SK-II (pronounced S-K-Two) is a Japanese cosmetics brand launched in 1980. It is owned by parent company Procter & Gamble (P&G) and is sold and marketed as a premium skin care solution in East Asia as well as North America, South America, Europe and Australia.
Video SK-II
History
SK-II was developed in the 1970s by Japanese scientists investigating the use of more naturally derived ingredients. According to P&G, a monk observed that elderly workers at a sake brewery had smooth, clear and young-looking hands from years of submerging them in the fermented yeast, and the rejuvenating ingredient pitera was eventually isolated for cosmetic use. P&G acquired the brand with its purchase of Max Factor in 1991 and expanded its sale from Japan to Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, in 2000 to the UK, and subsequently to the US, restricting initial sales to a few high-end stores where "consultants" introduced customers to the brand.
Maps SK-II
Brand ambassadors and spokespersons
The brand is represented by professional actresses such as Tang Wei, Haruka Ayase, Ni Ni and Kasumi Arimura. Japanese actress Kaori Momoi is one of the longest running of these; she is said to have been using SK-II products for more than 20 years. In the UK, Stella Tennant was the brand spokesperson in the early 2000s.
In 2017, SK-II partnered with several social influencers including supermodel Behati Prinsloo, K-Pop singer Choi Soo Young and fashion icon Chiara Ferragni.
Controversies in China
In April 2005, P&G agreed to pay a 200,000 yuan fine after a customer in China alleged inaccurate advertising of an SK-II product and that it had caused an allergic reaction. In September 2006, traces of neodymium and chromium were found in SK-II products sold in China. Both are banned in cosmetics, and can cause allergic dermatitis and eczema. P&G China withdrew several products, while requiring consumers to sign a "safe product" agreement releasing P&G from liability in order to return those they had bought. By the end of that week, P&G had suspended sales of the brand altogether in China and closed its sales counters there, instituting a hotline for refund applications. SK-II sales were also suspended for approximately two weeks in South Korea, resuming after authorities announced the products were safe. P&G announced it would resume selling the products in China in late 2006.
References
External links
- SK-II Global homepage
Source of article : Wikipedia
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