FAQ

All Chifure and Ayaka products (as well as their packaging) are labeled to include ingredients, volume and information on the purpose of the product.

It’s our top priority to deliver quality products our customers can use with peace of mind. To achieve this, we’ve been developing fragrance and color-free products, disclosing all the ingredients since 1968. We’ve also been actively engaged in addressing environmental issues from early on.

While it may seem that we produce additive-free products, we prefer not to use that term due to the grey area around what it means. Chifure formulates products with the minimal additives required to ensure quality. We use preservatives, surfactants, mineral oil and tar-based dyes where necessary. All of them have been extensively tested for safety.

Fragrance-free doesn’t actually mean that a product won’t have a scent. Sometimes aroma may be added to mask the smell of the ingredients, but Chifure and Ayaka products don’t contain any added aroma meaning they may give off a natural scent which comes from the moisturizing ingredients or oils they contain.

First it’s important to understand how UV-rays affect the skin. UV-A penetrates the dermic layer of the skin causing it to darken and age prematurely, and UV-B rapidly affects the skin resulting in inflammation and redness. UV-ray protection products have been developed to combat these particular UV-rays.

SPF is short for “Sun Protection Factor”. It’s a measure of how well a product protects the skin from sunburn (reddening from sun exposure) caused by UV-B. The greater the factor, the greater the sunburn protection.

PA is short for “Protection Grade of UVA”, and is an index that is primarily used in Japan. It indicates how well a product protects the skin from UV-A, which causes the darkening of the skin (Persistent Pigment Darkening), and the more “+” it has, the greater its UV-A protection.

PA+ Effective
PA++ Quite effective
PA+++ Very effective
PA++++ Extremely effective

It’s important to choose products that provide the appropriate SPF and PA protection based on your level of exposure to UV-rays.

The five-digit number on products indicates the year and month of its production. All Chifure and Ayaka products are clearly labeled with the year and month of production (as well as batch number) for our customers’ peace of mind. For example, 17041 means 1st production in April 2017.

Japan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act requires that products which are at risk of degrading in three years, under appropriate storage conditions, are labeled with use-by dates. Full quality tests are conducted on the Chifure and Ayaka product range and they won’t degrade in three years if kept sealed and in normal storage conditions, which is why our products are not labeled with use-by dates.

There is no need to keep them refrigerated since they can be kept safely at room temperature. In fact, the product quality and safety may be at risk due to the temperature change caused by storing them in the fridge then taking them out for use. Creams and emulsions may also separate.

Generally, cosmetics must be stored at room temperature (15 – 25 degrees Celsius) in a dark place. Do not leave cosmetics anywhere exposed to direct sunlight or in an area where the temperature might rise (i.e. outdoors by the swimming pool or beach), or inside vehicles.

Alcohol used in cosmetics is formulated to temporarily tone up the skin or simply provide a refreshing cooling sensation. Unless your skin is sensitive to alcohol (in which case we recommend alcohol-free products), it’s just as safe as other ingredients.

Surfactants (also known as surface-active agents) work to blend together substances which don’t mix evenly, such as water and oil, and water and powder. The surfactants used in cosmetics must pass thorough safety tests. In the Chifure and Ayaka product range, we only use those that are eco-friendly, since safety is our top priority.

Mineral oil is made by refining petroleum. Petroleum is derived from prehistoric animals that have laid beneath the earth. It’s an organic matter and is closely related to natural life forms.

The misconception that “mineral oil is bad for the skin” came about when cosmetics made with poor quality mineral oil caused problems in the past. It’s now known that the problems were not caused by mineral oil itself, but impurities contained within. Today, mineral oil used in cosmetics is sufficiently refined, resistant to degradation, flavor and odor-free, and gentle on the skin.

In general, plant-based ingredients tend to give the impression of being gentler on the skin than mineral oil-based ingredients, but there are also botanical ingredients that can irritate the skin. Chifure and Ayaka products use only those which are proven to be safe, whether they’re mineral or plant-based.

Preservatives are essential for maintaining the quality of cosmetics until a product has been used up. To enable customers to safely and comfortably use cosmetics to the very end, we use preservatives to prevent the contents from degrading if germs get mixed in. The preservatives we use have been carefully checked for their safety and are formulated to include the minimum amount that is required.

A “Quasi-drug” is a product that complies with Japanese law, such as the Medical Device Act. It’s positioned between “medication” and “cosmetics”, and refer to products that provide gentler action than “medication”.

Businesses that manufacture and distribute quasi-drugs must meet the licensing requirements set out by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to obtain a license. Each product is reviewed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and is designated as quasi-drug once it’s approved. The major difference between “quasi-drugs” and “cosmetics” is that quasi-drugs are formulated with “active ingredients” for preventing rough skin and acne, brightening the skin or deodorizing.