Green impact: O’right sees ‘perfect opportunity’ to succeed in Japan as sustainability awareness rises

The zero-carbon beauty brand has unveiled its first-ever Japanese stores in Isetan Shinjuku and Yurakucho Marui 0101 in the midst of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

CEO Steven Ko admitted that this was a ‘bold move’ on the company’s part given the pandemic situation.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic going on in the world, and the fact that Japan is one of the largest markets for cosmetics and personal care products across the globe, it is indeed a challenging decision we made, putting ourselves right in the middle of a highly competitive market.”​

However, he believes this is the right time for the brand to make its entry.

“The key theme of the 2020 Olympic Games, which has been postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic, was sustainability. In my opinion, it looks like the perfect opportunity for Japan to spark sustainability conversations and COVID-19 is the wake-up call the Japanese government and people desperately need to see the connection between health and sustainability,” ​Ko explained.

By entering the market right now, the company hopes to be ahead of the curve when the 2020 Olympics event brings sustainability to the forefront.

“This is a chance to show the world, before the Olympic Games kick off next year, that a post-pandemic Japan is capable of creating a sustainable society. And this is what gives us the upper hand when we take Japan’s beauty industry by storm,”​ said Ko.

Despite the difficult market conditions, Ko told CosmeticsDesign-Asia ​that he is confident that the brand will do well in the market.

“I still firmly believe that O’right will be able to touch the hearts of consumers in Japan and make a real difference with our green values, products and actions despite the challenges. I am confident that we will resonate with Japanese consumers and shine out from competitors in the industry.”​

He noted that the brand’s strengths lie in Its ‘commitment to high quality and standards’, ​which has earned it worldwide acclaim with award such as the Sustainable Beauty Awards and Green World Awards.

“As a small Taiwanese brand, we proved that we can do so much more and be so much bigger. With this advantage, we enter the Japanese market and stand alongside other international brands.”​

He continued: “Founded on Taiwan’s friendly relations with Japan, we hope that we can truly make a green impact in the country that is considered one of the key players in cosmetics. We are looking forward to bringing something different to the Japanese beauty industry with our sustainable goals and green products.”​

Expanding its green footprint​

The company has been expanding overseas since 2012 by working with international distributors.

The firm celebrated its first overseas concept store in Saudi Arabia in 2018.

However, it has been focusing on building its professional salon business in the global market in the past few years.

Moving forward, the company plans to gain more foothold in overseas retail markets.

“We are also planning to open our second O’right Concept Store in Saudi Arabia as we continue to develop our retail channels to add visibility and broaden our customer reach.”​

Additionally, by expanding more overseas, the brand hopes to spread its vision of a green and sustainable world.

“Because of the current situation the world is in, countries must unite, and companies must come together in order to make sustainability a reality. We should all work together and share more and put this above competition,” said Ko.