Natural Cosmetics “FROMO” with Okinawan Materials

A small housing for foreign residents. This housing is located in boundaries between Yomitan Village and Kadena Town. When I opened the door gently, I smelled a mild aroma inside the housing.



Michiyo Ishiwata, the owner, moved to Okinawa in 2002 for her husband’s job. She felt that she was alone, and her relatives and friends were not around her, so she was depressed first.

What she saw in her eyes at that time was great nature of Okinawa; wide sky, blue and clear ocean, and dynamic plants. She was touched by the greatness of nature, and she got the courage to move forward. Later, she luckily found a job at a cosmetic company. After 6 years of working, she started to think of producing products to promote colors and aromas of Okinawa directly. So she opened a handmade cosmetic shop “FROMO” in 2008. 



First things I noticed at FROMO were cute and pop soaps. Each contains colors and aromas of Okinawan materials, and they were made from the heart. Materials such as hibiscus, shell ginger, sea salt, Japanese mugwort, turmeric, honey, etc.

These soaps do not contain artificial coloring, compound perfume, and preservative. Also, customers can choose one based on their intuition or their unstable feeling and body condition at that moment. If you tell your mental and physical condition to Ishiwata, she will tell you the recommendation.



“I think mental and skin conditions are linked. When people think positive, skin condition gets better. I hope soaps of FROMO can help to motivate them.”

Eventually we are the one who heal the unstable heart and condition. Every time we use soap which condensed the nature of Okinawa, Ishiwata wishes everybody to feel the power of it and be positive even a little bit.

Ishiwata puts all her thoughts that she experienced and got over into these soaps.



These are skin lotion (R) and beauty oil (L) which can be used as massage oil. They give a mild aroma of shell ginger and rosemary.

Bath salt with sea salt, hibiscus, and Japanese mugwort, and also insect repellent and other useful items are available at the shop. Ishiwata has been producing items which make skin and soul relax.



Ishiwata was smiling from first to last while she was explaining about each item with respect. By listening to her explanation, I became a fan of her personality and her cosmetics with her wish. 

FROMO announced the high-quality of cosmetics in 2015. Cosmetics changed Ishiwata’s idea of life, and she has been working on making cosmetics by adding lots of essence of Okinawa.

 

FROMO
Address: 476 No.7229 Mizugama, Kadena Town
Tel: 098-956-2324
Business Hours: 13:00-18:30 (opens until 18:00 on Sun)
Closed: Mon – Wed (opens temporarily on New Year holidays and Golden Week)
http://www.fromo.jp/

 

Okinawa CLIP photo writer Akiko Ono