In recent years, with the number of visitors to Japan has increased sharply and some of them buy cosmetics in large quantities not for their own use, but for the purpose of making money as paying agents. This situation led to short supply of cosmetic in Japan. Despite the marketing boosting eventually benefit the cosmetic enterprises financially. However, the old customers got dissatisfied due to the frequent shortage of goods. What’s worse, the cosmetic enterprises are blamed for the problems occurred due to the purchasing activity of the agents. For example, cosmetic products contained in different packaging are expecting proper storage or handling. But some cosmetic products could get contaminated because of improper storing environment or long-distance traffic.
According to the report, bilingual notices in Chinese and Japanese were posted at all Fancl’s direct-selling stores, announced that each person can only buy 10 bottles of Fancl’s cleansing oil in a week. Fancl found that the Chinese bought a larger number of cleaning oil and delivered to China for sale. Any problems caused during the preservation and use of commodities which are purchased from agents are ultimately attributed to Fancl itself, which seriously tarnished Fancl’s reputation.
Coincidentally, Albion, a subsidiary of Japan’s Kose Group, has been restricting the purchase of popular products since the end of 2017. For example, each person is allowed to buy only one bottle of Albion osmotic milk a day. At the same time, Albion also issued a statement on the official website in Chinese, Japanese and English, stressed that Albion was not responsible for goods purchased through informal channels.
Besides, Shiseido also restricted purchases in Ginza and other counters in February 2018. Meanwhile, it is clear on the notices that the customers suspected as purchasing agents will not be able to buy Shiseido’s products. The move is said to be aimed at protecting the interests of the majority of customers. Shiseido is well-known for various skincare products, which are packed in different cosmetic packaging, such as Aluminum Collapsible Tubes, Soft Tubes, Plastic Tube and other Cosmetic Containers.
In fact, since 2015, with the number of visitors to Japan has been rising, the product demands exceeds supply, Japanese cosmetics counters have began to restrict its purchase. Recently, restrictions on purchases have become more stringent: a wider range and a smaller number. Many cosmetic enterprises do take the advantages of “scare buying” to reap unprecedented profits, but the high yield has also led to a number of “side-effects”. And the restrictions on purchase is one of the side-effects.
