SK-II
Encyclopedia
SK-II, is a Procter & Gamble
Beauty brand, launched since 1980 in Japan. SK-II is often considered one of the most expensive beauty brands in the world.
In 1980, the Japanese branch of Max Factor
acquired rights to the ingredient, and launched the first cosmetic product containing the ingredient: Max Factor Secret Key with Pitera. Although only modestly successful, its customer base was very loyal, so Max Factor expanded the range, renaming it Max Factor SK-II.
Max Factor would flip through five different owners, each of whom ignored the SK-II product, until 1995, when current owner Procter and Gamble executive and brand manager A.G. Lafley was sent to Japan to overhaul P&G's declining business in Asia. Lafley made several changes to the company, including several at Max Factor: Lafley discovered Japanese women disliked the brand, so he focused instead on the SK-II cream instead. Within five years, it would become Japan's top prestige cosmetics brand, outselling Shiseido
.
SK-II has since expanded into several markets, however, products sold outside of Asia do not bear the Max Factor name; the brand is simply called "SK-II". In Japan, and most of Asia, SK-II is a sub-brand of Max Factor, and still bear its name.
SK-II discontinued the famous Airtouch Foundation system in the UK in January 2010 without informing customers that all refills had sold out while continuing to sell the Airtouch applicators at the full retail price of £90 via their only official retail outlet Harrods, leaving the companies open to possible legal action. Admission to the cancellation of the product is only admitted if a customer asks Harrods. When approached P&G confirmed the removal of the Airtouch was due to disappointing sales and marketing issues.
The remaining SK-II range continues as normal including the compact foundation.
halted all imports of SK-II products, after a consumer found traces of neodymium
and chromium
. Both are banned in cosmetics, and can cause allergic dermatitis and eczema. P&G withdrew several of the affected products, however there was much confusion on P&G's initial status on the subject.
One employee was quoted as stating: "We believe only a small batch of products suffered the problem", however, P&G's official press release defended the amount of the heavy metals found in the products as being "safe" and "insignificant to human health". Nonetheless, P&G withdrew several affected products, but continued selling the rest of the line, requiring consumers to sign a "safe product" agreement, in which they recognize that the SK-II products they bought are safe and release P&G of liability.
However, by the end of that week, P&G had suspended sale of the brand altogether, shutting down its stores and pulling all products (including refund centers for affected items) from counters.
By December of the same year, the brand was back in stores, and in a joint statement between the Ministry of Health and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China agreed with P&G company officials that the product line posed no danger to human health.
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
Beauty brand, launched since 1980 in Japan. SK-II is often considered one of the most expensive beauty brands in the world.
History
The history of SK-II goes back over 30 years ago when a scientist in Japan noticed the very soft and youthful hands of women working in a Japanese saké brewery. After years of research the scientists were able to isolate the natural, nutrient-rich liquid which they called Pitera.In 1980, the Japanese branch of Max Factor
Max Factor
Max Factor & Company is a cosmetics company, founded during 1909 by Maksymilian Faktorowicz , Max Factor, a Polish-Jewish cosmetician. Max Factor & Company was a related, two-family, multi-generational international cosmetics company before its sale in 1973 for $500 million dollars...
acquired rights to the ingredient, and launched the first cosmetic product containing the ingredient: Max Factor Secret Key with Pitera. Although only modestly successful, its customer base was very loyal, so Max Factor expanded the range, renaming it Max Factor SK-II.
Max Factor would flip through five different owners, each of whom ignored the SK-II product, until 1995, when current owner Procter and Gamble executive and brand manager A.G. Lafley was sent to Japan to overhaul P&G's declining business in Asia. Lafley made several changes to the company, including several at Max Factor: Lafley discovered Japanese women disliked the brand, so he focused instead on the SK-II cream instead. Within five years, it would become Japan's top prestige cosmetics brand, outselling Shiseido
Shiseido
is a major Japanese hair care and cosmetics producer. It is the oldest cosmetics company in the world and the fourth largest cosmetics company in the world.-History:...
.
SK-II has since expanded into several markets, however, products sold outside of Asia do not bear the Max Factor name; the brand is simply called "SK-II". In Japan, and most of Asia, SK-II is a sub-brand of Max Factor, and still bear its name.
SK-II discontinued the famous Airtouch Foundation system in the UK in January 2010 without informing customers that all refills had sold out while continuing to sell the Airtouch applicators at the full retail price of £90 via their only official retail outlet Harrods, leaving the companies open to possible legal action. Admission to the cancellation of the product is only admitted if a customer asks Harrods. When approached P&G confirmed the removal of the Airtouch was due to disappointing sales and marketing issues.
The remaining SK-II range continues as normal including the compact foundation.
Toxic Ingredients
In September 2006, the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
halted all imports of SK-II products, after a consumer found traces of neodymium
Neodymium
Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is a soft silvery metal that tarnishes in air. Neodymium was discovered in 1885 by the Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach. It is present in significant quantities in the ore minerals monazite and bastnäsite...
and chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
. Both are banned in cosmetics, and can cause allergic dermatitis and eczema. P&G withdrew several of the affected products, however there was much confusion on P&G's initial status on the subject.
One employee was quoted as stating: "We believe only a small batch of products suffered the problem", however, P&G's official press release defended the amount of the heavy metals found in the products as being "safe" and "insignificant to human health". Nonetheless, P&G withdrew several affected products, but continued selling the rest of the line, requiring consumers to sign a "safe product" agreement, in which they recognize that the SK-II products they bought are safe and release P&G of liability.
However, by the end of that week, P&G had suspended sale of the brand altogether, shutting down its stores and pulling all products (including refund centers for affected items) from counters.
By December of the same year, the brand was back in stores, and in a joint statement between the Ministry of Health and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China agreed with P&G company officials that the product line posed no danger to human health.
Markets sold
SK-II is sold in the following markets:- JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
- People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
- Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
- ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
- TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
- Malaysia
- AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
- ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
- MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...