Right after university, Inoue started working as a salesman for a local construction company. He chose the job just because it was close to his house, so there were no worries for commute. "When I start as a newbie, I'm working my fingers to the bone!". Saying this, he did anything, from digging with the site workers to marketing new projects, day and night.

But the construction industry bursted its bubble, and seeing that the company didn't have what he wanted to do, nor a future, he quit. After that, he experienced many industries, all in bloom at the time he was there. "Why don't you come to our company?" That was when he met a cosmetic company which had a self-owned factory. The cosmetic industry doesn't exactly have its ups and downs, no bubble to burst, so Inoue decided to try it out.

Producing Products in the Factory

Being a man, and a person with extremely sensitive and dry skin, no face or body soap suited Inoue. So cosmetics were never an option. "Cosmetics are for women I suppose...?" "What is lotion...?" Well, you get the picture.

So for the first 6months or so, he asked for work at the factory, and focused on producing the products. He replaced products, secured bottle caps, and made boxes. There, he learned that there are all kinds of package designs and bottle types.

After that's done, he learned about cosmetics. After working 9a.m.-18p.m. at the factory, dinner, and then studying until 5 a.m.

During his studies, he soaked up knownledge on chemistry like a sponge, and gradually joined the laboratory. Inoue's knownledge on cosmetics are from this period of time.

"Sleeping for 3 hours? That's a blessed day, huh." This experience and his extremely sensitive and dry skin lead to the creation of who he is as a cosmetic CEO now.

Joining the Creation of New Brands in Other Companies

After an year, he was asked if he wanted to try out as president at a subsidiary company. It was an offer to try regenerate a company with deadstock.

Inoue agreed. He sent presentation documents for OEM(Original Equipment Manufacturer) products to other cosmetic companies, and at the same time, created a list of agencies and distributors from scratch. With his new ideas, he got a company for OEM, and this resulted in the founding of a now famous cosmetic brand.

The deadstock flew all over Japan, sold through the agencies Inoue contacted all year long. There began the days of traveling everywhere in Japan, making the brand bigger.

Gaining confidence, Inoue decided to start his own company.

"I'm just a rushed guy who needs to do what he wants to do, I can't stay put." As he says so himself, the only reason he started a company was because he used to dream of it. Not really assuring. The year he turned 26 years old, he founded Earthcare Asia.

He kept the OEM project going, but he stopped signing with agencies. He started doubting the system of retail and the way of selling through agencies.

From the distributors/stores side of view, Earthcare Asia is just one small company on their list. They don't know about cosmetics nor the products. How can stores like those truly help out the customers?

Having extremely dry and sensitive skin, Inoue had the knownledge and experience. He worked in factories, making products from scratch. He brought up new brands, and knows a lot about the industry.

"Shouldn't I be the one teaching the customers about skin problems?"

Every product caused redness, rashes, and itchiness. His skin was always dry and flaky. Laundry starch caused rashes on the neck. 2hours in the sun resulted in dermatitis, followed by blisters and laceration, topped off with a high fever. Shampoo and conditioner at the hotel caused burns on the scalp and neck, and the pool? Rashes and redness.

"I can't help but just laugh at the situation." Inoue experiences every skin trouble that exists.

Inoue guessed Ithat he'd be the best test subject for cosmetic products. If Inoue can use them, so can anyone. Inoue started developing products from scratch, for himself, and for people like himself.

He was also a stubborn man with "a lot of complaints to the world." So he changed ways, starting with his products.

For example, skincare is said to need many kinds of products. The retail system makes the products more expensive. Department stores need clerks all day even when there are no customers, resulting in cost. He decided that he was having none of that.

All-in-one type of products are common products now, but they used to be new and strange, and nobody thought of them as cosmetic products. Cosmetic companies would benefit more if they had a variation of products rather than just one, so they didn't like the idea either.

However, Earthcare Asia's website continued to explain why only one product is needed based on real-life experiences, and a lot of the customers agreed with us. 20years later, we still haven't changed our products since. It is one of our lead products.

And there's more.

• Selling Only Online

  In the era of department stores and door-to-door sales, Inoue chose the convinience of buying products anywhere, anytime. This style didn't need all-time clerks too, which contributed to the decrease of cost. "It's convinient to purchase anytime I want." "I don't need to buy multiple products I don't even need." A lot of the customers were so happy.

• Being a Store AND a Producer

  With the unnecessary commission gone, we could spend more on the content of our products, in size and quality. Since we made them ourselves, we could introduce and explain our products in detail, which led to happy voices from customers saying that it really helped them out.

• Gorgeous looks and expensive-looking packages aren't the "necessity"

  "The more expensive looking, the more it works". This was a common way of thinking in the costmetic industry, and Inoue decided to challenge that. He kept using simple packages with simple designs. This resulted in customers supporting Inoue, saying "I thought packages were a waste too!", "I rather want my money spent on the contents, not the outside.".

• Based on Experience

  Inoue's sincere skincare telephone consultation and his handmade website, "My experience and how to take care of your skin" built up, acheiving trust. However, some customers stated that they wanted to be pushed into buying products, and that Inoue didn't pressure them enough into buying the products.

• Support is Support, No Sales Talk Over the Phone

  From his experience with consulation on skincare, he decided on this. "I will listen to my customers needs and be on the phone with them for any length, until they have all of their questions answered, and is fully informed on every knownledge they need."
  This led to customers happy, saying that they have never met a company as sincere and helpful as Earthcare Asia. This is how the company is to this moment.

• Disclosing Information from "Being the Guinea Human"

  Products from other companies can't be judged just from their ingredients, since we know nothing about how they're made. So we also try other company's products, and cherish the experience as an objective view of things.

These characterstics all combined together makes Earthcare Asia the company it is now.

As a male, Inoue had the perspective women didn't have. He was inquisitive, and he didn't have pre-set knownledge to the customs of the industry. He preferred the quality of content over the quality of packaging, had highly sensitive and dry skin, and he developed and produced products. These factors all combined makes Earthcare Asia the crazy and unique company it is today.

Changing the wrong ways for the better, and listening to the customer's ideas. This is how Earthcare Asia stands, and will go on like so.

Inoue is now retired from the customer-service department, but the way of Earthcare Asia goes on as he made it. Also,

• Products specializing in the basic steps of skincare, "moisturization" of skincare
• Information on the correct ways of skincare
• Support from advisers with plenty of knownledge
• Customer service provided by operators with keen ears to your worries

These are also things we have kept doing, which made us the great company it is today.

People who have the image of cosmetics being gorgeous and pretty might think "the man doesn't know what he's talking about.".

Cosmetics are represented by beautiful female CEOs and gorgeous model, and that fact doesn't change. A cosmetic company with a middle-aged man with skin problems? Not really the common thing you see every day. But if you have even the little bit of interest in our "unusual company", you might like our products too.