Fragrance house

SK-II

SK-II was born in Japan in 1980 as a skincare brand. Its origins trace to observations in the 1970s that Japanese sake brewers had unusually youthful-looking hands; research into fermentation led to the discovery of PITERA, derived from a selected yeast strain. PITERA is central to SK-II’s technology and identity, alongside the themes of People and Purpose. In 1991, SK-II entered Procter & Gamble’s portfolio when P&G acquired Max Factor’s product lines from Revlon. Today, P&G’s Japanese corporate portfolio categorizes SK-II under skincare, and its local business operates within the P&G group. From 2016, SK-II developed a purpose-led creative identity through the #ChangeDestiny theme, including the Marriage Market Takeover campaign, which addressed social pressure on unmarried Chinese women.