"ASIA BEAUTYTECH AWARDS 2026": Nine finalists announced!
November 19, 2026 (Thu): Grand prix and runner-up prizes to be decided at the pitch contest
istyle Inc. (President and Representative Director: Hajime Endo) has launched "ASIA BEAUTYTECH AWARDS 2026," the first Asia-wide awards program to recognize beauty tech innovation in Asia, and has selected nine companies as finalists. The grand prix, runner-up prizes, and other awards will be decided at the pitch and networking event, to be held on November 19, 2026 (Thu), by invitation only.
◼️ASIA BEAUTYTECH AWARDS 2026 -- What It Is
The awards, previously held as the "Japan BeautyTech Awards" since 2019, are being expanded this year to five markets in Asia: Japan, Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The program is open to a wide range of "products," "services," "technologies," and "projects" offered by companies and projects operating in any of the five markets, within the beauty field (including related fields such as healthcare and fashion) or expected in future to work in collaboration with it. The selection committee will make an overall judgment of the companies and projects it considers to be particularly outstanding as "innovation that makes people happy," and these will be honored.
◼️Official website
https://asiabeautytechawards.com
The awards drew 101 applications. From among them, nine finalists were selected, five in the Startup Track and four in the Enterprise Track, along with six Innovation Regional Award recipients.
At the "ASIA BEAUTYTECH AWARDS 2026" pitch and networking event / awards ceremony, to be held on November 19, 2026 (Thu), the grand prix and the runner-up prize will each be selected from among the finalists in each track, along with the judges' award and the audience award. The Innovation Regional Awards will also be announced. The event will be reported on in detail on BeautyTech.jp and @cosme for BUSINESS at a later date.
◆Startup Track finalists (companies listed in alphabetical order; the entry name is shown in quotation marks)
Agency for Onsen Resources Inc.
"Craft Onsen"
A patented technology that extracts minerals derived from hot springs at high concentration and reproduces hot spring water at a dilution of approximately 10,000 times. The business spans spas, consumer products, and B2B supply to facilities, delivering Japan's hot spring resources to the global beauty and wellness market.
Algal Bio Co., Ltd.
"Algae Foundry™: Empowering Sustainable Beauty and Wellness Through Microalgae Innovation"
A microalgae biotechnology platform originating at the University of Tokyo. It draws on a library of 100 species and more than 1,260 strains, providing end-to-end support from the search for useful compounds through to cultivation and mass production, as well as carbon capture and waste utilization.
BPLANT
"Kurved"
"Kurved" is a brand built around "slow aging," the approach of gently moderating the downward curve of skin aging. The brand has designed an integrated skincare flow from cleansing through UV care and base makeup, and targets people in their 30s and 40s.
Curly Me Co., Ltd.
"Curly Me 'A Hair Culture from Japan, for Curly Hair Across Asia'"
A brand originating in Japan that treats curly hair and natural waves not as something to suppress but as an individual quality to express. Specializing in the hair types, climate, and lifestyles of Asian consumers, it is building a new hair culture through products, education, collaboration with hair stylists, and community.
MAKEMAKE Co., Ltd.
"SOOO: K-Beauty Tech for Water Stress Care"
It defines the impact of water on hair, scalp, and skin -- residual chlorine and the like -- as "water stress." The company has demonstrated chlorine removal performance using proprietary zeolite technology, and is expanding from post-swim care into everyday beauty and environmental stress countermeasures.
◆Enterprise Track finalists (companies listed in alphabetical order; the entry name is shown in quotation marks)
AMOREPACIFIC
"MAKEON RIBO BEAM VOLUME & RIBO BEAM ACTIVE SERUM"
A next-generation beauty technology that combines a riboflavin formulation with blue LED light to promote photochemical cross-linking of collagen and other components. It applies the principle of corneal cross-linking used in medicine, and is being developed for skin firmness and wrinkles, as well as for the lips, hair, and scalp.
Kao Corporation
"Overturning the Conventional Wisdom That Lotion Simply Evaporates -- Water Capturing Skin Technology"
A next-generation moisturizing technology developed exclusively by Kao that captures moisture from the air and water evaporated from the skin, increasing the moisture level of the stratum corneum. It expands the concept of moisturizing from the conventional approach of "supplying and retaining" moisture to one in which the skin makes use of the water around it.
MATLANTIS CORPORATION
"A general-purpose atomistic simulator 'Matlantis'"
A cloud service that uses AI to accelerate atom-level materials simulation by tens of millions of times compared with conventional methods. Because it can computationally evaluate large numbers of candidates before experiments are carried out, it reduces the number of prototype rounds and shortens development timelines in the search for materials, from cosmetic ingredients onward.
YA-MAN LTD.
"Blue Green Mask Lift"
A hands-free mask-type beauty device equipped with EMS and red and blue-green LEDs. Electrodes designed to match the structure of the facial muscles, together with a folding design based on origami, deliver lifting care and light-based beauty treatments while remaining easy to use.
[istyle Inc. Company Profile] https://www.istyle.co.jp/ Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (Securities Code: 3660)
Location: 34F ARK Mori Building, 1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-6034, Japan
Established: July 27, 1999
Capital: ¥8.99 billion
Representative: President and Representative Director: Hajime Endo
Business description: Planning and operation of the beauty portal @cosme, and provision of related advertising services
[Inquiries]
istyle Inc. External Communication Office
Email: istyle-press@istyle.co.jp