Japanese women are known all over the world for their flawless complexions, and in recent years, women in Europe and America have been tapping into Japanese beauty secrets.

It’s probably unlikely that you’ll find many women in Japan putting on Olay onto their faces or using Pantene to wash their hair. For hundreds of years, many Japanese ladies used to make their own skincare products using natural ingredients from the kitchen. Secret recipes were passed from mother to daughter. Now, entrepreneurs have tapped into the idea of these ancient beauty rituals to sell Japanese beauty products commercially and internationally online.

Some of the treatments based on natural remedies are a bit challenging to think about putting on your hair and face, though.  Would you really relish the prospect of rubbing Nightingale Droppings facial cream onto your cheeks? Other equally unappealing product names include the Bull Semen hair treatment and Goldfish pedicure.

Other product ingredients include Wakame seaweed – which contains an anti-ageing ingredient, Fucoidan. A popular Japanese cleanser has always been rice bran – otherwise known as Nuka. One of the best compliments to pay to a Japanese woman is to call her a Nuka Bijin – which translates as ‘rice bran beauty’.

It maybe isn’t surprising that such knowledge about how to take care of skin and hair comes from the country of Japan. Beauty traditions and treatments have a long heritage – with history books tracing spa culture and mineral hot springs back to 737AD.

Japanese women also are far better at protecting their skin from damage by the sun’s harmful rays – they can often be seen holding a parasol on bright sunny days, while European and American women still think a healthy glow from the sun will enhance their looks. It may make you feel good in the short term, but remember, any damage from the sun will age your skin permanently.