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[Isehan] Love Cosmetics! Returns—Thank You for 200 Years: Retrospective Commemorating the Isehan Group
2025.06.18
FASHIONFounded in 1825 as abeni (traditional red safflower pigment) merchant, Isehan evolved into a full-fledged cosmetics manufacturer at the start of the Showa era, in the early 20th century. As the company celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2025, its Beni Museum will host a special retrospective that traces the rich history of the Isehan Group, featuring iconic cosmetics developed across eras, and the bold, eye-catching marketing campaigns that brought them to life.
Photo: (Left) KISS ME lipstick and blush sample case (1951), with a fold-out design for more efficient in-store use. (Right) Kiss Me lipstick and blush display stand (1950). As color variety expanded, testers became essential for offering accurate samples.
One highlight is Isehan’s flagship brand KISS ME, introduced in the early Showa period and still going strong today. Pioneering the concept of self-makeup, KISS ME transformed how cosmetics were sold in Japan. While face-to-face sales by beauty consultants remained common into the mid-1960s, Isehan was the first in the domestic industry to introduce carded packaging for self-service retail. Visitors to the retrospective can explore the beginnings of today’s commonplace sales methods and marvel at playful displays like a lipstick tree crafted from decades of products sold from the postwar era to today.
![[Isehan] Love Cosmetics! Returns—Thank You for 200 Years: Retrospective Commemorating the Isehan Group](https://en.edotokyokirari.jp/wp-content/uploads/20250616154240/b323e473c52619c87676db9929e9be55.jpg)
Tsuyacho Komachi Beni (compact rouge; left) and Tsuyacho Stick Beni, from the Tsuyacho brand that preceded KISS ME, sold in the late Taisho and early Showa eras.
Also on display are rare archival pieces—some shown for the first time—such as original branding for the Tsuyacho line that predates KISS ME, as well as antique molds forbenistick rouges. Spanning the Edo period to the present day, this exhibition invites you to experience the enduring relationship between cosmetics and the desire to feel beautiful—across generations and eras.
【Details】
Love Cosmetics! Returns—Thank You for 200 Years
June 25 (Wed) – September 28 (Sun), 2025
Time: 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30; entry may be restricted during peak hours)
Venue: Beni Museum (B1F, K’s Minami-Aoyama Building, 6-6-20 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays, and Friday, July 4 (open Sundays during the exhibition period)
Admission: General entry 200 yen (includes limited-edition leaflet); free for junior high school students and younger (includes junior guide)
◾️Isehan
Official website
https://www.isehan-beni.co.jp/en/
Beni Museum
https://www.isehan-beni.co.jp/en/museum/
