Tokiwa: the story of an exemplary journey

Mr Takafumi Oba, Executive Director of International Sales at Tokiwa, a discreet Japanese company, agreed to answer questions from Full Beauty Suppliers about the prospects and challenges facing his company. For him, it is clear that ‘Tokiwa’s strength in its category stems from a history of continuous development in the field of mechanical pencils, constantly perfecting its filling methods and technologies to meet the evolving needs of its customers and, ultimately, the end consumer. But that’s not all, because Tokiwa’s key strength is also its expertise in developing formulas with packaging and in-house production tools.’
This is the story of an exemplary journey and an extraordinary presence on the market...

Current situation... The group, which employs 1,500 people, has five production plants in Japan in Nakatsugawa, Ochiai, Mizunami, Toki and Komanba It should be noted that in July 2024, Nihon Kolmar Holdings acquired all shares of the Tokiwa Group. Nihon Kolmar Holdings is Japan’s largest cosmetics contract manufacturing (OEM/ODM) group, with TOA Corporation (formerly Nihon Kolmar Corporation) as its subsidiary. TOA Corporation and Tokiwa Corporation operate as equal partners, each pursuing sustainable growth and leveraging their respective strengths in joint initiatives.

Tokiwa’s logistics are currently handled by the Global Logistics Center and Sakamoto Operations Center. . The Group also has factories in China (Kunshan Tokiwa Cosmetics) and the Philippines (Tokiwa Subic Corporation). Commercially, the Group is present in Japan, Tokyo Head Office and Osaka office, the United States, Tokiwa Cosmetics International, in Paris, C.M.C., and in China (Shanghai office).

‘Our product range,’ explains Takafumi Oba, "covers the eyes (mechanical and wooden pencils, liquid eyeliners, mascaras), eyebrows, and also the face (loose powders, compact powders (including wet/suspension technologies), foundations, bases), not to mention lips (lipsticks, liquid lipsticks, lip pencils). We also provide comprehensive full-service solutions (OEM/ODM) that include formulation, packaging design, manufacturing and filling. Our customers are mainly based in Japan, the United States, Europe and throughout Asia. »

It should be noted that Tokiwa’s Global Technology Center is located in the vicinity of Tokyo. It is the innovation and research hub responsible for developing new technologies for cosmetic packaging and formulas. This site houses a research laboratory, a quality testing centre, a packaging engineering centre and a development centre, with over 100 employees working across these different functions.

A history dating back 78 years!

Tokiwa’s history dates back to 1948! The Japanese firm entered the cosmetics industry in 1969 with an all-metal mechanical pencil featuring a refillable lead system. In 1979, the company’s managers developed this product further with the use of a metal cartridge that prevents users from getting their hands dirty when replacing the lead. 1984 saw the launch of an all-plastic cartridge pencil that made the technology more accessible by reducing costs without, according to the company’s managers, ‘sacrificing quality’. 1989 saw the release of a 1.8 ml felt-tip pen, the Dial Pen, which allowed users to dispense liquid formulas by turning a simple wheel.
‘Then, in 1991, we developed a customisable mechanical pencil system,’ explains Takafumi Oba, ‘which allows interchangeable applicators and double-ended configurations, offering unprecedented versatility in product design.’
In 1996, a dip brush pen was launched. In 1997, the group introduced a 3-in-1 mechanical pencil that demonstrated the viability of multifunctional products. Three years later, in 1999, the company unveiled an airtight mechanical pencil that allowed the use of volatile formulas and paved the way for gel-type textures. 2003 saw the launch of a liquid eyeliner with a reservoir. Three years later, the Group released its Katana eyebrow pencil, equipped with a special sharpener that preserves the unique shape of the lead.
In 2009, the company launched its 3-Dot eyeliner, featuring three fine 1 mm tips designed to precisely fill in the spaces between lashes, followed two years later by the release of the Direct Fill pencil, which allows for the creation of ultra-soft, long-lasting eyeliners.
‘In 2014,’ says Takafumi Oba, "we launched the Gel Eyeliner Pen, featuring a soft applicator specially designed to work with highly volatile gel formulas, followed in 2016 by the 4 Colour Pen, featuring a sliding mechanism that allows you to select and use leads filled directly into tubes. "
Finally, in 2022, the Group released its new Katana Brow Pencil, designed to mimic the sharpness of an eyebrow pencil sharpened like a sword, and in 2024, an ultra-precise eyebrow pencil with a special protective mechanism to prevent it from breaking.
‘Our strength lies in integration and our manufacturing capabilities,’ insists Takafumi Oba. "If we are able to continue innovating at this pace, it is thanks to our unique strength in integrating formula development and packaging. By combining this design synergy with our own manufacturing capabilities, we can achieve highly complex mechanisms. This enables us to provide high-quality, reliable solutions by ensuring that even the most demanding specifications are reliably mass-produced. ‘

The ‘Cushion’ trend is more relevant than ever!

After closely observing the trend in Cushion development in Korea, the Japanese firm decided to differentiate itself by focusing on improving product quality and leveraging its expertise in formula manufacturing to refine their stability.
‘We have seen a significant shift in the market towards “skinification”,’ explains Takafumi Oba, "where consumers are looking for make-up products that act as skin care and are demanding personalised products.
Standard monochrome cushions offered good coverage, but could not simultaneously address specific skin concerns (such as redness or dullness) or deliver targeted benefits in a single step. To solve this problem, we developed Multi-Color Cushion technology. Going beyond standard monochrome sponges, we created an exclusive filling technology that allows us to combine up to four colours in a single compact, mixing colour-correcting shades with foundation in designs such as marbles or logos. We achieve this precision because we do not rely on standard machines; we develop the formula, packaging and filling lines in unison."

Benefits offered by this new innovation:
– Customisation: users can blend colours on the powder puff to refine the finish according to their daily skin condition (e.g. green for redness, pink for brightness).
– High-performance formula: responding to the
‘skinification’ trend. This technology stably incorporates
high-performance ingredients such as niacinamide and dipotassium glycyrrhizate, as well as a non-chemical SPF 50+.
– Packaging synergy: to protect these advanced formulas, the Japanese firm has developed a new compact, airtight case. It surpasses standard market options in terms of airtightness, ensuring optimal freshness and performance.

Environment: the ‘Tokiwa Green’ programme

The Group’s development is obviously focused on sustainability. Through its Tokiwa Green Beauty programme, the company is working to develop the next generation of eco-friendly mechanical pencils using refill systems, as well as developing new materials and promoting recyclability. "We are currently working on a 100% plastic-free, paper-based pencil. But for us, sustainability as we practise it is not simply a response to new laws; it has been part of our DNA since we launched our first refillable pencil in 1969. We are currently accelerating our developments in order to comply with PPWR-type regulations.
We are working within the framework of the ‘Tokiwa Sustainable Beauty’ programme and, more specifically with regard to packaging, as I mentioned in the context of ‘Tokiwa Green Beauty’, with a clear objective: 60% of all our packaging will be sustainable (using recycled or biomass-derived materials) by 2030.

Refillable systems represent one of our core strengths, built on a long history of development in this field. We continue to deepen our expertise by developing new intuitive mechanisms that encourage consumers to keep the main component for longer.
We are extremely sensitive to changes in material regulations. As part of this commitment, we are actively converting our catalogue to be ABS-free, replacing it with more sustainable alternatives.
We are also continuing to develop products using eco-friendly materials and mono-materials, which
simplifies the identification process in recycling streams.
Furthermore, we are not only updating our own products, but also actively helping our customers to achieve their sustainability goals in terms of PCR levels.
When it comes to formulations, we have also been working to address the issue of plastics. Since
microplastics have become a topic of global interest, we have been actively working to reduce and replace them in our formulations with sustainable alternatives, ensuring compliance without compromising performance.

SLURRY POWDERS, A STEP AHEAD!

The Japanese firm established its manufacturing capability for ‘Slurry’ powders many years ago and continues to develop and refine this technology.

Main advantages:
・Sensory texture: they create a creamy and ‘soft’ texture (similar to that of mochi) that dry powders cannot reproduce.
・High adhesion: the wet process allows for superior adhesion to the skin and a non-powdery finish.
・High pearl content: it allows for the use of much larger quantities of pearls and glitter without the product breaking down.
・Tool-free patterns: While the dry process requires the creation of specialised moulds for multi-colour filling, the wet process exploits bulk surface tension to achieve a wide variety of patterns.

History of Slurry innovation:
Following the same approach as for mechanical pencils, Tokiwa developed the formula, packaging and filling lines in-house.
This integrated approach was carried out in several stages:
1986: Start of large-scale production of monochrome dome-shaped powders. In order to adapt to the dome shape, engineers determined that wet pressing technology was the most suitable.
1987: Development of mosaic-patterned eye shadow, establishing multicolour artistic expression technology.
1990: Launch of multicolour face powder, featuring a patented method.
1990: Development of marbled dome powder.
1992: Launch of multicoloured striped pattern eyeshadows.
The company is currently focusing on its ‘Tokiwa Clean Beauty’ programme, which is dedicated to creating products that are good for people. Engineers are actively researching new ingredients to advance their formulations, particularly by developing talc-free and microplastic-free options that meet their high performance standards.