PSA: No, Mitomo is not a well known brand in Japan (May 28, 2021)

This was originally posted as comments on Reddit on September 3, 2019. I’ve made minor formatting changes and corrections, and added a note at the end, but otherwise haven’t done any editing or updating. I’m leaving the original comments on Reddit, too, because the comment I talk about at the end has me on high alert.

Original post title:

Is Mitomo a well known bran un Japan? I bought this toner from this brand.

Comment I posted on May 27, 2021:

Yes, they are fairly well known Japanese brand

Are you sure? I thought maybe I’m completely oblivious because I’ve never heard of them, so I tried looking them up on @cosme and their products only have 9 reviews at the most. They have 22–23 reviews on two products on Lips, and 16 at the most aside from that. I wouldn’t say they’re well known at all. (I’ve never used any of their products and don’t know whether they’re any good or not, just disagreeing that they’re well known.)

(ETA that having a lot of reviews on those platforms doesn’t always mean it’s well known or popular—there are tons of incentivized reviews out there—but not having a lot would likely mean it’s not famous.)

Comment I posted on May 28, 2021:

To preface this with my own two cents once again, I’ve lived in Japan for a very long time and have never heard of this brand. (I left a comment earlier about there hardly being any reviews in Japanese.)

So, I was looking at this on my phone earlier, and I’m on my computer now. The image was too small for me to notice on my phone, but the Japanese text on the box and bottle are incorrect (it should be ブライトニング, not ブライトイング). It also actually says “toner,” which isn’t a term that’s commonly used in Japan unless it’s in the context of toner cartridges for laser printers. And the last character in “toner” is also a typo (it should be トナー, not トナ—). The word ツヤ comes across as being thrown randomly into a product name that’s otherwise in English.

None of this is 100% solid proof that the product isn’t meant for sale in Japan, but to me it strongly suggests that the Japanese text is only there for decorative purposes, and that it’s primarily targeting consumers who would only be reading the product name in English. (Plus the design overall, as u/turtlesinthesea points out, and the weirdly prominent “Made in Japan” which would usually be printed less noticeably on the back of the packaging.)

I tried looking up the company, and while they seem to be based in Tokyo, they have a whole bunch of international websites (for the US, Europe, UK, and Asia; no links because I don’t really feel comfortable supporting them in any way, based on what I’m finding). The phone number on their global website is in China, and the one on their Asia website is in South Korea. They give two different addresses in Tokyo on their global website; one is a building that seems to house a warehouse and an OEM company that goes by a different name, and the other is an apartment building that has a few commercial tenants.

It took a little bit of effort to find their website for Japan (which I think already proves my point about their probably not targeting Japan), but again, the phone number is in Korea—I suppose it is possible that they’re just outsourcing phone inquiries to call centers in China and Korea, and that they actually are based in Japan—and, interestingly, the address is in Chiba now, not Tokyo. Maybe they’ve just moved in or something, but the photo that comes up in Google Maps suggests that it’s a warehouse that belongs to a paper company. The packaging for the other products on the Japanese website also look very much like they would primarily be sold to tourists here.

EDIT: Just to make sure I’m not making them sound worse than they are, I did find several of their sheet masks on the online store for a major drugstore chain in Japan. Based on that, I would guess that their products are likely safe to use. The biggest issue for me personally is that I’m just not comfortable with any company that seems to capitalize on “Japanese-ness” so blatantly. To quote directly from their global website, the “Japanese are known for commitment to a healthy lifestyle and a particular focus on natural foods as well as cosmetic products. With intensive research, Japanese cosmeticians have uncovered the mystery behind the beauty of Japanese women and their secret of youth.” CRINGE

Again, I’ve never used any of their products and don’t mean to suggest anything about the product quality, but I just thought I would put this out there in case anyone wants to know.

Additional note in 2026: There was a comment on this post that has been hidden since, posted on December 9, 2021:

r/AsianBeauty - Comment by u/One_Investigator539 on ”Is Mitomo a well known bran un Japan? I bought this toner from this brand.”

Awesome product and the even have a soybean toner . They are based out of Chiba Japan. Really love this product. Excellent value makes your skin glow and really refreshing on your face 👍🏾

The account, u/One_Investigator539, only has this comment and this comment alone in their comment history (and no posts). I can’t see the comment when I’m logged in, but it shows up if I’m logged out, if anyone else has the same experience.