Issue 01 Vol. 01 · Spring / Summer 2026

The Edit.

21 pieces of Japanese skincare, organized as the rituals they're meant to support — not as a list of products on a shelf.

21 Pieces
06 Rituals
04 Standards
洗
手
新
Index i. Cleanse ii. Treat iii. Renew iv. Sensitive v. Hair vi. Body
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Ritual i. sosogi · the act of cleansing

Cleanse — the foundation.

06 pieces

The Japanese approach to cleansing is gentler than what most Western routines accept as default. The goal is not to strip; it is to lift, to soften, to leave the skin's barrier alone. Six products, ordered from the most beginner-friendly to the most specific.

No. 01 Weekly KEANA Baking Soda
Ishizawa Lab · Powder format

KEANA Baking Soda Scrub Wash.

If you've never used a Japanese scrub, start here. The formula is unusually fine — it polishes without the grit you feel in Western scrubs. The packaging is dated. The product isn't.

For

Combination or oily skin, congested pores

Not for

Sensitive or compromised barriers, daily use

AED 110.00 Read & buy
No. 02 Daily KEANA Baking Soda
Ishizawa Lab · Foam format

KEANA Baking Soda Face Foam.

The gentler cousin to the scrub wash. Same Keana chemistry in a cream-foam that suits drier skin, or anyone who finds physical exfoliants too much. The cleanser I'd recommend to most people first.

For

All skin types. Beginner-friendly.

Not for

Those who prefer balm or oil cleansers

AED 99.00 Read & buy
No. 03 Daily KEANA Face Foam
Ishizawa Lab · Foam format · Men

KEANA Face Foam For Men.

Same Ishizawa chemistry, reformulated for higher sebum and post-shave skin. Stronger than the standard foam, with a clean barbershop scent that rinses away rather than lingering.

For

Male skin, oily or combination, post-gym

Not for

Sensitive skin, fragrance sensitivity

AED 99.00 Read & buy
No. 04 Daily KEANA
Ishizawa Lab · Gel cleanser

KEANA Cleansing Gel.

A makeup remover that does more than remove makeup. The gel-to-emulsion texture is one of those small Japanese formulation details Western brands haven't matched. Melts foundation and SPF in one pass.

For

Anyone wearing daily SPF or long-wear makeup

Not for

Those who prefer balm-format cleansers

AED 99.00 Read & buy
No. 05 Daily KEANA Baking Soda
Ishizawa Lab · Cleansing bar

KEANA Baking Soda Soap.

The cult bar of the Keana line. It looks like nothing — a small white bar in plastic. Japanese consumers have bought it for years, for reasons that become obvious after a week. Works on the body too.

For

Combination or oily skin, back and chest congestion

Not for

Very dry or sensitive skin

AED 65.00 Read & buy
No. 06 Daily KEANA Baking Soda
Ishizawa Lab · Cleansing bar · Men

KEANA Baking Soda Soap For Men.

The men's version — slightly stronger, fresher scent, built for the sebum patterns of male skin. The only honest men's cleansing bar I've tested that does something different from the women's, instead of just changing the wrapper.

For

Male skin, face and body, post-gym

Not for

Sensitive skin

AED 65.00 Read & buy
A note on order

The order matters more than the count. Six products applied in the right sequence will outperform twelve applied haphazardly — every time.

From the Curator
手
Ritual ii. teate · the act of treating

Treat — the weekly work.

04 pieces

Daily care maintains. Weekly treatment shifts. Four masks and packs that earn their place not because they promise transformation, but because the small, repeatable improvements they deliver compound quietly over months.

No. 07 Weekly KEANA
Ishizawa Lab · Sheet mask

KEANA Tightening Mask.

I'm cautious about sheet masks — most are vehicles for forgettable essence at high prices. This one earned its place because the cucumber-and-pineapple combination genuinely tightens visible pores in the short term.

For

Pre-event prep, summer use, visible pore concerns

Not for

Pineapple or bromelain sensitivity

AED 75.00 Read & buy
No. 08 Weekly KEANA
Ishizawa Lab · Sheet mask · Men

KEANA Men's Mask.

A men's sheet mask sounds like a marketing exercise, and most are. This one is cut for the larger surface area of male faces, and the formula leans toward sebum control rather than brightening. Practical, not gimmicky.

For

Male skin, post-shave roughness, pore congestion

Not for

Sensitive skin during a flare-up

AED 75.00 Read & buy
No. 09 Weekly KEANA
Ishizawa Lab · Sheet mask

KEANA Rice Mask.

Rice has been a Japanese beauty ingredient for centuries — long before TikTok found it. Properly formulated, made with 100% Japanese-grown rice. The sheet stays saturated. Skin still feels hydrated four hours later.

For

Dry, dehydrated, or mature skin

Not for

Rice allergies (rare, but worth flagging)

AED 55.00 Read & buy
No. 10 Weekly KEANA
Ishizawa Lab · Wash-off pack

KEANA Rice Pack.

The wash-off cousin to the rice sheet mask, and the format that's harder to find outside Japan. This is what Japanese friends actually use at home. More flexible than a sheet — use it on the T-zone alone if you want.

For

Dry or combination skin, texture refinement

Not for

Anyone who prefers the convenience of a sheet

AED 110.00 Read & buy
新
Ritual iii. saisei · the act of renewal

Renew — the long game.

02 pieces

The compounders. One quiet daily moisturizer, and one product that asks considerably more of you in exchange for what it returns. This is the only chapter where I'd actively dissuade some readers from buying.

No. 11 Daily KEANA
Ishizawa Lab · Moisturizer · 30g

KEANA Rice Cream.

The quietest product in the edit, and one of the most consistent. Nothing showy, nothing trending — just the kind of cream you finish a jar of and immediately reorder.

For

Dry or combination skin, daily use

Not for

Very oily skin looking for a gel texture

AED 67.00 Read & buy
No. 20 Nightly KISO Care
KISO Care · No. 035 · Pure retinol

KISO Care Retinol Serum.

Clinical-grade retinol from a Japanese pharmacy brand most of the region has never heard of. Not gentle. If you're new to retinol, start lower — or message me before ordering. The only product here I'd actively dissuade some people from buying.

For

Experienced retinol users, mature skin, photodamage

Not for

Pregnancy, retinol beginners, sensitive skin

AED 185.00 Read & buy
肌
Ritual iv. hada · the skin itself

Sensitive — when the barrier breaks.

03 pieces

Three products from Shiseido's Ihada line — Japan's most-prescribed sensitive-skin range. Deliberately boring formulations that prioritise barrier integrity over active ingredients. Not glamorous. The ones that work when nothing else does.

No. 13 Daily IHADA
Shiseido · Ihada · No-foam cleanser

IHADA Milk Cleanser.

The cleanser to use when your skin is already in trouble. No lather, no surfactant aggression — it lifts makeup and SPF without disturbing a barrier that's already struggling.

For

Reactive skin, flare-ups, post-procedure recovery

Not for

Heavy makeup needing a thorough double cleanse

AED 130.00 Read & buy
No. 12 Daily IHADA
Shiseido · Ihada · Medicated lotion

IHADA Medicated Lotion.

The toner I recommend more than any other in the edit. High-purity petrolatum in a lightweight lotion — the product Japanese dermatologists prescribe when Western toners with alcohol and acids have made things worse.

For

Sensitive, reactive, eczema-prone skin. Daily, AM and PM.

Not for

Oily skin wanting a clarifying toner

AED 130.00 Read & buy
No. 14 Daily IHADA Face
Shiseido · Ihada · SPF 40 · PA++++

IHADA Face Protect Powder.

I tested six Japanese SPFs before stocking one. In UAE heat, liquid SPF slides and cream SPF ruins makeup on reapplication. This powder reapplies cleanly, at Japan's highest UVA rating.

For

Daily outdoor exposure, midday top-ups, sensitive skin

Not for

Your only SPF — use a cream in the morning, this to reapply

AED 100.00 Read & buy
髪
Ritual v. kami · the hair ritual

Hair — better than luxury, at a fifth the price.

03 pieces

Japanese drugstore hair care has quietly outperformed salon pricing for decades. Three treatments that prove it. The Fino mask is the all-rounder; the Himawari is for hair that has been through more.

No. 15 Weekly Fino Premium Touch
Shiseido · Fino · Hair mask · 230g

Fino Premium Touch Hair Mask.

The best value-per-result product in the entire edit. Japan's best-selling hair mask for years running, at a fraction of salon pricing. Use sparingly — too much and you get the opposite effect.

For

Dry, damaged, coloured, or heat-styled hair

Not for

Very fine hair that flattens easily

AED 45.00 Read & buy
No. 16 Daily Fino Premium Touch
Shiseido · Fino · Leave-in oil

Fino Premium Touch Hair Oil.

The daily counterpart to the mask. Lighter than the packaging suggests — it doesn't grease, doesn't build up, and doesn't look heavy in next-day hair. The pump makes dosing easier than dropper-style oils.

For

All hair types, especially medium to thick

Not for

Very fine hair — use less, or choose a serum

AED 45.00 Read & buy
No. 17 Weekly HIMAWARI
Kracie · Dear Beauté · Oil-in treatment mask

HIMAWARI Treatment Mask.

A hair treatment I almost didn't include — until I tested it against three more expensive ones, including the Fino. It outperformed all of them on coarse, frizz-prone, or chemically treated hair.

For

Coarse, frizzy, or chemically treated hair

Not for

Fine hair — the Fino mask is the better fit

AED 85.00 Read & buy
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Ritual vi. karada · the body ritual

Body — the rest of the routine.

03 pieces

The non-face daily ritual — shower, body, lips. Three products that elevate a routine without complicating it. The two &honey washes pair seasonally; the lip balm earns its slot because it actually gets used.

No. 19 Daily &honey Body Wash
VICREA · &honey · Body wash · Sakura

&honey Body Wash Sakura Cherry.

The pink one. Spring-coded, brighter, my summer-mornings shower. Triple-honey base under a Japanese cherry blossom composition — lighter and fresher than the osmanthus.

For

All skin types, daily use, summer rotation

Not for

Fragrance-sensitive skin

AED 89.00 Read & buy
No. 18 Daily &honey Body Wash
VICREA · &honey · Body wash · Osmanthus

&honey Body Wash Osmanthus Honey.

The golden one. Deeper, warmer, my autumn-and-winter shower. It opens on honey and dries down on osmanthus — the apricot-and-tea note the flower is known for. More grown-up than the sakura.

For

All skin types, evening showers, cooler months

Not for

Anyone who finds sweeter notes overwhelming

AED 89.00 Read & buy
No. 21 Daily Oh! Baby
House of Rose · Sugar-scrub lip balm

Oh! Baby Lip Balm.

The smallest product in the edit, and one of the most underrated. Lip balms are the category I'm most cynical about — most are dressed-up petroleum. This one isn't. The kind that gets finished, not abandoned in a drawer.

For

All lip types, lip prep before matte lipstick

Not for

Anyone wanting a completely tint-free balm

AED 99.00 Read & buy
A short ritual, not a regimen

The Starter Set.

If you don't know where to begin, this is where I'd point you. Three products from the Edit — a cleanser, a treatment, and a moisturizer — paired together cleanly.

Less effective in isolation. The ritual is the point. The smallest possible introduction to Japanese skincare done correctly.

See the Starter Set
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Starter Set
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21 pieces, this season. More when the right ones surface.

The Edit is a working list — revised quarterly, narrowed when needed, expanded only when something earns the slot. If a product you're looking for isn't here, it's not an oversight. It's an answer.

The Curator