THE WHAT? Kao Corporation has announced that its prestige skin care brand, est is set to pilot a subscription model. Some 20 customers will test the program, which costs ¥300,000 per year, from this month.

THE DETAILS Est Skin Athlete Gym as the new service has been dubbed, includes the services of a dedicated team of beauty professionals offering precision skin care solutions to subscribers for a full year. Beauty advice will be available online and in person with suggestions tailored to each customer. The operation will be expanded with further services leading to a full-scale roll-out in spring 2024.

THE WHY? The personalized program is designed to meet the needs of customers looking for a truly bespoke skin care regime to help them achieve their beauty goals. Kao revealed in a statement, “Thanks to recent digital innovation, highly engaged beauty consumers are choosing products and beauty services from a plethora of options to suit their individual skin concerns and needs, and actively self-educating about beauty. Nevertheless, we also know that many such women lack confidence in their self-devised skin care routines and are keen to know more about the science behind skin care or receive assistance from beauty professionals.”