Abstract
The cosmetic products from the Japanese company Kocho-en were the first Japanese lead-free whitening cosmetics recognized by the Imperial Family. The creator of these products was the chemist Nakahiko Hasebe, who studied chemistry in France. After years of research, he presented a whitening cosmetic powder based on zinc oxide to the Imperial Court in 1900. Four years later, he named it Misono Oshiroi as a commercial product. This article describes the success of the company's early times through a rare advertising booklet by two major Japanese pharmacists (Junichiro Shimoyama and Yoshizumi Tahara) that certified Misono cosmetic products harmless. The sales competition for whitening cosmetics and the import of European cosmetic products are also discussed.
