Brand renewal: Sinn Purete taps into regenerative powers of starfish for new anti-ageing skin care line

Sinn Purete was founded in 2005 under John Masters Organics. In 2020, the brand was transferred to Japanese companies Anais Co. and Jimos Co. that jointly operate the brand today.

This year, Sinn Purete underwent a rebranding and was relaunched in June as a mindful beauty brand.

This led to a revitalisation of its skin care portfolio. Among the new lines, the brand developed a new premium ageing care series.

The brand had previously engaged with its consumers and found that one of their concerns with organic and natural skin care was its effectiveness, especially when it comes to anti-ageing skin care.

“While organic products are gentle on the skin, they have the image of being less effective. To wipe it out, we based our products on thorough research. We reviewed the raw materials, inherited the good parts of organic, pursued a better sense of effect, and incorporated science and technology for the optimum harmony,” ​said Michiko Yahata, brand manager of Sinn Purete.

The company settled on the use of a starfish extract, known as Juventide, from Quebec-based ingredient company Innovactiv.

The extract, said Innovactiv, was a coelomic fluid collected from starfish without harming the creature or removing them from the ocean, ensuring the preservation of our marine ecosystem for future generations.

Coelomic fluid is what gives starfishes the remarkable ability to regenerate themselves. As it has little to no defence against predators, and it is its capacity to regenerate that has allowed starfish to survive and colonise in every marine environment.

According to Innovactiv, this extract has several anti-ageing effects, including wrinkle reduction and elasticity improvement. It is also considered an alternative to retinol.

The company is currently focused on its home market, but it is also considering new overseas market opportunities.

In the meantime, it is working to reinforce its product portfolio and is set to launch more products this year, including two facial creams in the fourth quarter.

“We will continue to value natural ingredients, functionality, practicality, and femininity to embody a clean and beautiful image of a woman who lives actively while supporting the fulfilment of physical, mental, emotional, and happiness,” ​said Yahata.

Mind and body

The rebranding was heavily influenced by the concept of mindfulness and self-care, which have become highly relevant in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“One of the backgrounds of our renewal is our living environment, which has changed drastically in the past year due to the coronavirus disaster and the accelerating digital society,”​ said Yahata.

As part of the rebrand, the brand developed a three-step beauty ritual based on the concept of self-care and mindfulness. The ritual begins with meditation with aromatherapy, which it believes can help to prepare the mind for the day

“Now we need to control our mental balance more than ever. COVID-19 has given people anxiety, discrimination, and loneliness. The idea of mindfulness is to calm people's anxiety. By advocating mindful beauty, which is a combination of skin care and mindfulness, we hope to change the daily skin care time to a mindful state,” ​said Yahata.

The company collaborated with Professor Mitsukura of Keio University to study the effects of fragrance on the mind and the skin. This led to the development a range of body and room fragrances which claim offer mental benefits such as relaxation and positivity.