THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

An Antidote to Allergies

An Antidote to Allergies

Oguma Aquakey, a Taiwanese mineral water spray that's beneficial for the skin, makes its Thai debut

A popular skincare product in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, Taiwanese mineral water spray Oguma Aquakey has won a fan base among Thai ladies thanks to the power of the social networks.
The positive reviews on blogs and Facebook along with increasing online sales convinced young entrepreneur Chonnipa Sangkathad Na Ayudhaya that Oguma had a promising future in Thailand, especially after performing her own tests with the spray in Hong Kong.
“After using it a few times, my acne started going down and I could hardly see the rash on my face. That’s when I decided to selling it online,” she says. Sales surged and after eager customers snapped up more than 1,000 bottles in a month, she headed to Taiwan to negotiate a distribution deal with Oguma’s owner Anthony Chou. Chou had already turned down several other interested parties but was impressed by Chonnipa’s pitch and awarded her the license.
Mineral water sprays are usually used to rehydrate overheated and dry skin and many women use a quick spritz to revive tired make up. Oguma Aquakey is so well absorbed that its makers claim it’s even effective for nappy rash.
Up until now Taiwan has had little success in making a splash on the Thai cosmetic and skincare market, not least because the ladies here are true to products from Japan, France or the States. Chonnipa is out to change that trend.
She recently invited a media group to Taipei to check out the spray for themselves and find out why 1.2 million Taiwanese |women are so enamoured of the product.
Chou says Oguma mineral water was first discovered in Japan by Tetsuo Oguma, a committed environmentalist whose interests included drinking water, electric cars and garbage recycling. 
Experiments in his lab revealed a range of ingredients that allowed for ultra-fast absorption of the mineral water by the skin and led to the birth of Oguma Aquakey.
Chou brought the ingredients and the mixture back to Taiwan and started to develop the product, launching his business through mail order and direct sales. Oguma died six years ago and Oguma Aquakey is now a fully fledged Taiwanese brand. Chou has his own factory and laboratory and the product is constantly being |developed and improved.
“The formula has been improved six times since we first received the ingredients from Japan. Today absorption is 40 per cent faster,” says Chou.
He adds that the difference between Oguma and other mineral water sprays is the fast absorption rate and the fact that Oguma is so mild.
The mist spray also includes such minerals as zinc, copper, calcium, potassium and iron, which help oxygenate the cells and serve as an anti-inflammatory agent that’s good for allergies, irritation and even burns.
“It’s good even for skin wounds and scars. A sudden allergy will disappear within just 90 seconds as the spray cools down the inflammation. However, it is not a medication and should not be used as such,” he says.
Chou has expanded the line to include a range of skincare products that use the mineral water as the base ingredient. 
“Our product line is lower in price because I really want my products to be available to all,” he says.
Chonnipa has so far only brought the mineral water spray to Thailand and says that despite being the only authorised distributor in Thailand, it is still freely available online. “Sadly, fakes have also been discovered,” she says.
“Once we have a solid market, we will distribute more products from Oguma.”
Oguma Aquakey has received Thai FDA approval and is available through the 7-Eleven catalogue and at www.OgumaThailand.com.
 
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