Food products list nutritional content. Pharmaceuticals specify active ingredient amounts. So why are cosmetics the only category that doesn't disclose formulation quantities?
This isn't about individual brands — it's a structural problem across the entire industry.
Three Reasons They Don't Disclose
1. Intellectual property protection — Formulations are a company's competitive advantage. There are legitimate concerns that disclosing concentrations is essentially handing your recipe to competitors.
2. Regulations don't require it — Japan's Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act mandates full ingredient lists, but does not require concentration disclosure. If it's not mandatory, the industry standard is not to share it.
3. Marketing inconvenience — If actual concentrations were made public, the "contains" marketing strategy would lose its power. For many brands, ambiguity has become part of the business model.
A Shift Toward Transparency
However, signs of change are emerging. Led by international brands, a growing number of companies are disclosing the concentrations of key ingredients. An era where consumers "choose based on what's inside" is approaching.
What You Can Start Doing Today
1. Actively choose brands that disclose concentrations — Consumer choices have the power to reshape the industry.
2. Ask "Why don't you disclose?" — Raising your voice for transparency on social media and in reviews makes a difference.
3. Make information-based decisions — Treat undisclosed information as "unknown" and don't factor it into your purchasing decisions. That discipline matters too.