Kose Corp. has released an ad campaign starring baseball player Shohei Ohtani for the beauty serum in its high-end Cosme Decorte range. Kose’s sales counter saw a 13x rise in male consumers, as reported by the company’s president, Kazutoshi Kobayashi.

He told The Asahi Shimbun, “Middle-aged and older guys — who don’t generally attend to cosmetics counters of department stores — stopped by and asked about serum, pointing to the purple bottle and not even asking its price. I was taken aback by this.

Me𝚗’s usage of cosmetics, especially among the younger generation, is on the rise. During online encounters, many middle-aged and older me𝚗 start to see wrinkles and freckles on their faces. And they learn that products may enhance their natural beauty.

Many people Kobayashi knows have had double eyelid surgery or other cosmetic operations done during the оutbreak, he said. In addition, a growing number of males are lathering up before hitting the links.

This advertising campaign may have just gone live, but Kose and Ohtani have been in negotiations for well over two years. Shohei Ohtani has used and recommended various Kose serums, creams, and lotions.

Kose used Ohtani as a role model to appeal to a wide demographic, rather than a specific age group or gender, in light of Japan’s dwindling population.

Kobayashi speculated that “perhaps no vegetarian football player has ever appeared in advertisements for cosmetic products,” making Ohtani’s debut as a Kose ambassador all the more noteworthy.

Although Kose started a me𝚗’s line in the 1980s, it has no current plans to expand it. However, to set itself apart from rivals and attract more male clients, the corporation is expected to increase the number of advertisements that feature guys. “It’s difficult to stand out by recruiting female models because our competitors are doing the same,” President Kobayashi said of the tactic.