asia

Saturday, December 12, 2020 | The Japan Times | 5H.K. mogul
Lai charged
under newsecurity law

Firms eye piece of China’s male skin care boom
Emerging market
expected to grow 50%
over next five years

HONG KONG
BLOOMBERG, AFP-JIJI

SOPHIE YU AND BRENDA GOH
BEIJING/SHANGHAIREUTERS

Hong Kong media tycoon and prominent
pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai is being
charged with foreign collusion under thecity’s sweeping national security law, a movelikely to prompt further international criticism of China’s political crackdown on theformer British colony.
The charges were reported by local media
Friday and appeared to later be confirmedby police in a statement that didn’t specifically mention Lai by name, as per the force’s
typical practice.
“After in-depth investigation by National
Security Department of Hong Kong Police, a73-year-old man was charged with an additional offense of ‘collusion with a foreigncountry or with external elements to endanger national security,’” the police said.
In early December, Lai, owner of the prodemocracy Apple Daily newspaper, wasdenied bail on new charges relating to hisdramatic August arrest under Hong Kong’scontroversial new security measures.
Also Friday, a Hong Kong teenager wasfound guilty of insulting China’s national flagand unlawful assembly as Beijing accelerates its crackdown on dissent and the Hong
Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
Tony Chung, a 19-year-old who led a nowdisbanded pro-democracy group, was convicted for throwing the Chinese flag to theground during scuffles outside Hong Kong’slegislature in May 2019.
“The actions of the defendant were outof question, defiling the national flag in anopen manner,” Magistrate Peony Wong said.
He did not plead guilty to either charge,
which carry a maximum sentence of threeand five years ,respectively. He will be sentenced on Dec. 29.

China’s radiant male skin care market hasa fresh shine: A raft of domestic startups
is tapping global investors for funds, withambitions to rival giants like L’Oreal in a billion-dollar business serving image-conscious
millennial men like Hou Junru.
The 24-year-old Shanghai education
worker got into skin care as a student andsplurged more than $1,000 on creams andlotions in e-commerce firm Alibaba’s giant
Nov. 11 Singles Day promotion. “My need isto keep the skin moist and look pale,” saidHou.
It’s a priority shared by many of his peers,
influenced by the spread of social media andSouth Korean pop culture that embraces asofter version of masculinity. Already thebiggest in the world, the Chinese men’s facialskin care market is forecast to hit 12.5 billion
yuan ($1.90 billion) this year — and expand
50% to 18.5 billion yuan by 2025, researchfirm Mintel estimates.
Market research provider Euromonitor
International estimates the men’s skin carebusiness in China, excluding post-shave
products, was last year already more than
three times the size of the U.S. market indollar terms and more than twice the size ofSouth Korea — with value growth through2024 seen easily outstripping both.
Drawing on the huge reach of online
retailers like Alibaba and JD.com, at least
10 new Chinese male skin care brands havebeen set up this year, according to media
reports.
“A great number of small brands are
emerging through online channels,” Mintel
said in a recent report. The “online shoppingexperience enables men to choose what theywant quickly... online retailers can make it

Liu Yuxuan, 22, a student, puts on his make-up at a restroom in a shopping mall in Shanghai on Dec. 3. REUTERS

easier for men to seek out information andtips than in offline stores.”Six of the new players raised more than
300 million yuan between them, the founderof one brand said. Bertelsmann Asia Investments said it has invested in a new Shanghai
brand, without saying how much, while others like SIG Asia and Redpoint Ventures havealso placed sector bets, according to domestic media reports and startup research database CB Insights.
To be sure, with a combined share of60%, according to Mintel, the China market remains dominated by three big foreign
players — France’s L’Oreal, Nivea-maker

Beiersdorf of Germany, and Japan’s Rohto,
home of the OXY brand. L’Oreal declined tocomment for this article, while Beiersdorf
and Rohto didn’t immediately respond torequests for comment.
Still, beyond that dominance lies a hefty,
fragmented chunk to be targeted by new
local startups, hoping to emulate the successof Perfect Diary, a red-hot Chinese women’scosmetics brand whose parent raised $617
million in a Nasdaq listing last month.
Among the new breed of male skin carefirms is Coen, founded in September by
Huang Kai, a Xiamen-based entrepreneur
who has shuttered his previous businessselling men’s apparel to focus on the beauty
beat, with goods manufactured by firms in
Guangzhou.
Huang, 31, said sales at Coen — a namethat translates to “scientific and grateful”— topped 1 million yuan in two months
via stores on e-commerce marketplaces. A
120 milliliter bottle of its flagship cleanser,‘Dragon Blood’, retails for 64.90 yuan ($9.90)
on Alibaba’s Tmall platform.
With products like a beard depilatory
cream in the pipeline Huang said he was intalks to raise funds from investors for what
he described as a huge opportunity to tap
new generations more open to skin care.

“There are more than 200 million men born(in China) after 1995,” said Huang.
A half-dozen of this year’s bevy of startups
have together already raised more than 300
million yuan, Huang said, declining to saywhich potential investors he’s talking to.
Bertelmann Asia Investments Vice President Cindy Zhu said her firm has invested in
Shanghai-based men’s skin care company
Just a Cool Brand (JACB), set up this year. Zhu
said the fund believed the growth momentum in China’s cosmetics market wouldcontinue.
“JACB will provide more professional
products that may appropriately meetthe skin care requirements of Chinesemen,” said Zhu. JACB was not reachable forcomment.
According to the CB Insights database,meanwhile, Redpoint Ventures and SIG
Asia have invested in Make Essense, based inShenzhen. Make Essense, SIG and Redpoint
did not respond to Reuters’ inquiries.
One major hurdle for the new breed ofChinese suppliers will be persuading customers who have used well-known foreign
brands for years to switch over to them.
Education worker Hou, for instance, said
he doesn’t use new domestic goods, optingfor brands like France’s Guerlain and La Mer
instead. “These products are used on yourface so I don’t want to try brands I haven’t
heard of,” he said.
But others remain open to the possibility.
University student Liu Yuxuan, 22, typicallyuses Clinique and Estee Lauder but would
consider domestic brands that offer value formoney. “Chinese brands are more down-toearth,” said Liu.
One avenue of possibility for domestic
brands could be to expand into color cosmetics like eye shadow — still a niche but
growing segment, according to JD.com andAlibaba numbers.
“Most men’s products are boring,” said
Hou.
“Why won’t brands give us men moreinnovative products? Like women I alsoneed skin care to maintain moisture andlook white. I will buy if they are good!”

Kenya National Day Special
Election to UN Security Council seat a highlight of challenging year
FESTUS M. WANGWECHARGE D’A FFAIRES, A.I

Today, Dec. 12
marks the 57th
independence
anniversary of theRepublic of Kenya,
Jamhuri Day. At theonset, I wish to convey warm greetingsand best wishes
to Their Majesties
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako,
H.E. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, thegovernment and friendly people of Japanon behalf of the government and Kenyansin Japan.
Kenya and Japan enjoy excellent relations that span over five decades. ToKenya, Japan is a true friend and reliable
partner. Our bilateral cooperation isanchored on the key pillars of infrastructure and private sector development;
agriculture; the environment; water andsanitation; human resource development
and health. This partnership is in tandemwith our national economic blueprint,
Kenya Vision 2030 and H.E President
Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda.
Our relations have continued to thrive
over the years, demonstrated by constanthigh-level visits and consultations. Lastyear, Kenyatta led a delegation of government officials and private sector leaders toThe Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development Summit. A

bilateral meeting between our president
and Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe further strengthened our partnership. The president and first lady madean official visit to Japan to witness theenthronement of His Majesty Emperor
Naruhito on Oct. 22, 2019.
While reflecting on the upward trajectory of our relations, we note with appreciation the government of Japan’s support
toward implementing flagship Vision
2030 projects that include the development of quality infrastructure such as theexpansion and modernization of MomThis content wascompiled in collaboration with theembassy. The views
expressed here do
not necessarilyreflect those of thenewspaper.

basa Port and allied infrastructure including the Dongo Kundu Special Economic
Zone. Once completed, the zone will serve
as a regional logistics, industrial and commercial hub. Geothermal power development at Olkaria is another landmark
project, with installed capacity of 700megawatts, making Kenya Africa’s top
geothermal power producer.
Kenya’s commitment to the principles
and ideals of the U.N. has been resoluteand consistent, particularly on mattersof peace and security, sustainable development and climate change. It is against

Congratulations
to the People of
the Republic of Kenyaon the Anniversary of
Their Independence

this backdrop that Kenya submitted hercandidature for a nonpermanent seat on
the U.N. Security Council for the period
2021 to 2022. Kenya obtained overwhelming endorsement by the AfricanUnion, which was reaffirmed during the33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly ofHeads of State and Government that took
place in Addis Ababa in February. During
elections in June, Kenya was elected andis committed to playing a more significant
role in the pursuit of world peace andsecurity.
This year saw the emergence and rapid

spread of the coronavirus pandemic thathas led to an unprecedented loss of life,
global economic slow-down and thepostponement of major events including
the 2020 Olympic Games. Kenya’s government has put in place a series of publichealth measures to stem the spread of
COVID-19. The 8-Point Economic Stimulus Programme is aimed at reinvigorating
the economy by supporting vulnerable
Kenyans and micro and small enterprises.
Kenya has collaborated with Japan in
the fight against this pandemic. Kenya
appreciates Japan’s recent support

Congratulations
to the People of
the Republic of Kenyaon the Anniversary ofamounting to more than ¥9 billion. A testament to the progressive nature of Kenya
and Japan relations is the enhanced
capacity of the Kenya Medical ResearchInstitute (KEMRI) achieved throughcooperation with the Japan International
Cooperation Agency. Today, KEMRI is at
the forefront of Kenya’s combined efforts
to combat the pandemic.
In line with the ongoing global campaign to tackle the pandemic, I call on
Kenyans in Japan and the people ofJapan to keep safe and have a happy
Jamhuri Day.

Congratulations
to the People of
the Republic of Kenyaon the Anniversary of
Their Independence

Their Independence
from the president and staff of
Kenya’s Cabinet
Secretary Amb.
Raychelle Omamo
and Japan’s Foreign
Minister Toshimitsu
Motegi in Paris onOct. 1 MOFA

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