Kao’s flagship Kate store in Tokyo to merge makeup consultations with virtual tech

22 Jul 2024 --- Kao Corporation opens a flagship store for “Japan’s top-selling brand” Kate this week in Tokyo, Japan, to showcase the product’s entire makeup line and provide immersive multi-sensory experiences blending AI-powered virtual technology with hands-on makeup encounters and personalized tutorials.

The company says the store represents the brand’s “no more rules” ethos and is markedly different from kawaii, Japan’s concept of cuteness and childlike innocence. It sees Kate as “stylish and edgy [going] beyond mere aesthetics with the flagship store challenging established beauty expectations.” 

Brand manager Arihiro Iwata sees customers using virtual tools merged with digital experiences that “reveal new aspects of their inner selves.”  

Kao explains that, upon entering the store, the customer will be face to face with their image on the screen, including digital particles that will “bubble out from their hair, clothes and skin… then shift to the brand’s signature red, rise toward the ceiling and fuse with a larger mass of particles that slosh across a giant tower screen at the entrance like liquid inside a bottle.”

There will also be a large product area with built-in virtual tools and tester bars, such as the Lip Monster Tower, allowing customers to explore and sample Kate’s entire product range. Graffiti artwork by Japanese street artist Kazz Rocc will also be installed to reflect the brand’s “ethos and urban mood.”

The Lip Monster Tower encourages customers to sample Kate’s entire product range.The AI-powered virtual beauty tools installed in the flagship store, such as Kate iCon Box and My MasChara Maker (“mascara” and “character”), promise to offer personalized advice and customer experiences that resonate with Japanese pop culture.

The Kate iCON Box is a makeup vending machine that helps users choose a personalized four-color eyeshadow palette from 26 options using a virtual try-on tool. My MasChara Maker uses AI to analyze facial impressions and eye proportions to suggest the “ideal” combination of mascara liquid type, brush and color for customers. Users can also download a personal character generated from the scanned data collected during the counseling session.

Global access to Kate Creators
Multilingual makeup specialists Kate Creators will provide makeup consultations and tutorials to users worldwide to “discover how to achieve the Kate look with professional guidance.”

Kao says Kate is a pioneer of “in’ei” makeup, or “shadow” makeup, based on a traditional Japanese aesthetic rooted in the beauty of shadows and subtle contrasts. The brand’s signature eyeshadow palettes feature soft shades from light to dark in various textures, while the eyeliners are designed for “sharp, clean lines, perfect for bold cat-eye looks.”

“Kate embodies the Japanese motifs of light and shadow. Dramatic effects are achieved through the subtle blending of color nuances in different textures and bring out a person’s inner self without ever overpowering the face,” explains Iwata.