Applying makeup may halt the progress of dementia symptoms among elderly people, helping keep their brains active, recent studies have shown.
Cosmetic therapy also appears to be effective in treating younger people’s depression and psychological stress.
In 2013, Japan’s largest cosmetics company Shiseido launched what it calls a “cosmetic therapy programme” for elderly people and has organised makeup lessons at a total of about 400 care facilities across Japan.
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Nursing Plaza Kohoku in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, holds Shiseido’s makeup lesson for residents in their 80s and 90s twice a month.
During the one-hour event, participants do some stretching exercises and apply makeup with limited support from the staff.