If you’ve explored Japanese skincare, you’ve likely come across an ingredient that surprises many first-time shoppers: placenta extract.
While the name may sound unusual outside Japan, placenta extract has been used in Japanese beauty products for decades and is valued for its moisturizing, brightening, and skin-conditioning properties. Today, it remains a common ingredient in everything from lotions and emulsions to sheet masks and medicated skincare products.
What Is Placenta Extract?
Placenta extract is a cosmetic ingredient derived from animal placental tissue, most commonly porcine, horse, and marine sources. The placenta, which would otherwise be discarded, is carefully processed, purified, and transformed into cosmetic-grade extracts. The resulting ingredient does not contain living cells or stem cells, but contains a variety of naturally occurring compounds, including amino acids, peptides, minerals, sugars, and growth factors that help condition and hydrate the skin. It is valued in Japanese skincare for its ability to support overall skin health.
Key skin benefits include:
Deep hydration
Amino acids help attract and retain moisture, leaving skin softer and more supple.
Skin barrier support
Nutrients in placenta extract complement ingredients like ceramides and fermented extracts that help maintain a healthy moisture barrier.
Brighter-looking skin
Often paired with ingredients like arbutin, placenta extract helps improve the appearance of dullness and supports a more radiant complexion.
Smoother texture
Peptides and naturally occurring proteins help improve the feel of rough or dry skin.
Antioxidant support
Studies suggest placenta extracts contain compounds that may help protect skin from oxidative stress, a factor associated with visible signs of aging.
Why Is Placenta Extract So Popular in Japan?
Japan has a long tradition of incorporating natural and fermented ingredients into beauty rituals. Sake, rice bran, green tea, horse oil, and placenta extract all reflect a broader philosophy of utilizing beneficial byproducts and traditional knowledge.
Placenta extract gained popularity in Japan during the late twentieth century through both skincare products and wellness treatments. Today, many Japanese consumers view it similarly to collagen or fermented ingredients: a functional component that supports healthy-looking skin.
Beyond skincare, placenta extract has a long history in Japan as a wellness ingredient. It is used in supplements, drinks, and even physician-administered treatments for recovery and general well-being.
Is Placenta Extract Ethical?
One of the most common questions about placenta-based skincare is whether animals are harmed in the process.
In Japanese cosmetic manufacturing, placenta used in skincare is typically collected after a female naturally gives birth. The placenta, which would otherwise be discarded, is then processed, purified, and transformed into cosmetic-grade extract.
No animals are raised solely for the purpose of harvesting placenta for skincare ingredients. Instead, it is generally treated as a byproduct of existing food or agricultural industries.
This approach reflects a broader Japanese philosophy of minimizing waste and respectfully utilizing natural resources. However, because placenta is animal-derived, these products are not considered vegan and may not align with all personal preferences.
Kikumasamune: Combining Sake Fermentation and Horse Placenta Extracts
Kikumasamune brings together two uniquely Japanese traditions: centuries-old sake brewing and nutrient-rich horse placenta extract.
Their formulations combine fermented rice-derived amino acids, ceramides, arbutin, and horse placenta to create deeply moisturizing products designed for everyday use.
The result is skincare that embodies Japanese beauty principles, simple routines, generous hydration, and carefully selected ingredients rooted in craftsmanship and tradition.
Products Available at Rei Cosmetics
Kikumasamune Japanese Sake Lotion
One of Japan’s cult-favorite toners, this oversized lotion blends fermented rice extract, amino acids, ceramides, arbutin, and placenta extract for intense hydration. Many customers use it not only on the face but also on the body or as a DIY lotion mask. The combination of sake-derived amino acids and placenta extract helps support smoother, more radiant-looking skin while maintaining moisture levels.
Kikumasamune Japanese Sake Skincare Emulsion
This lightweight milky moisturizer contains junmai ginjo sake, ceramides, cholesterol, amino acids, arbutin, and placenta extract. The formula is designed to lock in moisture without feeling heavy or sticky, making it ideal for daily use throughout the year.
Kikumasamune Japanese Sake Face Wash
Even cleansing products in the Kikumasamune lineup incorporate placenta extract. This creamy face wash combines fermented rice extract, amino acids, arbutin, and placenta extract to cleanse thoroughly while helping preserve the skin’s natural moisture barrier.
The Bigger Picture
Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), collagen, and placenta extract all reflect a broader trend in beauty and wellness: the use of biologically active compounds from natural sources that might otherwise become waste products.
Placenta extract may be one of Japanese skincare’s most misunderstood ingredients, but its popularity reflects Japan’s long-standing appreciation for fermentation, functional beauty, and ingredient craftsmanship.
Whether paired with sake, ceramides, or brightening agents like arbutin, placenta extract continues to appear in many of Japan’s bestselling skincare products. For curious beauty enthusiasts, the Kikumasamune line offers an accessible way to experience this uniquely Japanese skincare tradition firsthand.