Top Japanese hair designer quietly adopted this KAIST-developed shampoo — now it's on Qoo10

It has emerged that one of Japan's top hair designers has been using Gravity shampoo — developed by KAIST researchers — as the exclusive private-label product at his premium salon for two years.

According to Gravity, Nagasaki Hidehiro, owner of CANAAN, a premium salon with locations in Tokyo's Omotesando and Ginza districts, has used Gravity as his salon's exclusive product since 2024.

Nagasaki is a colorist who has won the hair-color category of the Kami Charisma awards — Japan's most prestigious beauty industry prize, often called the "hair Michelin" — three consecutive years from 2024 to 2026. CANAAN has won in the salon category for five consecutive years.

It is unusual for a Korean hair product to be adopted as the exclusive offering at a premium salon run by one of Japan's top professionals. Japan is a global powerhouse in hair salons and a leader in functional hair care, with the salon-exclusive and professional-care market long dominated by Japanese and international professional brands. The choice of a nearly unknown Korean brand signals that its product quality has been recognized.

The story came to light this month when Gravity listed its products on Qoo10, Japan's major e-commerce platform. A Gravity representative said the company had deliberately waited, explaining that confirming genuine local response and staying power mattered more than generating a fleeting buzz.

South Korea has held the top spot in Japan's imported cosmetics market for four consecutive years. Hair care, however, tells a different story. According to Korea Customs Service data, shampoo exports to Japan last year totaled just $7.7 million, a 14.7 percent decline from the previous year.

Gravity drew attention on its first day on Rakuten last September by sweeping the daily, weekly and category rankings in the K-beauty section. The brand subsequently listed on Amazon Japan in April and on Qoo10 this month, completing its presence across Japan's three major online retail channels. Offline, it plans to expand its reach through partnerships with Re:Make, a beauty select-shop chain with 11 locations nationwide.