Corporate Philosophy

Truth, Goodness & Beauty
Sincerely contribute to society and take joy in customer satisfaction

Though beautifying oneself by caring for skin and hair is seemingly outwardly directed, the inner pleasure and satisfaction achieved through beautification can also exert a positive influence on the environment and society. Pleased and proud to be a member of the cosmetics industry, we approach every task with sincerity as we continue our endeavors to support universal beauty.

Written in Japanese characters, Utena means “calyx” or pedestal. In botany, the calyx is the protective layer that supports a flower in bud. The calyx is a vital structure that supports the petals, the most beautiful part of the flower.
As the calyx supports the beauty of the flower, we at Utena wish to support the beauty of people everywhere.
This is the intention that forms our corporate name. The corporate logo is a stylized floral design, with the three petals symbolizing the characters “u,” “te,” and “na,” joined in the center of the blossom.

“UTENA” is one reading for the Japanese character meaning “calyx,”
the portion of a flowering plant that protects the bud and supports the petals in bloom.
As our company’s name, UTENA conveys our desire to protect and support universal beauty.

We have consistently aimed at creating new kinds of
beauty from inventive perspectives in anticipation of our customers’ needs since 1927.
Our ongoing dedication to research and innovation enables us to deliver cosmetics
and skin care products that embody this stance.

At UTENA, we will continue our efforts to support the day-to-day
blooming of beauty for each and all.

Development and proposal of Human Care products

Regardless of the category, accessible lifestyle products conceived for clean, natural, personalized grooming are characterized as Human Care products.
At Utena, we develop and propose innovative Human Care products based on creative ideas, with constant regard for the future of humankind and nature.

1. Products that empower personalized grooming
Products must be clean, fresh, and natural, not overly adorned or conceived to conceal.
Above all, Utena products empower personalized expression.

2. Accessible lifestyle products
Products must be intrinsic additions to daily life, easily procured and reasonably priced.

3. Emphasis on product reliability and safety
Even the slightest risk or possibility of side effects is eliminated.
To ensure our customers can use them with peace of mind, only products subjected to rigorous precautions and substantiation can bear the Utena name.

4. Products that are a joy to use
Customer satisfaction is always the primary goal of product research and development.

5. Products that bring out innate human beauty
Rather than contrived, unnatural results, products are conceived to bring out the innate beauty that resides in each and every one of us.

Creating new products and value through producer-oriented product development

“Produce” in UTENA means to create or to conceive.
At Utena, this means coming up with totally new product ideas, researching them and carrying them through to commercialization. Maximum value is assigned to producing (creating/conceiving) products with new functions that benefit our customers. Each and every employee is a producer, creating new products through proactive exchange of information with cooperative partners and fine-tuning at every step of the process, including quality assessment, cost, development and production schedules.
We call this process “producer-oriented product development.” Every division maintains contact with numerous cooperative partners, maximizing these networks to create unique and innovative new products.

Utena’s efforts

Utena pursues product development with ideas and perspectives that have yet to come into the public eye. Introduced in 1996, our Matomage Hair Styling Stick symbolizes this approach. Inspired by vintage “Tique” men’s styling pomade, this stick-type wax is perfect for controlling loose or stray hair.
Meeting a wide range of needs, it rapidly became a popular success.

At Utena, we make it our mission to deliver products that are reliable and safe.
Data accumulated over decades of research and development is applied to create our own rules for selection of raw materials. Formulation development aims for the ideal balance for a wide range of skin types, and multiple tests are performed to ensure product stability and quality retention under adverse conditions.
Uncompromised reliability and safety is our goal.

In September 2016, Utena launched a flagship site on Tmall Global, the leading cross-border e-commerce portal for direct sales to Chinese consumers. The site offers a wide range of products, including Premium Puresa Golden Jelly Mask, popular among visitors from abroad shopping in Japan.
We established a Chinese local subsidiary in November of the same year, and we are currently progressing to expand our sales structure in the Chinese market.

Containing natural yuzu (citron) oil, our non-additive Utena Hair Oil YZ was developed in collaboration with the well-known citron producing area of Kitagawa in Japan’s Kochi Prefecture. Devising a way to extract high-quality oil from previously discarded citron seeds enables us to effectively utilize resources, contribute to the revitalization of the local economy, and fulfill our responsibilities as a corporate citizen.

Working under the supervision of Nakamura Jakuemon V, we adapted our accumulated knowhow to develop a modern version of shiro-nuri (white-face makeup) used by Kabuki actors and other traditional artists. The result has become the product of choice for numerous Kabuki actors. In the future, we will continue our efforts to support the traditional arts and culture of Japanese makeup.