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Because they are used every day, often without gloves, it is important that, in addition to efficiently removing grease and grime from dishes, dishwashing detergents are gentle on the skin. In fact, a consumer survey revealed that “gentleness on the skin” was a top priority among the improvements consumers wanted to see in dishwashing detergents.*1 In response, various companies have released dishwashing detergents marketed as “mild” and gentle on the skin. However, consumer feedback on such products reveals a disconnect between their advertised functionality and what consumers actually value in terms of how the product feels on their hands, with some expressing concerns over both their detergency and their skin care properties.*2 Therefore, we undertook this research to develop a new dishwashing detergent that thoroughly cleans dishes while being gentler on the hands than conventional products*3 and helping to maintain the skin’s moisture levels.
*1: December 2021 online LION survey on kitchen-related topics; 2,000 participants
*2: December 2023 online LION survey; 384 participants
*3: CHARMY Awa no Chikara (Power of Suds) Hand Premium
The skin’s moisture content is closely related to the state of the horny layer (stratum corneum), the outermost layer of the skin. The horny layer consists of layers of corneocytes and intercellular lipids that fill the spaces between them. The corneocytes contain natural moisturizing factor (NMF), which provides a strong moisture-retaining effect.
During dishwashing, contact with external factors, such as water and detergent, washes away the sebum coating the skin surface and the intercellular lipids. Without these protections, NMF can then be dissolved away. We compared skin before and after contact with a solution of dishwashing detergent in a typical use concentration (5%) and found that after contact, skin moisture content decreases about 30%, confirming that contact with dishwashing liquid is one cause of rough dry skin after washing dishes.
The base formulation was designed with an optimized balance of cleaning ingredients to ensure that the basic performance requirements for a dishwashing detergent—detergency, antibacterial properties and foaming ability—remain uncompromised. Building on this foundation, we set out to identify functional compounds that would enhance gentleness on hands from two perspectives: ensuring a pleasant tactile sensation—which consumers value highly—and maintaining skin moisture levels.
First, we conducted a survey*4 to understand the tactile sensations that consumers value most. The results revealed that three sensations—feeling moisturized, feeling smooth, and feeling protected—are particularly important in creating the overall perception of “gentle on the skin.” We therefore assigned a point value to each of these three sensations and combined these values to determine an overall “skin texture score.” Our evaluation revealed that when sodium lactate—one of the NMF components—was combined with functional ingredient A, the score for hand and skin texture significantly improved in comparison with the performances of both a conventional product and the base formulation. (Figure 2)
Furthermore, post-washing skin moisture levels were evaluated, and the results showed that the combination of sodium lactate and functional ingredient A resulted in increased moisture retention levels compared to both the conventional product and the base formulation. (Figure 3)
Upon confirming the impact on the actual user experience, we found that the prototype containing sodium lactate and functional ingredient A yielded higher user ratings for hand and skin texture—such as moisture retention—after use compared to the conventional product, confirming a difference in user perception.*5
*4: July 2023 LION panel survey on hand texture after dishwashing detergent use; 37 participants
*5: December 2023 LION panel survey on hand skin texture after dishwashing detergent use; 14 participants
In 2026, we launched CHARMY Magica Gentle on Hands + (“Plus”) Antibacterial, a dishwashing detergent designed not only to provide effective cleaning and antibacterial properties but also to be gentle on the skin. Moving forward, we will continue to leverage the insights gained from this development to analyze the mechanisms behind its gentleness on the skin, while providing consumers with a new value proposition: “Effective antibacterial cleaning without leaving hands feeling dry after washing.”
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