When &honey launched in Japan in 2018, it entered one of the world's most competitive haircare markets. Eight years later, the honey-inspired Japanese brand has become a global beauty favorite, expanding its product portfolio, reaching consumers outside Japan, and evolving from a haircare line into a broader beauty brand.
For us at Rei Cosmetics, &honey is a great example of what makes J-Beauty so compelling: products that combine thoughtful formulation with beautiful packaging, sensorial experiences, and a clear philosophy of beauty.
But the story of &honey is about more than great haircare. It's also a story about how a Japanese beauty brand successfully expanded beyond its home market while maintaining the identity that made it special in the first place.
A Japanese Approach to Hair Moisture
&honey was created by Japanese beauty company ViCREA and launched in 2018 around a simple idea: moisture retention.
The brand built its formulas around honey and other moisturizing ingredients, positioning hair hydration as the foundation of beautiful, manageable hair. Honey became more than an ingredient; it became the central concept behind the entire brand. Its honey-inspired bottles, golden aesthetic, distinctive fragrances, and multiple product lines created a visual identity that immediately stood out on Japanese beauty shelves.
&honey didn't stop with one bestselling shampoo. The brand developed different collections designed around specific hair needs and preferences. For example, the Melty line focuses on dry, frizzy, and unruly hair, while Deep Moist is designed for those looking for richer moisture and care. Over time, the brand expanded into hair treatments, oils, styling products, body care, and skincare.
&honey created an entire beauty ecosystem that consumers could build into their daily routines.
From Japanese Success to International Attention
&honey's success in Japan created the foundation for its international expansion. At the same time, the way consumers discovered beauty products was changing dramatically. Social media and global e-commerce made Japanese beauty more accessible to consumers around the world.
Consumers no longer had to travel to Tokyo to discover what was popular in Japanese beauty stores. Products could be discovered through TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, beauty influencers, international retailers, and specialty e-commerce sites.
&honey was particularly well-positioned for this new environment. The packaging was instantly recognizable. The honey concept was easy to understand. The different collections gave consumers a reason to explore the brand. And the products were highly visual, an important advantage in a beauty market increasingly driven by social discovery.
Most importantly, the core benefit of hydrated, healthy-looking hair is universal. A consumer doesn't need to understand every detail of Japanese haircare or the brand's formulation philosophy to understand why they might want to try &honey. That simplicity helped &honey travel.
&honey at Rei Cosmetics
Due to its universal appeal, &honey haircare products have become some of our bestselling products at Rei Cosmetics. We carry a growing selection of &honey products, giving U.S. customers access to some of the brand's most popular haircare collections, as well as its expanding range of body and skincare products.
&honey Melty Moist
For hair that tends to be dry, frizzy, or difficult to manage, &honey Melty Moist is one of the brand's signature collections. The line is designed around hydration and smoothing, helping hair feel softer and more manageable. Its instantly recognizable pink packaging has also made the collection a favorite among beauty creators and TikTok users. For a complete routine, the collection includes &honey Melty Moist shampoo, treatment, hair pack, and hair oil allowing you to layer the products together or incorporate individual products into your existing routine.
&honey Deep Moist
For those looking for richer moisture and care, &honey Deep Moist is another popular option.
The &honey Deep Moist Shampoo and Hair Oil are particularly suited to dry or damaged-feeling hair, with honey and argan oil featured in the formulas. Like the Melty collection, Deep Moist allows you to create a complete haircare routine, from shampoo and treatment to intensive care and finishing oil.
Beyond Haircare
&honey's expansion isn't limited to hair. As the brand established itself as a name associated with moisture and sensorial beauty, it began extending its honey-inspired concept into other parts of the beauty routine. At Rei Cosmetics, we're excited to carry several of these products.
&honey Melty Moist Gel Body Wash
Part of the &honey Melty family, &honey Melty Moist Gel Body Wash transforms your shower into a moment of indulgence. The gel formula creates a rich, enjoyable cleansing experience while the honey- and rose-inspired fragrance adds a sensorial element to your everyday routine.
The &honey Cleansing Oil brings the brand's moisture-focused approach to makeup removal and cleansing. Formulated with honey, argan oil, and other moisturizing ingredients, it is designed to effectively remove makeup while helping maintain the skin's feeling of moisture and softness.
The &honey Cleansing Balm takes the same concept one step further. The honey-infused balm melts into the skin as it removes makeup and impurities, leaving skin feeling soft and smooth rather than stripped.
Bringing Japanese Beauty to the U.S.
At Rei Cosmetics, one of our goals is to make discovering Japanese beauty easier for U.S. consumers. &honey represents exactly the kind of brand we love to introduce: a Japanese brand with a clear point of view, products that consumers can incorporate into their everyday routines, and formulations that are well thought out.
From its beginnings in the Japanese haircare market to its growing presence around the world, &honey shows how a distinctly Japanese beauty brand can become a global favorite without losing what made it special in the first place.