Premium cosmetics brands such as Clinique and Shiseido have been using black as the main color in package design and brand identity for their men’s cosmetics and beauty lines. In 2006, MUJI brought this concept to the consumer when it launched its affordably-priced range of men’s cosmetics and beauty products in a distinctive black package design – an especially clever step considering that not only women’s cosmetics but also most other MUJI products are finished in a clean, shiny white.

Possibly fueled by the 2006 launch of the black version of Apple’s MacBook, the trend has now spilled over into other categories. Coca Cola Zero – the no-calorie Coke targeted at men – was launched in a black can in June 2007. Lotte’s fragrant chewing gum Otoko Kaoru also comes in a distinct black packaging. Although not explicitly targeted at men, competitor Glico has just introduced a black mint flavor for its Breo mints, and even Frisk has moved away from its signature white packaging and released a black version.

While we could attribute the gloomy economy as the reason for the popularity of black, there could be another factor in play too. Until recently trendy urban men in Japan were only too happy to occupy the metrosexual space their Western brethren had most resolutely deserted to become the more masculine ‘ubersexual’. Perhaps only now do Japanese men feel it is socially acceptable to be fashionable, into beauty but purchase these products in a way that appeals to them – in black, conservative packaging that dresses up what essentially a consumer product also aimed at women.

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