Three times a lady

Three times a lady

Yasushi Ishibashi infuses his brand with natural Japanese ingredients and decades of experience

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Three times a lady

It was as simple as one, two, three when Yasushi Ishibashi named his new baby _ Three.

Three founder Yasushi Ishibashi has almost 40 years of experience in the beauty industry.

The veteran cosmetics maker has been in the industry for almost 40 years, working for leading Japanese brands such as Kanebo, RMK and Suqqu before establishing his own company, Acro, which launched as Three in 2009.

The brand's global expansion has begun, and will kick off in Thailand, marketed by Central Marketing Group, with the first Three counter at Central Lardprao department store later this month. Ishibashi was recently in Bangkok to talk about his lucky number, which he says is all about creating a third concept that embraces the positive factors from two opposing concepts.

"For example, natural and chemical products are opposing concepts, and we combine natural ingredients with technology for skincare products that really give results," he said. "Three also refers to a triangle and stability, and we can see that in triangular structures such as a mountain and a pyramid. So it's an auspicious name."

Ishibashi wanted to give women something different in skincare and that led him to travel across Japan in search of natural ingredients. Visiting a tea plantation in Shizuoka, he discovered how seeds were thrown away because they didn't have the same economic value as leaves. Oil extracted from tea seeds is now a signature ingredient in all Three products. Other plant ingredients include ponkan extract from Shizuoka, yuzu seed oil from Kochi, and honeysuckle extract from Hokkaido.

Japan is also famous for its hot springs, and thermal water from Oita was chosen as a key ingredient along with powdered fossilised coral from Yonaguni Island in Okinawa.

"Each ingredient has its own story. The coral reef dates back hundreds of thousand of years, and so is rich in minerals. The coral is made into a calcium-rich drink whereas in cosmetics, we are using it for cleansing and exfoliating products," said Ishibashi. "Each country and culture has its own beauty secret, and Three products are developed based on traditional Japanese ingredients and methods that we want to share with the rest of the world."

He also considered the modern lifestyle, and how today's women face a lot of environmental changes and stress, which requires them to take really good care of themselves. The holistic skincare philosophy is based on achieving a balance of mind, body and skin by using natural ingredients, particularly essential oils.

"The mind affects the body and the condition of the body is reflected on the skin," he said. "Our products actively support the skin by boosting its natural mechanism to enhance its beauty." The Japanese brand worked with universities and research institutions to study the effects of essential oils and botanical extracts on the skin and body, using this evidence to develop cosmetics which are 88% or higher in naturally-derived products.

One of the collaborations led to the development of Conditioning SQ Oil containing a blend of essential oils to help promote restful sleep while the sweet and refreshing citrus scent relaxes the mind and releases the tension to help deep and slow breathing.

Assessing sleep efficiency, the beauty oil decreased the level of physical activity, such as tossing, turning and night-time awakenings, implying that the sleep was deeper and more restful. Higher sleep efficiency also meant it took less time to fall asleep and brought a fresh feeling in the morning.

"Because of the busy lifestyle, we may not be able to get a good night's sleep, which is a golden time for cell repair and skin rejuvenation," said Ishibashi. "The beauty oil supports innate rhythms to bring about quality sleep that enhances a healthy complexion."

Seeing ladies on high heels, he thought of giving them a foot and leg treatment oil featuring essential oils from lemon peel, frankincense, rosemary and eucalyptus radiata. A massage with this oil helps promote blood circulation while moisturising the skin.

Facial skincare includes anti-ageing and skin-balancing treatments while make-up bases also feature organic botanical oils to nourish the skin. Each season, Three rolls out a new make-up collection with the Love is the Answer collection for spring/summer 2013.

"As a man, I can see the beauty which lies within each woman, and Three skincare and make-up products support women in bringing out their natural beauty," Ishibashi said.

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