Cosmetic ingredient development Responsible

1. What is your current job?

We are involved in verifying the skin-beautifying effects of the cosmetic ingredients we have developed. Since ancient times, the hands of sake brewers (Toji) have been said to be white and fine-grained, and the development of cosmetics related to sake has been promoted with koji, yeast, and fermentation as key themes. Ozeki has also been selling cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients for around 30 years. "We want to deliver safe, reliable, and effective cosmetics to everyone, and we want people to become familiar with sake." With this single-minded goal in mind, we conduct cultured cell tests and human tests, and work to develop evidence-based cosmetics.

2. Please tell us about your career so far (the themes you have been involved in).

In my first year at the company, I set up cell culture facilities and experimental systems, and used them to conduct functionality evaluations and safety tests. This was a topic that allowed me to make use of my experience as a student, so it was very rewarding. I later became involved in the development of alcoholic beverages, and now I mainly work on breeding sake yeast and prototyping new sake varieties.

3. Is there anything that you value in your work?

We place great importance on planning. At Ozeki, each researcher is not assigned to one research topic, but rather to several topics at the same time. Since the importance, amount of experiments, urgency, and whether or not there is a deadline vary for each topic, it is important to prioritize and work on daily experiments in a planned manner. In addition, in order to avoid disrupting long-term plans, it is necessary to carefully plan each experiment. A mistake in an exam, such as brewing alcohol, can waste about a month, so we work with a high level of awareness and strive to plan and prepare thoroughly.