Scent-sational success: Fits' fragrance revolution

Please give us a brief introduction of your company.

One of the pillars of our business is to market brands sold abroad in Japan. For example, a perfume that has not yet arrived in Japan. Our company is to introduce them to the Japanese market. We believe that our company's role is to create an environment in which Japanese people can safely purchase perfumes that they “want” in Japan, such as brand perfumes that they admire, perfumes produced by overseas celebrities, and perfumes produced by famous athletes.

We are also involved in product planning, and collaborate with IP (intellectual property) such as anime. By allowing fans to purchase perfumes as part of their “supporting my fave” activities, we are able to bring fragrances to people who do not normally use perfumes. We hope this will further boost the fragrance market. In addition, perfumes made in collaboration with IPs are also popular among tourists visiting Japan who want to bring back a sense of Japaneseness. We have collaborated with popular characters, games, and anime in the past, and we would like to continue to create opportunities for people to experience “Made in Japan” perfumes through various collaborations.

Another approach we are taking is to combine fragrance and music. This is based on the “perfume scale” invented by Septimus Pies, a perfumer who was also an English chemist in the late 19th century. He created a fragrance scale and applied 46 different fragrances to the scale. Highly volatile fragrances are assigned to higher notes and low fragrances to lower notes, and each chord or octave (the same note at a different height) is designed to be pleasant to the senses. Utilizing this, we have collaborated with famous Japanese artists to launch a unique product: music x perfume. Our first collaboration was in 2022 and so far we have launched products with three artists.We also have a vision to “make fragrance a culture” that goes beyond the product of “perfume”. In Japan, the custom of wearing perfume is not as common as it is in other countries. However, if we redefine the meaning of perfume as “fragrance,” we realize that the market has potential for expansion.

Therefore, we are now very much focusing on the “fragrance space business (EVERY AIR)” to allow our customers to enjoy our fragrances in a larger space. We are currently starting with a rental service for commercial aroma diffusers called “Laaveen”. This product can release fragrances into the air, and is a service that allows casual introduction of fragrances of the quality introduced in five-star hotels.

Fragrance culture in Japan is still not as well known as it is overseas. That is why we, as both a manufacturer and a trading company, would like to contribute to the expansion and growth of the industry as a whole by becoming a “fragrance platform company” by being in a position to create opportunities for people to enjoy fragrances more.

When I think of J-Beauty, I think of the inter-regional competition driven by Korea and its very strong marketing capabilities; how would you define J-Beauty's strengths, especially against regional competitors?

The strengths I would like to mention are not limited to the Japanese beauty industry, but relate to all industries in Japan. I believe that these strengths are, in a sense, very intangible aspects and come from the national character that has been developed over a long history. Japan has built its life around agriculture, mainly rice planting and harvesting. As a result, the Japanese place great importance on nurturing things carefully and are very detail-oriented. They sow seeds and cherish the time it takes to harvest them. I believe that this trend is also reflected in Japanese manufacturing. I believe that it cannot be separated from the element of taking time to create a single object, paying attention to details, and nurturing it. This is the opposite of a hunting civilization that goes after big prey. This way of thinking may be one aspect of business that reduces production efficiency. However, I believe that the reason why “Made in Japan” manufacturing is so highly regarded is because of the Japanese people's spirit of paying attention to detail and carefully crafting each product, a spirit inherited from the great historical trends, and I believe that this is also what leads to J-Beauty's reputation. I believe that this is also the reason for J-Beauty's reputation.

You mentioned earlier that you have worked with some pretty big celebrities, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Ariana Grande. What are the reasons why your company is chosen by foreign brands looking to enter the Japanese market?

We believe it is because we are able to market our products well to a customer base that has a high affinity with our products. In particular, we have been able to build up an excellent track record over the past few decades in communicating and selling overseas products to the Japanese Gen Z market, especially with the BODY FANTASIES brand. We are also responsible for the branding necessary for foreign brands to enter the Japanese market. Our employees are highly sensitive to branding, and in terms of marketing and PR strategies, we are constantly trying new things to ensure the success of the brand, while communicating the product to the right customers who really need it.

Have you ever been asked by an international celebrity to create a fragrance?

We cannot give you any details at this time, but we are beginning to work on collaborative projects with prominent makeup artists and designers in Asia. I mentioned earlier that one of the strengths of Japanese craftsmanship is the attention to detail and care that goes into the creation of each product. Our men's fragrance brand “RISING WAVE” won a bronze medal at the Pentawards 2024, a global design award, for its design. We believe that this approach to manufacturing has led to a variety of collaborations.

Are there any original Fits Corporation products that you are trying to push overseas, products that you feel have potential in the overseas market?

We feel that mini-bottle perfumes have great potential. The price is around 1,500 yen and the bottle capacity is about 8 milliliters. This price range makes it easy to purchase multiple bottles of your favorite perfume, and since they are portable and easy to use on the go, they are ideal not only for your own use, but also as gifts. We feel that the luxury mini bottles are spectacular as gifts, and are items that the recipient will be happy to receive. The culture of gift-giving, including birthdays, is common not only in Japan but throughout the world. I would be happy if this mini-bottle perfume spreads around the world as one of the options to enjoy fragrance.

I also expect that this miniature perfume will be in high demand as a souvenir by overseas travelers.I imagine that if the miniature perfume bottle and its packaging depicted, for example, the Statue of Liberty in New York, it would be a very attractive souvenir for people visiting New York and looking for souvenirs. In other words, we want to use the perfume bottle and its packaging as a potential marketing surface. It would not be limited to souvenirs, but could be novelties for exhibitions, goods for artists' live performances, and so on, depending on the destination of the collaboration. We would like to take on the challenge of transcending industry boundaries around the world with this miniature perfume, and not just in the cosmetics industry.

Your company clearly has an international perspective, and you mentioned that you are exporting your products overseas, and I understand that you have established a local subsidiary in China from 2021. What countries in particular do you plan to expand into in the future, in terms of sales and establishment of local subsidiaries?

First of all, we would like to concentrate on East Asia in particular, including Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Could you tell us a little about your company's research on fragrances and their various applications? How do you plan to extend fragrances as a result of your R&D activities?

We believe that fragrances have the power to solve social problems. Therefore, we are focusing on unlocking the potential of fragrance through research with companies that have a scientific approach that is highly compatible with the various concerns that modern society has. Examples include the use of fragrances (functional fragrances) in Femtec products and the commercialization of bath salts with fragrances created by confronting sleep issues. We are constantly discussing research and development, focusing on various applications to see if there is anything fragrance can do to improve the quality of life.

We believe that fragrances can help to enliven our feelings, calm us down, and relieve tension. Fragrance is not a “necessity of life,” but it certainly enriches our customers' daily lives. We are constantly seeking ways to expand fragrances.

Please tell us about your CSR activities.

We place great importance on “community-based activities” at the location where our head office is located. We value contact with children, who will lead the next generation, and with people in the neighborhood, and we want to create many opportunities for them to enjoy our fragrances. We actively participate in local festivals and offer students the experience of making their own scent diffusers of their choice.

Imagine doing this interview again in 2030. What goals and dreams would you like to have realized by the time of that interview?

When I started the company, I was 37 years old, and at the time I only wanted to drive a Ferrari with the money I earned. In the 34 years since the company was founded, with the support of many employees and the development of numerous businesses, my goal now is to keep the company going for a long time, more than 100 years, and I hope to be a company with continuity. This is the same answer you would give if you asked me in 2030.

We are a company that can always change with the times, no matter how the times change. That is how we have overcome the Corona disaster. As society is changing rapidly, our employees are sensitive to the trends and are able to keep their antennae up to the changing times and respond flexibly. Although it started out as my own company, today our young staff is adapting to the changing times and allowing our business to flourish.

As for products, just like musical works such as CDs and records, I would like to create fragrances that will become art pieces over a long period of time and be loved beyond the ages. And I would like to make it a company that will last for 100 years and even beyond.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.fits-japan.com/en