Hasta La Gadget!

@Cosme is Japan’s most popular “kuchikomi” (word of mouth) cosmetics information and ranking website. On March 10th the website released a cosmetics guidebook called “1,200,000 Nin ga Eranda Cosme,” or “The Cosmetics Chosen by 1,200,000 People.” As the title suggests, the book showcases the top products as selected by the site’s 1,200,000 users.

From over 60,000 products discussed on the website in over 6,600,000 user rating entries, top items in categories such as skin care and make-up get mention in the book. The products themselves are surprisingly varied, from $200 face creams to drug stores staples like witch hazel and Vaseline—a reflection of the different users of the site.

Each product entry includes the category, ranking, brand, product description, age demographic breakdown, and select comments from the site. An additional “ranking points” is awarded to each entry based on the sum of all consumer rankings, meaning products move up in the ranks not only on the basis of high consumer rating (on a scale of 1-7) but by the number of consumer ratings as well.

There are other interesting bits of information gleaned from questionnaires on the website, such as how long users spend putting on make-up in the morning and tips for a flawless French manicure. The front of the book also looks at years past, showing the top items from 2006-2008.

“The Cosmetics Chosen by 1,200,000 People” is a “mook,” the curious Japanese word for a cross-between a book and magazine. More casual than a book, but not as disposable as a magazine, mooks usually enjoy an initial display on the magazine shelves at the bookstore before retiring to the appropriate book section.

Like other crowd-sourced products and self-publishing “keitai novel” sites that have proved hits lately, this does a nice job of making users of the site feel like they are really part of something greater—ensuring that a good number of them will feel vested enough in the creation process to purchase the book not only for the information but also as a “souvenir.” The layout of the book itself resembles the beauty section in fashion magazine, yet with the prominent “rating points” and “members comments” reminding readers that they themselves are part of the collective editorial voice.

“The Cosmetics Chosen by 1,200,000 People” retails for ¥1,000 and is published by Kodansha, the company also responsible for popular women’s magazines Vivi and With.