirdness.

Unlike the more common face masks around, this one is shaped exactly like lips – probably more for an aesthetic appeal rather than any functional purpose. However, the mask contains ingredients like Vitamin E, collagen, hyaluronic acid, and jojoba oil – all excellent for moisture and hydration. If you purchase a box of 20 pieces, you’ll even get a lip-shaped box to keep them in!

Choose which scent you enjoy the most, from their available flavours: peach, milk, fruit, herb and honey. It’s recommended that you use the mask after your makeup is completely removed, and after you’re done with your skincare routine. Simply leave the mask on for 5 to 30 minutes and say hello to plumper, smoother lips.

Pure Smile Choosy Lip Pack is available at Althea and Amazon.

2. Germanium Small Face Sauna Mask

You may already be a fan of saunas, and believe that sweating it out in that heat is good for detoxifying and slimming. If you’ve ever wanted a sauna specifically for your face, the Japanese have you covered.

This 5-layered mask aims to tighten and encourage perspiration of the face, claiming that you will be able to achieve a smaller and slimmer face after prolonged use. After cleansing your face, put on some face lotion or moisturiser, and strap the mask on.

This mask comes in both pink and gray, so you could buy one for the man in your life to try as well!

Germanium Small Face Sauna Mask is available on Amazon, Rakuten, and Japan Trend Shop.

3. ReFa Carat Series

These body rollers certainly look very interesting but don’t get carried away by your imagination. The ReFa Carat series are essentially high-end face and body massagers, and are the most expensive range on our list.

The Carat series is coated in platinum, so that it would be suitable for even the most delicate of skins. All ReFa products also have a solar panel on its back which generates microcurrents to stimulate your skin during use.

ReFa was established in Japan in 2009, and have since expanded to the rest of Asia, and to America too. One of their bestsellers is the ReFa 4 Carat, which costs around SGD419! It is said to be able to replicate the hands of a skilled masseur with its “double kneading” mechanism, rolling your aches and troubles away.

ReFa is available at MTG, Zalora, and Takashimaya department stores.

4. Facial Fitness PAO

No, the above poster and video ad were not digitally altered – this weird-looking product was actually once endorsed by Cristiano Ronaldo himself. The PAO facial exerciser is supposed to help you tone your facial muscles by exercising those neglected muscles which may be causing you to look older.

However, this is one exerciser you may want to keep for the privacy of your own home, unless you fancy looking as if you had sprouted silicone wings from your mouth. You have to close your mouth (without using your teeth to bite down on the holder), and then headbang (or just nod) for 30 seconds twice a day. No pain, no gain, right?

P.S. This product isn’t cheap either. One of these will set you back by at least SGD130 or more!

Facial Fitness PAO is available at Japan Trend Shop and Amazon.

5. Minologi Hiza-awana Knee Cleaning Foam

OK, so we’ve heard of hand masks and foot peeling creams. Now, we have knee cleansing foams. Dirty knees have never really been a top beauty concern for many, but we guess there’s a first time for everything. According to its description, the product is meant to target the darker skin in the folds of our knees, claiming that it is caused by “tiny particles of dirt” that have been accumulating there for years.

We have no idea whether this is actually true or not, but it seems to be a fun product to use nevertheless. You apply the gel onto your knee, and leave it for 10 – 15 minutes. The gel will start to foam up like a bubble mask! When time is up, instead of rinsing, you peel it off, hopefully to reveal a brighter and cleaner knee.

Minologi Hiza-awana Knee Cleaning Foam is available at Japan Trend Shop.

6. Double Eyelid Trainer

Do you think that getting plastic surgery is too much pain and money to achieve a double eyelid? You may want to consider this as an alternative. This double eyelid trainer is essentially a pair of upside-down frames with two pieces of bendable wires that you can attach and adjust to your own eye size.

After prolonged wear and blinking with these wires, the device is meant to help you achieve the look of double eyelids naturally. You may be thinking: would anyone go through that to get double eyelids? The answer is a resounding yes: when it was first launched, it sold up to 7,000 units within the week.

Double Eyelid Trainer is available on Japan Trend Shop.

7. Breast Gymnastic Massager

This is the product that intrigued us the most on this list. Developed by Takiko Shindo, a public figure in Japan known for her “breast gymnastic” exercises, this breast massager is said to be able to shape and tone your breast at your own comfort level, returning them to their original perkiness.

Breast Gymnastics Hand Massager is available on Japan Trend Shop.

8. Face Slimmer Exercise Mouthpiece

This product certainly takes duck lips to the next level! Remember those metal hand exercisers that you use to train up your hand and forearm muscles? This weird-looking device employs the same concept, but for your mouth and jaws.

It’s a piece of hard but bendy silicone which you wear like a mouthpiece around your lips, so you can train up those muscles around your jaw and lower cheek area. The product recommends that you do vowel exercises while wearing the mouthpiece, which facilitates toning of the muscles and therefore slimming of your jawline.

We certainly don’t recommend using this product anywhere except the privacy of your own home, as it looks rather dubious and suggestive when worn.

Face Slimmer Exercise Mouthpiece is available on Japan Trend Shop.

9. Beauty Lift High Nose Extra

Don’t want to splurge on a nose job? This electric nose straightener from Japan claims to be able to slowly – but surely – adjust, lift, and straighten out your nose with its physical clamping and the gentle vibrations that the device emits.

The product requires you to wear it for three minutes every day. While it doesn’t seem too painful and doesn’t require much time investment, we aren’t sure how much a vibrating device around the nose can really help to reshape bones and cartilage. However, the product is apparently one of Japan Trend Shop’s hit products, so there may be something in it after all.

Beauty Lift High Nose Extra is available on Japan Trend Shop.

10. Magical Tooth Yaeba Snaggleteeth

If you have had occasion to observe the youth of Japan, you might notice that many of them have somewhat protruding canine teeth. It seems that there are at least a portion of Japanese who consider this dental feature to be kawaii and attractive.

Born without slightly overgrown canines? There’s always a product on the market that can help. Cue the Magical Tooth Yaeba Snaggleteeth, a product which you can slip on to your canines to extend them a little further. Or you could use them as a more comfortable set of vampire fangs for Halloween.

We love how Japan Trend Shop even asks us to “forget perfect pearlies” in lieu of this product.  You actually have to melt the powder and mold the snaggles to your own tooth shape, so be prepared to put in some effort to achieve that imperfect smile.

Magical Tooth Yaeba Snaggleteeth is available on Japan Trend Shop.

Let us know in the comments below if you’re as intrigued as we are by any item on the list, or how they worked out for you if you’ve tried them!