BHI FOSTERS INNOVATION IN COSMETICS INDUSTRY AS TOP ENABLER OF BILATERAL TIES
Surging demand in China for Made-in-Japan cosmetics is intensifying industry collaboration among the two nations’ enterprises, triggering a market shift towards high-quality yet affordable products catering to the upwardly mobile middle class. The shift is remarkable considering China’s 500-million strong middle-class population, and fostering innovation in the cosmetics industry.
Biken Soshin (BHI) is a prime mover in this space. Based in Kobe, the company has influenced the trend by serving as the top enabler of JapanChina collaborations since 2010.
Backed by a strong research and development team, its technology and trading services have been bridging varying market approaches and business philosophies between the two cultures, with Chinese companies comprising about 80 per cent of BHI’s private labelling clientele.
“We are the bridge not only for our ability to speak Japanese and Chinese, which a lot of people can do, but because of our in-depth understanding of the two cultures and the connections we have on both sides,” says Dr Yang Jianzhong, president of BHI. “More importantly, we have established the reputation, which is valuable to anyone doing business in Japan.”
Born and raised in China, Yang has lived for 30 years in Japan while maintaining close ties to his homeland. Noting the strong need in China for information and technology exchanges, he founded the Japan-China Cosmetic Exchange Association in 2012. The group has accumulated 150 members from Japan and China, and established an advisory committee whose members are experts from the Japanese cosmetics industry.
“Some of the Chinese companies want to sell their products and establish their brand image in Japan,” Yang says. “I see more and more of these brands succeeding in the future because they can control costs more efficiently than the traditional Japanese brands.”
BHI welcomes collaborations universally, specifically to open more resource and sales channels for affordable mid-tier and high-end cosmetics products that are made in Japan.