‘Condensed’ skin care: Orbis set to launch first dedicated range for mature consumers in February

Orbis is a mid-range skin care brand from beauty conglomerate Pola Orbis Holdings that has been focusing its product launches on pro-ageing skin care with product lines such as Orbis U and Orbis U dot.

The upcoming Orbis Amber range is the brand’s first skin care line-up that is dedicated to consumers in their 60s. This sector is relatively untapped but important especially in hyper-aged societies like Japan.

According to the Statistics Bureau of Japan, one in every four persons in Japan Is aged 65 and above. In 2020, this population was 36.19 million and accounted for 28.8% of the population total.

Pola Orbis is not the only company that is targeting the mature beauty market. Fellow J-beauty major Shiseido has also identified new opportunities in this segment and has launched products under brands such as Prior and Elixir to meet those needs.

With this new range, Pola Orbis is aiming to achieve sales of JPY500m (USD3.78m) in the first year.

In 2022, Orbis U’s relaunch exceeded initial sales expectations. Within eight days, it racked up approximately JPY230m (USD2.28m) in sales, highlighting the demand for anti-ageing skin care.

According to the firm’s latest financial results, the Orbis U series accounted for 26% of the brand’s sales.

Orbis Amber is scheduled to launch in Japan on February 20 online and in stores nationwide. According to the firm it will subsequently be launched in Singapore, another market with a large ageing population.

Simple steps

The development of Orbis Amber was partly based on a survey conducted by the company from March to May 2021 on 546 consumers in their 60s.

Based on this survey, the majority of respondents (77.9%) expressed an interest in caring for their appearances “no matter how old they are”.​ Orbis noted that this group had a “high sense of beauty” ​and a desire to express themselves regardless of age.

However, skin problems become more complex as we age and the need for more and more products.

According to Orbis, the new skin care range was designed to be smart and easy. The goal was not to over-complicate ageing skin care. As such, the range will launch with only two products: a cream and a pre-serum.

The brand described this as “condensed skin care”​ and emphasised that this two-step beauty regime can efficiently target multiple skin problems such as dullness, blemishes, wrinkles, and dryness.

With Orbis Amber, the brand hopes to fulfil its mission of being a ‘lifelong brand’ that serves consumers throughout their lifespan.