Photo/Illutration Looking good, Shohei Ohtani in an advertisement for Kose Corp.’s Cosme Decorte beauty serum (Provided by Kose Corp.)

Shohei Ohtani, a two-way superstar who is changing the face of baseball, may also be helping to reshape Japan’s cosmetics market by appearing as a poster boy for men trying to look their best.

Kose Corp. unleashed an advertising campaign for a beauty serum from its Cosme Decorte luxury line featuring Ohtani during the World Baseball Classic in March.

The “Ohtani effect” was out of the ballpark.

The number of male customers at Kose sales counters shot up 13-fold, according to Kazutoshi Kobayashi, president of the company.

“Middle-aged or older men, who are not usually expected on cosmetics floors of department stores, drop in and ask for the serum, just pointing to the purple-colored container and without even inquiring about its price,” he told The Asahi Shimbun. “I am surprised to say the least.”

It is becoming increasingly common for men, particularly younger generations, to use cosmetics products.

Kobayashi said men are increasingly aware they can take steps to look more attractive, which he attributed in no small part to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

He noted that many middle-aged and older men began noticing facial freckles and wrinkles when they gazed at computer screens during online meetings.

Kobayashi also said that many people he knows underwent double-eyelid and other cosmetic surgery during the pandemic.

Not only that, but a growing number of men are also donning sunscreen when out playing golf, he said.

Kose began negotiations with Ohtani more than two years ago.

Kobayashi said Ohtani has used Kose’s beauty serum containing liposome, cream and beauty lotion and declared he is most satisfied with the products.

He said Kose picked Ohtani as a model to appeal to a wide range of customers--both women and men and across all age groups--rather than focusing on a narrow target segment, as the nation’s population declines.

An element of surprise was also at play.

“Perhaps no ballplayer has ever appeared in advertisements for cosmetics products,” Kobayashi said.

Kose does not plan to create a line of products specifically targeting men, although it introduced one in the 1980s.

But Kobayashi said the company will likely feature more men in advertisements, partly to set it apart from rivals and to attract more male customers.

“It is difficult to stand out by employing female models or actresses because our competitors are doing the same,” he said.

(This article is based on an interview by Yoko Masuda.)

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