Ainz & Tulpe is like an elevated chain drugstore in Tokyo. Unlike the traditional drugstore like the Matsumoto-Kiyoshi with its garish discount signs and cramped aisles, the Ainz & Tulpe is a spacious and modern way to shop for beauty.You will find all the best drugstore brands, certified organic beauty, and even international brands popular in Europe. They have a skincare rankings wall that lists out their top picks so you can research ahead of time the popular items in Japan (and it’s NOT what you think)! The name is German and it stands for “One & Tulip”, derived from their pharmaceutical parent company. How is this store different than the Loft, another recommended beauty shop for tourists? For one, Ainz & Tulpe focuses on beauty, cosmetics and facial tools and doesn’t have room for anything else like home goods or stationery except if they are trending hard. There are also beauty consultants in the downstairs basement who work for Shiseido, SK-II, Kose, Kanebo and Sofina so you can get one on one attention for your needs. I’m not sure what the level of English proficiency is as the Ainz & Tulpe attracts both tourists and locals. Their excellent product displays, stylish store setting and wide selection makes it into one of my recommended stores to visit in my Shopping Guide for Tourists in Tokyo, Japan. Click to see more!

Ainz & Tulpe
1F＆B1F, Harajuku Quest Bldg.
1-13-14, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Overview

While the location is in Harujuku, this location is not directly on the tourist trap of Takeshita Dori if you look at my handy map from the Shopping Tips as a Tourist post. I think this is a good location to visit after you’re done walking through Takeshita Dori because you might leave with a big bag to carry back to your hotel. The entrance is very inviting and you’ll be greeted with hoisery, cute character socks and a variety of accessories like umbrellas and backpacks from anello. I bought a paid of Gudetama socks that you can see in my Japan Haul post. There is a small drugs, toiletries and health food section as well but the main draw is obviously the cosmetics. This post contains affiliates links below.

The #1 ranked items were the Heroine Make Long Curl mascaras, the Love Liner liquid brush tip eyeliner, Miche Bloomin’ false eyelashes in No. 3 Pure Sweet, or the K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo liquid eyeliner. I have no problem buying eye and lip products in Japan but I think I’ll to Korea when it comes to BB creams or face makeup. Their house brand is Lips and Hips and their Lip Oil product (1,800 Yen) was conveniently placed on their rankings wall. I only saw the Lip Oil but there were other products within the Lips and Hips apparently.

There are SO MANY skincare brands that I would stick to what’s popular if couldn’t research what you wanted before coming to your trip. Thankfully, there is also a rankings wall for skincare as well.

Skincare Ranking Wall!

Unlike the makeup ranking wall, the skincare rankings had a lot of products I wasn’t familiar with. I expecting to see Hada Labo to be on ONE part of the shelf (and I can hear the local Japanese laughing at me). The only item I knew you “had” to buy was the Cure Peeling Gel that exfoliates skin using cellulose and you can see your “dead skin” lump up right before your eyes. I tried a sample of the Cure and didn’t feel like I needed it in my life so that was an easy pass. I took my ignorance as a sign that I shouldn’t buy anything more that wasn’t already on my list. Now that I’m home, I have some time to ultra zoom and look at the listed items.

No. 1 ranking:

• The green bottle on the top left is called the Santa Marche Deep Cleansing (400 ml, 1,600 Yen) and it’s also listed on Cosme; it’s a cleanser that has “AHA, konnyaku scrubs, natural Quillaja bark extract, and baking soda as pore cleansing agents”.
• Next is the Akaran Essential Moisturizing Gel (3,400 Yen) which is a all-in-one moisturizer and serum and made in Japan.
• After that it’s the La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water facial mists (2 pack, 3,300 Yen).

No.2 ranking:

• 株式会社日本天然物研究所 Placenta & Vitamin C lotion and/or serum it seems like. It was hard to Google for this because the brand name is in Japanese. It’s definitely not on Amazon.
• Juliette Ray Sparkling Essence Water (250 ml, 1,900 Yen). From what little I can find, “it is a rich moisturizing toner which [has] added SACCHAROMYCES LYSATE EXTRACT & CHLORELLA EXTRACT as moisturizing ingredients.”
• There’s an Avene product so the wall isn’t specific to Japanese skincare only. I’m not sure what Avene product it is but I wasn’t going to buy non-Japanese products anyway.
• The next thing looks like a nose unclogging product. I’m not going to bother to look this one up because, no English.

No. 3 ranking:

• Curel Foam Facial Wash for Sensitive Skin (150 ml, 1,200 Yen). Apparently Curel is a brand under the Kao company so there’s an entire Japanese range just like how Bioré has different products in the USA and in Japan.
• Dermisa Skin Fade Cream Mini (1.78 oz., 1,800). This product is actually more expensive in Japan because it’s an import and on Amazon it’s under $7, but I don’t necessarily recommend it because it contains a bleaching agent, 2% Hydroquinone.
• ELIXIR Revitalizing Care Sleeping Gel Pack (105 g, 2,800 Yen)
• Curel Intensive Moisture Cream (40g, 2,300). Unlike the other Amazon links I’ve been finding, this Moisture Cream actually has a decent amount of reviews and high ratings. This uses a “ceramide functioning ingredient and Eucalyptus extract.”‘ Hmm, “ceramide-functioning ingredient” means that there’s some ingredient that functions AS ceramide, so it’s actually not a ceraminde, just something that acts like it.
• Eaude Muge Medicated Lotion (Toner) (160ml, 970 Yen). This toner removes impurities and excess sebum while keeping your skin clean. This is an over-the-counter product and it’s full of anti-inflammatory ingredients to prevent skin irritation. It eliminates bacteria that cause acne, promoting clear skin.

No. 4 ranking:

• TAAJ Paris Himalaya Micellar Water (500ml, 1,200 Yen). I bought another micellar water that was made in Japan so I didn’t flinch with this one.
• Meishoku Organic Rose Skin Conditioner Gel (90g, 900 Yen).
• Love Your Skin Botanical Water (100ml, 1,500 Yen). Not affordably on Amazon so eBay it is. I’ve seen this bottle in other USA Asian Beauty shops, it has a modern aesthetic and it is made in Japan. More info on the other products and ingredient lists here.
• Minon Amino Moist Moist charge Lotion II (more moist type) (150ml, 1,900 Yen). Never heard of seen this brand before but there’s an entire line but this brand uses a lot of amino acids in their formulation.
• SOC Pore Peeling Cotton Swabs (Set of 3 swabs, 600 Yen). I’ve seen these giant AHA and BHA Soaked cotton swabs from Korea. You’re supposed to rub the swab onto your nose and it’s supposed to loosen pesky blackheads and gunk from your pores. Not on Amazon, could only find it on Rakuten.

There was a No. 5 ranking row too but I quickly saw them and wasn’t really interested in anything from that row.

Onto general beauty tools, I bought some basic sheet masks discs that expand once you pour some Japanese lotion (we know it as toner) over them. The Japanese love to repurpose their toners and turn them into a mask for a more intense masking session. I bought a few packs from a couple of brands to try this out myself. Use it with a nourishing toner.

Comments!

I hope seeing the skincare rankings wall helped you make some decisions with what to buy when in Japan (or have you realize that you don’t need to buy a round trip ticket to get some Japanese Beauty goodies! Most of these items are accessible online! I actually have my eye on the Green Tea cleanser and the Love Your Skin Botonical Water now that I did more research. If I can clear my hoard, I would love to try these babies.