Lunasol by the Numbers

The new issue of Biteki had an interesting write-up on Lunasol, covering its various hit products and other amazing facts and events that have occurred in its 10-year history.

Color Makeup

The Eyelid Base has been ranked among the top three by a makeup review website for 4 years running.


The Skin Modelling Eyes #1 Beige Beige has been Lunasol's top-selling eyeshadow palette and frequently sold out in the two years since its launch. At one point, all 236 Lunasol counters in Japan were sold out of this palette. The counters also started posting notices of the date when the palette would be back in stock.


The Coloring Cheeks blushes introduced in Fall '08 were a big hit in the magazines, and featured in more than 300 articles within a mere 2 months. Lunasol also estimated that about 100 people are involved in the launch of one eyeshadow, such as those in charge of PR, marketing, research, quality control, sales etc.


Lunasol is famous for the elegant pearl shimmer of its eyeshadows. The Geminate Eyes #2 Alexandrite contains the highest number of different pearl particles, numbering 26, of various sizes, textures and colors to create a gem-like brilliance.


The Shining Powder has the longest history of being a bestseller for the brand. Loved for the glow that it creates, it was often featured in magazines and sold out at the counters. The average time it takes to create one product is 1 year.


The High Stylized Mascara went through more than 100 formulations before it was perfected.


Lunasol's current line-up of 34 eyeshadow palettes, in chronological order or release. One reason for the popularity of Lunasol's palettes is that every shade has been individually designed and formulated, honed and perfected for the best result. Even if some shades may look similar, there are subtle nuances in terms of the texture, degree of shimmer, pigment and translucence. Out of every two customers that bought a Geminate eyeshadow palette, one would also buy the Geminate Liner.

Lunasol also stands out for the large number of palettes in its line-up, unlike other brands which usually discontinue a series when they introduce a new collection. The reason for retaining palettes from previous collections is that some of them continue to enjoy very high popularity, such as the Skin Modelling Eyes #1 Beige Beige and Lighting For Eyes #4 Neutral, sometimes even outselling the newest palettes.


The top 5 products viewed as "lucky items" by Lunasol staff: Noble Shadow Eyes #3 Red (recommended for dates), Geminate Eyes #5 Ruby (recommended for group blind dates, known as "go-kon" in Japanese), Layered Bloom Eyes #2 White Gradation (recommended for weddings), Contrasting W Lip Liner #3 and Geminate Liner #5 Ruby.


In 2006, Lunasol was caught off-guard by the great demand for its Christmas coffret which included a limited edition Lighting for Eyes palette. The counters took more reservations than the actual production quantity, resulting in there being no units for sale on the release day. The Lunasol consumer centre also received 418 queries about the coffret.

After the great Christmas coffret "panic" of 2006, Lunasol counters started to give out queue numbers for the reservation day and release day. The brand also increased the production quantity and set clear rules on the quantities for reservation and for sales on the release day. Nevertheless, on the release day, there were counters that sold out of the 2007 Christmas coffret within 5 minutes.



The popularity of the Lunasol Christmas coffret reached even more astounding heights in 2008. At the Takashimaya store in Yokohama, more than 100 people lined up on the reservation day. Virtually all the counters sold out of the coffret on the release day.

Lunasol's limited edition eyeshadow palettes are also very popular. Customers started reserving the LE Sheer Contrast Eyes palettes for Summer '08 without even having seen them in person as they were so confident that the palettes would be gorgeous.


Lunasol has 936 Beauty Counsellors in Japan. In 2005, Lunasol had two hit products, Water Liquid Foundation and Lighting for Eyes. The Lighting for Eyes series established Lunasol's reputation for excellent eyeshadow palettes. Since then, sales of its palettes have grown by 110% to 140% every year.


Skincare & Base Makeup

Lunasol's top selling tool is the sponge for applying liquid foundation. The air pockets in the sponge are designed to release the optimal amount of foundation onto the skin for a natural finish.


The Morning Wakening Massage is the brand's top selling skincare product.


The gel-like texture of Lunasol's Morning Wakening Massage and Water Cream Foundation are based on the original Invigorating Water Cream that was first introduced when the brand debuted 10 years ago. The Water Cream took 7 years to develop, during which it went through 480 different formulations before the creators arrived at the perfect balance of the watery consistency of a gel and the deep moisturising benefits of a cream. The Water Cream is no longer part of the line-up.


The Watery Oil Cleansing took 3 years to develop and went though more than 300 adjustments. Its special feature is that it can do a thorough job of removing makeup even when mixed with two times the amount of water.


The popular Water Cream Foundation was first introduced in 2004 and quickly became the brand's star item due to the fact that it contained 60% water. The Water Liquid Foundation which contained 55% water was introduced half a year later. For every two customers who buy a foundation, one will also buy a primer.


The Foamy Cream Wash, launched in fall 2007, was a much-talked about item at the press event as it impressed the journalists with the fact that the foam created maintained its fluffiness and volume perfectly for more than 10 hours.