During a dinner at the Cuckoo Club earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting with an innovative entrepreneur with a vision of his own in the world of men’s beauty and grooming: Asim Akhtar. This morning, I passed by his company’s office on Hanover Square and discovered his unique range of skincare products for men and the fascinating world of the brand in question: Kyoku for Men.
Kyoku means Climax in Japanese, and having grown up within the world of beauty himself, for Akhtar, the launch of Kyoku this year was the output of a life-long work in assisting the development of well established beauty brands in the market.
As he traveled around the world in search of new inspirations to support his vision for a scientifically superior skincare regime for men around the world, he discovered an intriguing Japanese village called Yuzuri Hara, the ‘village of long life’, where the over-eighty bracket, representing a much higher than usual 10% of the population, is particularly well preserved, free of diseases and of impeccable skin condition.
After research, work and testing on the discovery, the secret of Kyoku was born: combining active natural ingredients that the villagers use in both their skin care rituals and diets with the now patented cutting edge Kyoku Micro-Particle Technology. This is how the Kyoku for Men products, by penetrating deep into the skin and increasing collagen synthesis, lead to a long lasting change in the collagen support structure, resulting in an improved appearance of male skin from inside out.
The secret has now grown into a full range of truly modern luxury cosmetic products for men, available in London’s The Refinery, Harrods and Harvey Nichols, with price ranging from £11 to £43. In fact, I am delighted to have just switched over myself to Kyoku’s offering for my grooming schedule this Autumn.
And something we particularly admire is when a brand manages to promote a better lifestyle and a higher spirit through its offering. Kyoku does exactly that as the brand follows the Japanese tradition in all its spectrum by taking the example of Japan’s ritual philosophy: “The key to a balanced life is the power of rituals” — or in other words the need to devote time and concentration to daily activities, a valuable tip in fast-paced modern life. Below is Kyoku’s ritual recommendation: the Ritual of Kirei.
The ritual goes in three steps:
I – Cleanse
“The Daily Facial Cleanser contains peppermint leaf to awaken and clear your mind and green tea leaf to clear your skin of dirt, oil and pollutants. The process of cleansing also increases circulation, bringing blood to the surface of your skin, promoting skin cell regeneration and therefore improving your skin’s texture and radiance.”
II – Scrub
“Exfoliating is a slightly deeper cleanse for the skin. The Kyoku Exfoliating Facial Scrub contains volcanic ash to deep clean pores as well as Japanese Adzuki beans and walnut shells to gently exfoliate the skin. These ingredients remove dead skin cells and ingrown hairs that can clog pores and result in a dull, tired appearance.”
III – Fuel
“The final step of the Kirei ritual is the moisturising phase. The skin is approximately 70% water, so exposed to the sun, wind and pollution, your skin dries out, resulting in a loss of collagen and reduction of elasticity and firmness. Therefore, it is essential to maintain the water content of skin through adequate hydration, leading to a steady reduction in fine lines and wrinkles. Kyoku Facial Moisturiser is an all-in-one everyday moisturiser that combines UV protection (SPF 15) to protect, antioxidants to detoxify, and essential herbs to nourish skin into a heightened state of vitality.”
Kirei is Japanese for beauty, and true beauty is a mythical Japanese ideal – a harmony of spirit and form: an outer manifestation of the inner self. We believe Kyoku is successful not only in its approach to groundbreaking products that take their source in history and tradition, but in the unique marriage between luxury and philosophy of life. As suggested in the ‘Identity for Innovation‘ video on the Kyoku website, “Most days, we dont take the time to look around, but sometimes a glimpse of beauty reminds us that each of these moments are precious. Strength is not the same as resilience. The moments you get to others are the ones that make your heart richer”.
Good information posted. I would always say, skin care is not only for the women, but also for the men. Nice content. Thanks for posting.