Kose Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President: Kazutoshi Kobayashi) has detailed the effects of spots on the face on interpersonal impressions and the changes in impressions when these spots are improved, through joint research with Professor Shigeru Mukai from Hokkaido Information University's Faculty of Information Media. For example, the appearance of spots around the eyes not only diminishes the impression of 'youthfulness' but also conveys an impression of 'tiredness.' When these spots are improved, impressions such as 'youthfulness' and 'healthiness' are found to increase. This research is expected to lead to recommendations for areas to focus care on based on the desired impressions of customers, as well as applications in product development. Some of the results of this research were presented at the 26th Japan Society of Kansei Engineering Conference (September 12-14, 2024, Tokyo), where they were selected for an excellence presentation award.

Figure 1 Changes in interpersonal impressions due to improvement of spots around the eyes.

Background of the Research.
Spots and wrinkles are common skin concerns for many people as they age. Both occur on various parts of the face and are generally recognized as elements that evoke aging. On the other hand, interpersonal impressions beyond these have not been systematically organized, and there has been little guidance on how to achieve the ideal interpersonal impression for individuals. Therefore, the company, through joint research with Professor Shigeru Mukai from Hokkaido Information University's Faculty of Information Media, has discovered the relationship between wrinkle locations and interpersonal impressions, demonstrating the usefulness of cosmetic part care for wrinkles. This time, the aim was to clarify the relationship between the occurrence locations of spots and interpersonal impressions.
Demonstrated that interpersonal impressions can be changed by using cosmetic part care for wrinkles.

Spots around the eyes not only diminish the impression of 'youthfulness' but also convey an impression of 'tiredness.'
To evaluate the relationship between spots and interpersonal impressions, a standard face of 118 women in their 60s and 70s was created by overlaying images using image processing technology, onto which were layered spot models for specific areas such as the nose, eyes, and cheeks to create impression evaluation images by spot area (Figure 2). For impression evaluation, 20 items were used that could assess impressions multifacetedly beyond age impressions such as 'youthful - aged' and 'healthy - unhealthy,' and the images were presented to 110 people for impression evaluation.

Figure 2 Creation of impression evaluation images by blemish location.

When comparing the standard face before applying blemishes with images by blemish location for evaluation, it was found that the impact on impression was greatest in the order of the area around the eyes > nose > cheeks. Additionally, for all blemish locations, 'youthfulness' declined the most compared to the standard face, but blemishes around the eyes gave an impression of 'fatigue,' while blemishes on the nose and cheeks detracted from the impression of 'elegance' (Figure 3). Blemishes around the eyes are believed to lead to the impression of 'fatigue' due to the decrease in contrast around the eyes and associations with dark circles. This suggests that blemishes not only detract from the traditionally assumed impression of 'youthfulness,' but depending on the area, they can also give an impression of 'fatigue' and detract from the impression of 'elegance,' offering new insights.

Figure 3 Decline in interpersonal impression due to blemishes by location.

Improving blemishes around the eyes leads to a youthful and healthy impression, and the nose is also effective in enhancing the impression of youthfulness.
Next, the study examined what changes in impression could result from improving already existing blemishes. Images were created with a blemish density of 90%, which were then evaluated in comparison to those with 100% density. As a result, improvements in the impression of 'youthfulness' were observed across the various locations (Figure 4). Looking at each area, the most notable changes from improving blemishes around the eyes were in the impressions of 'natural state,' 'youthful,' and 'healthy,' indicating that care can lead to a more youthful, healthy, and natural appearance (Figure 1). For the nose, improvements were seen in the impressions of 'youthful,' 'natural state,' and 'cleanliness', indicating that the nose is also an effective area for enhancing the youthful impression. Similarly, for the cheeks, the impressions of 'cleanliness,' 'youthful,' and 'elegance' were elevated, revealing that changes in impression not only in youthfulness but also in other aspects can occur across all areas. This indicates that improving blemishes can not only support the traditional value of promoting a youthful impression but also serve as a means to align with the interpersonal impressions that customers wish to achieve.

Figure 4 Improvement of interpersonal impression with the improvement of spots by area.

Future prospects.
This research elucidated how spots in different areas and their improvement affect interpersonal impressions. The results aim to meet each customer's desired impression through care proposals in counseling and product development. By continuing to research interpersonal impressions and other sensitivities, the goal is to provide products and beauty proposals that align with needs and contribute to the realization of customer well-being.

Reference Information: Academic Presentation Information
Conference Name/Award
26th Japan Society of Sensory Engineering Conference Excellent Presentation Award

Presentation Title
Proposal for Effective Spot Care Focused on Interpersonal Impression - Study on the Relationship Between Spot Area and Interpersonal Impression.

Presenter/Researcher
Kose Corporation, Sae Taguchi (Presenter), Emi Kakizawa, Keiji Igarashi, Mineo Yamashita, Keisuke Sagara
Hokkaido Information University, Faculty of Information Media, Shigeru Mukai