This is a series of posts originally published on Rakuten Gold's "Mirobina Selected Products Story" page, republishing the stories behind the creation and origins of our products for our official blog.
What kind of encounters and thoughts led to the creation of each product, and how did it end up being sold at Mirobina?
We hope you enjoy the "story of encounter and creation" that cannot be fully conveyed on the product page alone.
You can find the stories behind all 12 products here.
Each one has a story
Hello. This is Nonko, the store manager of Mirobina.
Mirobina carries original products that you can't buy anywhere else, as well as carefully selected natural items that you can also buy elsewhere.
Each of these products has a story behind its creation and sale, and we thought that sharing these stories would help convey our feelings, so we introduced them in our email newsletter.
Here, I'd like to share an excerpt from our email newsletter from that time, telling you about our first encounter with these products.
I would be happy if you could come to like Mirobina's products even just a little.
Also, the store name used is the old store name. Furthermore, the information may not be up-to-date. Please enjoy Mirobina's story of struggle.
Driven by real voices
Distributed on August 8, 2011
Hello.
Bi-Natural (formerly Aromatic Life Magic Soap)
This is Nonko, the store manager.
Oh, where should I begin?!
This is the story of that very important soap that was the catalyst for starting this Rakuten shop.
I'm still struggling with this...
Oh well, whatever!
I'll just go along with whatever comes to mind!
I had 100 friends use it.
that's right.
Around 2002, before putting this soap on Rakuten Market, I actually wanted to know what effects it had, so I asked a friend to let about 100 people try it.
We were gathering information by giving out large samples of 30g each.
At the time, I had never used a computer other than a word processor, and I didn't even know the word "internet."
I would create a handwritten questionnaire on A4 paper, then copy it at a convenience store and hand it out along with the soap.
Ah, the good old days of analog.
Also, they wrote quite detailed reviews about how it felt to use, its effects, and how it addressed their skin concerns.
Given the circumstances, I never imagined back then that I would end up running an online store.
My friends and their friends, a total of 100 people, used it.
But the responses we received from the survey were absolutely fantastic!!
"My skin has become smooth."
"The acne on my forehead has disappeared."
"My skin's dullness has disappeared."
"My pores have become smaller."
"My nasolabial folds are less noticeable."
"The foam feels so good, I can't get enough of it♪"
And so on. The age range is roughly 30s to 40s.
Why me, a housewife?
Yes, the reason I, a housewife busy raising a baby and a preschooler, decided to conduct this survey was...
An acquaintance gave this soap to my father, asking him to try it. I didn't have high expectations, but after using it, I can honestly say that all my previous concepts of skincare were washed away with this lather.
This black soap containing charcoal, called "Super Luxury Soap," was amazing!!
Ah, I really want to see what that skill is for myself!!!
"What on earth is this soap? (angry)"
At that time, I
I suffered for many years from adult atopic dermatitis (later diagnosed as nummular eczema). Not only my body, but my face was also red, swollen, and peeling, and it was so itchy that I couldn't stop scratching. It was so painful that I felt like I wanted to die.
Yes, I'll never forget it. The first night I used this soap was simply mind-blowing!
I was casually washing my face with this black soap in the bath at night, and almost immediately after I started washing, yes, something strange happened!
Not only eczema, but other areas as well.
It's a tingling, tingling pain! It hurts so much!
It hurt so much, I groaned while washing it!
I think I might have shouted something like, "What the hell is this soap?!"
Even after rinsing it off, the pain didn't subside easily, so I looked in the mirror feeling anxious, and screamed!
Because the areas that had eczema are now bright red all over!
Next up is a feeling of tightness I've never experienced before! And then...
just···
Conversely, my skin, which used to be fair, is now so dull, with noticeable pores and a hard, dark appearance that I'd be embarrassed to go out without foundation.
Wow, it's pure white!
It was truly pure white, as if everything had been removed. However, I also thought it was almost too white, making it look like a disease...
And then...immediately afterwards, I was hit with an incredibly strong, unprecedented feeling of tightness!!
Ahhh, what on earth is this????
I hastily applied toner and other chemical products that I was using at the time, but once my skin calmed down,
Huh...? The redness is completely gone. The pain has also completely subsided.
Hmm, I wonder what's going on... My skin feels calmer, so maybe I'll keep using it a bit longer.
I decided to give it a try, and as I continued using it, the stinging sensation lessened day by day, and the red areas actually recovered to a beautiful, healthy state!
Three weeks later, that astonishing tightness was completely gone. The bumps that had formed on my neck had also disappeared without me even noticing.
...I'm so happy (^O^)/
It was a life-changing experience.
And another welcome change is that once the dirt is removed and the skin becomes pure white...Her skin tone did not revert to its original state, and in fact, it became brighter day by day.thing!
Also, since reaching a certain age, my skin, which had always been itchy, bumpy, with enlarged pores and rough due to persistent acne and incorrect skincare practices,
Surprisingly,Amazingly smooth and softIt actually happened!!! This, this is really, really great!
The joy I felt at that moment, the feeling of having regained my confidence,That is the direct motivation behind my current shop operations.
"What on earth is this soap? (angry)"
I want as many people as possible to experience that feeling. And it's something simple that can be achieved with just a bar of soap...
That's when I realized.
Originally, human skin should be as smooth as a child's.
My life started with a single bar of soap.
I also remember that my young children loved my smooth cheeks and would always want to touch them.
Until now, chemical cosmetics were said to be non-irritating to the skin.I only used mildly acidic facial cleansers.I was a very opinionated person, but I was truly amazed to discover how incredible soap can be. It was a real eye-opener in my life.This was the turning point.I think so.
A fateful encounter
After that, I went to talk to the uncle who developed this black soap, who was an acquaintance of my father's acquaintance.
In short, he's a very unique person. (Perhaps even eccentric!?)
*Why did this black soap sting so much?
*Why does it have such a great effect on the skin?
* What is the mechanism of action (how it works)?
I remember bombarding them with all sorts of questions.
Many eye-opening and convincing answers!
That gentleman was also a passionate person, and he enthusiastically answered even my very detailed questions.
"Synthetic surfactants are a cause of atopic dermatitis and aging."Since it's become like that, I want to stop it," or
"Soap is,Products that use the power of alkalinity to remove acidic "dirt".So that's why Kikawa's skin suddenly became so white.
It finally removed all the dirt that had been accumulating for so long.What is currently available,Weakly acidic substances don't clean well.And because you're pampering your skin, its natural abilities will weaken.
The reason your skin felt so tight at first was because Ms. Kikawa's skin had stopped producing the sebum that neutralizes the alkalinity.
I was able to do that in three weeks, so it stopped feeling tight."
"Soap has a long history, dating back to the Jomon period. In fact,It's the best match for human skin.」
"Total surfactants are found in the sea and rivers as well."contaminatedBut everyone uses it without knowing. You don't have to worry about that with soap.
that's why,I want to spread the word about soap.Don't be fooled by the advertisements of major cosmetics companies."
And then he told me one fascinating story after another. Oh, it was so eye-opening, so eye-opening, so eye-opening! (~o~) Experts are really amazing!
Focusing on lather
Indeed, after I started using this natural soap, my troubled, aging skin, which I had when I was in my early thirties, became so much clearer. This is an undeniable fact...
"So, the reason why it's so effective is, firstly, because it lathers up really well."
This soap is a natural soap, but apparently, only high-quality fatty acids are selected to make it. That's the secret to its incredibly rich lather. When the lather is fine, the dirt removal is dramatically improved!
Through subsequent experiments, I discovered that washing thoroughly with plenty of foam has a completely different effect on skin beautification compared to washing haphazardly!
I remember writing about it repeatedly in my email newsletter.
Another secret
But... that wasn't the only secret to its lathering ability.
"Actually, it contains minerals. It says 'water' in the ingredients, right? Because by law, we can't write 'minerals,' so it ends up being 'water.'"
Yes, this soap actually contains charcoal, and it gently absorbs dirt that has accumulated over many years, just like on my skin, without irritating it.
These minerals are what improve the lather and have a restorative power that tries to return things to their original state—in other words, they're the secret to the skin-beautifying effect!
The mineral blending process is extremely difficult, requiring a delicate balance, and it seems that this soap was finally completed only after that balance was discovered.
My life started with a single bar of soap.
"A good product should be obvious just by letting people try a sample."Here you go," he said, and then he gave me about 100 of those large, luxurious 30g bars of soap, which I then had various people try out.
And just as my uncle had predicted, the people who participated in the survey kept saying, "I want to keep using it! I want you to sell it!" and before we knew it, we had sold about 100 regular-sized bottles.
...Somehow, things like this are fun (~o~)
So, I decided to try making my own online shop, just on a whim.
First, I made it myself, my first online shop.
I bought some software to create an online shop... The software was very functional and relatively easy to use, and then I registered it on various gift sites and search engines.
And then, surprisingly, they started selling little by little!
Of course, just as my uncle said, those who tried the free sample and were pleased with the result ended up purchasing the product!
Of course, looking back, the shipping and everything else was very much done by hand, and I'm sure it was full of flaws for our customers, but actually, a lot of those customers are still with us today.
I'm truly grateful!!
Do you know about Rakuten Market? No, I don't.
I'm running a small, personal online shop, and I've started seeing a few sales. I'm wondering how to increase traffic, and today I got 100 visits! What could be the reason?!
And while I was investigating various possibilities, that gentleman made an unexpected offer!
"Mr. Kikawa, do you know about Rakuten Market?"
"No, I don't know... What is Rakuten Market?"
"now,Japan's largest online shopSo, why don't you open a shop there?
picture···!?
I'd always wanted to open a store in a shopping mall someday, but the fees were incredibly high, so I thought it was impossible for the time being... so this felt like a dream come true.
Of course, I answered "Yes!" without hesitation.
I started a company and opened a shop with my father!
At the time, you had to be a company to open a shop on Rakuten Market, so we asked manufacturers and several other people to invest in us.Aromatic Life KikawaAnd so, that company came into existence, almost miraculously.
From there, I became the president and my father the chairman. Together, we attended Rakuten Market study sessions, felt the enthusiasm, learned various ways to create pages, and went through a lot of hardship to finally open our shop.
Well, that page doesn't exist anymore, but I was a complete beginner when it came to creating websites, so I typed everything by hand without using any software. It was a really shady creation, wasn't it?
But what surprised me the most after opening a shop on Rakuten was that while getting even 100 visits a day was a huge achievement for my previous handmade shop, getting 1000 a day is easy.
If we had held a giveaway, we could have gotten twice as many people! In a way, I was stunned... (・。・;
As expected, a problem has arisen...
On Rakuten Market, we made sure as many people as possible try our samples. As a result, we sold out 300 units the month after we opened our store. We didn't use any advertising because it's expensive and we weren't sure if it would be effective. (For the next five years, we didn't use any advertising and relied solely on word-of-mouth.)
This product,If you try it, Rakuten Ichiba customers will understand its quality!That made me happy too.
From then on, I became completely hooked on running the shop, trying various things, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing, but sales of this black soap skyrocketed.
It also consistently ranked number one in the weekly rankings on Rakuten.It's been an unbelievable series of events, like consistently ranking high.
A constant stream of tension... frequent reports of apparent side effects!
As expected, we've seen a huge increase in inquiries from customers who have used our luxury soap, such as: "It's tingling! It hurts, is it okay?"
"My acne has gotten worse, is that okay?"
"It gets extremely dry, is that okay?"
"My skin is peeling, is that okay?"
Yes, I get tons of consultations from people with damaged skin, just like I did at first—it's a path everyone goes through!
Some products require careful handling due to allergies or other reasons, so it's not possible to say that everything is generally safe.I'm extremely nervous.I was handling the situation as best I could. But looking back now, I think that experience really taught me a lot.
I'm doing my best to help you get beautiful.
I had a slight worry, and I even consulted the dermatologist I used to go to... I remember that happening. I gave him some soap to try. He was a very kind doctor.
According to him, in terms of quality, "It doesn't sting if it gets in your eyes, and it's a very mild and good soap!" The soap itself isGuaranteed to be gentle on the skinI was relieved to receive that.
The "Soap Q&A" section is a page I created seven years ago to improve that situation. Looking at it now, you might catch a glimpse of the struggles I went through back then!
The very fact that something like that happened is proof that this soap has skin-beautifying properties. After that, sales continued to increase, and it even reached the number one spot in the Rakuten rankings!
It became the flagship product of Aromatic Life Magic Soap. We want to continue to cherish this super luxurious soap in the future.
Super Luxury Soap is still on sale!
The power of charcoal refreshes your skin and removes dullness and impurities!
Even after more than 20 years, this super luxury soap continues to be a staple product of Mirobina.
It's still a favorite among many customers for their daily facial cleansing routine.
▼super luxury soapClick here for the product page.
New articles and seasonal care information are available on LINE.
New articles and seasonal care information are also available via LINE.
🌿 "The Story Behind Our Carefully Selected Products" (12 episodes)
Next story:Mirobina's second new product in two years.
*The following pages will be released sequentially.
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