Tommy Crooks, founder of the Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company (ENSC), has returned home from Japan with plans for expansion after a successful trade mission.
The company's connection with the Japanese market started in 2019, when a young Japanese couple bought products at a stall during the Edinburgh International Festival. This developed into a partnership with them in 2020, selling ENSC products into the country.
The partnership has since seen ENSC products in shops across Japan, including Isetan, the Japanese equivalent of Harrods.
Crooks' trip to Japan helped him get to know his business partners better and plans are now afoot to open ENSC retail space in Tokyo later this year.
ENSC Japan had a stand at Hibiya Park, where Tokyo’s biggest Christmas market is held, with Crooks manning it for a day and a half during his visit.
Last year, ENSC was approached by the Best Body Japan event, which was looking for a natural cream for its competitors, leading to an official sponsorship of the event.
Crooks and his Japanese team were invited to the British Embassy in Tokyo by Angela Colthorpe, senior trade specialist at Scottish Development International.
“It was my absolute pleasure to welcome Tommy, along with his highly-motivated and capable Japanese team to the embassy earlier this week for a catch up,“ she said.
“He was blown away by his experience in Japan, all that he saw, heard and touched - this is a testament to his strong relationship with his team in Japan and their joint commitment and loyalty to the brand, and also a strong testament to Tommy and his open-minded thinking, embracing everything Japanese and taking the time to make each moment a learning experience.”
Since 2010, ENSC has been on a mission to create a 100% synthetic free skincare range that suits all skin types. As well as the product being all-natural, the packaging is also focused on sustainability.
Tommy, a former guitarist in The Fall, commented: “The reaction to our brand in Japan has been highly positive and sales are on an upward curve.
“When we started crafting at the kitchen table in 2010, often working late into the night, we had no idea there would be world-wide demand for our products.
“Currently we have two stores in Edinburgh, but selling into Japan takes our business to another level - it’s incredibly exciting to be able to turn our export ambitions into reality.”
This visit to Japan came at a time of expansion for the company, which expanded into China this year, becoming the first Scottish business in any sector to open a TMall-Global Flagship Store.
Its Gardeners Solid Hand Cream Bar is currently the seventh best selling hand cream on the e-commerce platform and it is preparing to launch a new cream bar in a red tin in time for the Chinese New Year - as red is considered lucky in China.
Crooks is a self taught Mandarin speaker and now plans to learn Japanese to build on these cultural ties.
ENSC employs 13 staff in the UK and nine in China.
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