CScout: Recently Japan has taken a turn towards the DIY side of life with people opting to forgo spending on services and products seen as a luxury and instead attempting to create the same experience themselves within their homes. The “okomori beauty” trend, literally meaning “stay at home beauty” (a play on hikikomori, meaning a recluse who refuses to go outside), has sprang up in light of this as females opt to save money and attempt to bring the beauty parlor experience into their homes.
One of the industries looking to capitalize on this market is the electronics industry. A range of beauty appliances have sprung up which have been designed to replicate the expensive treatments usually received by specialist shops. The term “bijinki” (beauty appliance) has been adopted to describe facial beauty devices and Panasonic have emerged as a strong leader in the field. Offering a whole range of DIY beauty devices one of the most popular appliances is the Nano Care Night Steamer. The success of the product seems to be in its simplicity, simply plug in the device when you go to sleep and through a steam mist emitted throughout the night your skin becomes moisturized and toned for when you wake up. The site advertises it as giving a noticeable firmness to the skin when used over a 2 week period. Advertising benefits without any hard work are certainly appealing to the modern day busy consumer where they can literally beautify themselves in their sleep. The mist can also be infused with different esseential oils and used as an aromatherapy device to aid in relaxation.
Okomori Beauty -The DIY Beauty Trend [CScout]