No price, it seems, is too high in the quest for lasting youth and beauty.

Japanese skincare and beauty brand Kanebo has unveiled its top-of-the-line antiaging collection that elicited a gasp even out of us who are not unfamiliar with stratospheric prices of premium skincare.

Kanebo’s The Exceptional collection consists of three products that promise “supreme clarity” of the skin. It’s a potent antiaging line that claims to replace most complicated beauty regimens.

“The Exceptional is all you will need,” said Robby Da Silva, marketing manager of Kanebo Philippines.

The Lotion (P10,000 for 150 ml) is the first step of the The Exceptional’s three-step regimen.

Like the rest of the collection, it contains the line’s proprietary Clear Botanical Complex that boasts of three actions: 1) light reflection technology, which refines the epidermis, the skin’s outer layer; 2) “shadows away treatment,” which takes care of dark circles and large, uneven pores, and inhibits the yellowing of collagen molecules that give the skin a dull look; and 3) complexion control, which promotes skin renewal.

The Clear Botanical Complex is made up of several ingredients: pear juice ferment filtrate, watercress extract, aqua glucoside and geranium robertianum extract.

The geranium extract is what separates sugar and protein from collagen to prevent advance glycation, or the yellowing of collagen molecules.

Step two is The Emulsion (P15,000 for 100 ml) which seals in the moisture. Its exclusive Methylserine ingredient is said to improve the quality of the skin’s collagen.

The penultimate product is The Cream which, at P60,000 for a 40-ml jar, is one of the most expensive beauty creams in the market. Its mallow flower extract helps seal and strengthen collagen, while the moon peach leaf extract helps produce elastane, collagen and hyaluronic acid, according to its maker.

“With The Exceptional, clarity is not just about the brightness of the skin,” said Da Silva. “It means six things— moisture, radiance, brightness, texture, smoothness and firmness.”

Holistic approach

Kanebo has a holistic approach to skincare—it wants to mimic the release of oxytocin or happy hormones in the body whenever one uses its products. It does this by giving a pleasant sensory experience.

“The packaging is visually appealing, the scent is a unique bouquet and is relaxing and comforting. And it creates a velvety veil on your skin,” Da Silva said.

Kanebo is also unique in that it studies women’s hormonal cycles and the effect of hormonal changes on the skin.

The owners of Kanebo Philippines don’t doubt how well the Filipino market will take to this new collection.

As an example, Kanebo Philippines president John See cited Filipinos’ buying habits of makeup foundation. “You think foundation is foundation. We have a P700 foundation, another at P1,500, another P2,400, and the P6,000-plus Kanebo Granmula foundation. You’d think, who’d buy that? But when they’ve tried the premium product, they’re not gonna go back [to a cheaper alternative].”

“Of course, they also see that the texture and finish of the more expensive foundation is totally different,” added Jocelyn Uy, See’s sister and Kanebo Philippines’ general manager.

From experience at the beauty counters, Kanebo makeup artist and trainer Floe Tapayan said customers tend to be loyal to products that they find work for them.

“It’s about relationships,” Tapayan said. “One of our favorite stories is a customer who loved Kanebo so much, when she passed they had her skincare collection buried with her.”

Before The Exceptional, Kanebo’s priciest product was a skin tightening cream priced at P12,000. It also has a cream foundation at P7,200. (Kanebo foundations comprise more than half of sales in the Philippines.)

The Exceptional replaces the Granmula line, which is being phased out.

Kanebo is available at Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La, Alabang and Cebu.