Unraveling the 30-Year Beauty Trajectory from the POLA Research Institute of Beauty & Culture's "Heisei Biyo Kaika"

Amidst a daily deluge of beauty information on social media, five years have passed since we entered the Reiwa era. Over the past four and a half years, trends have changed and our beauty values have also changed considerably from the Heisei (1989-2019) to the Reiwa era (2019-present). The values once viewed negatively have transformed into positives, and with society growing more accepting of diversity, interest in beauty has increased among both men and women.

How have the qualities we seek in beauty changed from the Heisei to the Reiwa era? What were the underlying reasons for this shift in values?

In this piece, we interviewed Taeko Nishihara, Director of the POLA Information Center for Cosmetics Culture of POLA ORBIS Holding Inc.'s POLA Research Institute of Beauty & Culture.

The Rapidly Changing Beauty Values

POLA ORBIS Holdings Inc. has been devoted to the study of cosmetic culture in pursuit of 'true beauty' that values inner beauty. In 1976, it established the POLA Research Institute of Beauty & Culture and began gathering and researching materials on cosmetic culture from ancient to contemporary times in both Japan and the West. In addition to exhibitions, seminars, and publishing, they have been focused on digital dissemination, including through their website and social media.