KOSÉ

KOSÉ Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Kazutoshi Kobayashi) is pleased to announce that the packaging design for SEKKISEI BLUE (17 products, 15 product categories; no printed price) has won a Best of the Best award, the highest distinction, in the Product Design category of the prestigious international Red Dot Design Award. The new series in the SEKKISEI skincare brand promotes holistic beauty by supporting healthy skin and mind. Fragrance AQ Eau de Parfum, sold under the high-prestige DECORTÉ brand, also received a Red Dot award for its packaging design.

This is the first time KOSÉ has won a Red Dot: Best of the Best award and the second time the company has won a Red Dot following previous recognition, in 2021, for FASIO in the Brands & Communication Design category.

Established in 1955, the Red Dot Design Award is an international design award run by Germany‘s Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen. Every year, products and other items from all over the world, ranging from cosmetics to automobiles, electrical products, and furniture, are selected for recognition of their outstanding design. The prestigious award is considered one of the world’s big three design awards alongside the International Design Excellence Awards (United States) and the iF Design Award (Germany).

Red Dot: Best of the Best Award　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

■ Series: SEKKISEI BLUE 　https://sekkisei.jp/site/sekkiseiblue/c/c10/ (in Japanese)

News release　KOSÉ launches New Series SEKKISEI BLUE and Prédia BLUE Promoting Harmony with Nature (in Japanese)

■ Art directors and designers:

<Creative director> Henri Harada
Packaging Designing Office, Product Designing Dept., KOSÉ Corporation

<Art director> Yumiko Soya
Packaging Designing Office, Product Designing Dept., KOSÉ Corporation

<Designers>
Karin Nakamura
Packaging Designing Office, Product Designing Dept., KOSÉ Corporation

Ai Hozawa
Packaging Designing Office, Product Designing Dept., KOSÉ Corporation

■ Designers’ comment:

With this product, we aimed for a design that evoked a modern impression rather than classical Japan, while eliciting a sense of Japanese-ness in the detail. The way the roof tile-shaped containers stack neatly against one another ties in well with the Eastern philosophy of maintaining balance. The packaging makes use of the husks of Job’s tears (adlay) that are produced during the manufacture of Job’s tear extract, which is used in products of the SEKKISEI brand. In this way, we managed to incorporate ethical considerations into the brand. As resin containing Job’s tear husks is molded, the husks burn, turning the actual color of the resin brown. Giving play to this characteristic while achieving a distinctive form was a challenge of considerable difficulty. The product only came to fruition because of the cooperation in development we received from suppliers and our colleagues in other departments. Thank you to everyone who helped along the way.

Red Dot Award　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

■ Product: AQ Eau de Parfum (in Japanese)

■ Creative director, art director, and designers:

<Creative director> Tatsuo Kannami     KDI Inc.

<Art director>  Marcel Wanders

<Designers>
Anna Szostak          Marcel Wanders Studio
Naoko Akai             Packaging Designing Office, Product Designing Dept., KOSÉ Corporation
Yuki Yoshida          Packaging Designing Office, Product Designing Dept., KOSÉ Corporation

■ Designers’ comment

It is an honor to win a Red Dot. As a fusion of science and craftsmanship, we aimed for a product design that would calm mind and body to instill a sense of wellbeing. In addition to a fragrance that stimulates expression of oxytocin receptors to promote skin barrier formation, the packaging is designed to give the user a pleasant experience. The bottle is a visual expression of the story of a scent blossoming over time, bringing about an awakening of beauty. One distinctive feature is the cap, made from synthetic leather. It has petals that are soft to the touch, but they are designed to return to their original form once released so that usability is not affected. The spray nozzle, too, is angled for a more natural impression. Thank you to everyone who helped during the product’s development.

About the Red Dot Design Award

The Red Dot Design Award has been widely considered one of the most prestigious international design awards since 1955 and the Red Dot label is now a globally recognized mark of quality indicating design excellence. The award is broken down into three disciplines: Product Design, Brands & Communication Design, and Design Concept. All winning designs are listed at https://www.red-dot.org/award.

About the SEKKISEI Brand

SEKKISEI debuted in 1985 as a lotion containing a blend of herbal extracts for nurturing luminous, almost translucent skin inspired by traditional wisdom in Eastern Asia. The lotion’s evident skincare effects and ease of use have won it a worldwide following. SEKKISEI has been directing energy into sustainability promotion activities for many years in keeping with the brand message, “Your beauty makes the planet beautiful.” One example is the SEKKISEI SAVE the BLUE project, launched in 2009, which involves putting a portion of sales toward environmental conservation activities. SEKKISEI products are currently available in 15 countries and regions (Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, United States, Canada, and Spain).

• SEKKISEI brand website: https://sekkisei.jp/ (in Japanese)

About SEKKISEI BLUE

SEKKISEI BLUE is a holistic care series supporting balance in the skin, the body, and the mind. Following the Eastern wisdom that underpins the SEKKISEI brand, SEKKISEI BLUE focuses on the cycle of beauty, tailoring products to different skin types and body constitutions. SEKKISEI BLUE presents a holistic beauty experience, allowing the days to pass with elegance and grace. This is done by tending to the skin, the body, and the mind of customers with products made from traditional Eastern Asian herbal ingredients and Japan-made natural ingredients, meditation using the scent of essential oils, and a unique form of counseling. SEKKISEI BLUE is currently available in six countries and regions (Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea (duty free), Indonesia, and France).

◇ SEKKISEI BLUE series website: https://sekkisei.jp/site/sekkiseiblue/c/c10/ (in Japanese)

About DECORTÉ

DECORTÉ is a high-prestige brand representing the very best of KOSÉ’s state-of-the-art technologies. Ever since its debut in 1970, DECORTÉ has harnessed advanced dermatological research and the interplay between skincare effects, feel, and scent, to put forward products making customers feel good about their skin and mind. As one of KOSÉ’s key global brands, DECORTÉ is currently available in 15 countries and regions (Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, United States, Canada, Australia).

◇DECORTÉ official online store: https://www.decorte.com/ (in Japanese)

◇Maison DECORTÉ：https://www.cosmedecorte.com/maison/ (in Japanese)