Gray Is the New Gold — Inside Japan's Booming Hair Color Revolution

Japan has the world's most rapidly aging major economy — and that gray hair is turning into serious business. In this episode, Sakura and Professor Haru meet in a beauty school practice room and unpack the boom reshaping Japan's hair color industry. From fufu, a $19-per-visit salon chain that raised $10.7 million and plans 100 new stores in three years, to irop, a D2C startup targeting the overlooked gap between salon visits, to Karalogue, the Instagram account transforming how professionals choose hair dye — this market is reinventing itself at every level. And as Japan's seniors surge online (52% e-commerce adoption in 2024, up 18 points since pre-COVID), the story goes beyond gray hair. It's about self-expression, personalization, and a culture learning to invest in color — not just hide it. Subscribe and discover Japan's economy, one whisper at a time.

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