A word from founder, Ray Suzuki, on the origin of intō and how probiotics translate to our philosophy and products.
1 | THE SEED
It all started with a very simple question: ”Why is everything becoming more and more extreme and divisive?”
Credit: intō organization research PDF
2 | ROOTS IN JAPAN
My best friend and I reflected on our background, tradition, and the history of Japan, where we are from. There are so many ideas of beauty that exist “in-between”, more specifically “balance” or “調和” in Japanese culture. We began to look for something that we can introduce to the United States that would create a positive impact in times of growing division.
Hand moisturizer production in Japan
3 | ATTENTION ECONOMY
As my background is graphic design and User Interface (UI) design, focused on persuasive technology, I understand exactly how we are becoming divided due to the foundation of the attention economy that is exploiting our emotions for the sake of maximized attention.
We decided that we would build a brand based on the idea of non-judgmental, yet critical balance as an antidote to the divisive society. We are not fighting against the system, instead we are suggesting critical perspectives around balanced aesthetics, questioning the existing values and leading the transition into balance conscious values.
We discussed how we can then embody this concept/philosophy into end products.
Credit: intō organization research PDF
4 | HOW WE MET PROBIOTICS
Based in Tokyo, with an in-house laboratory with over 40 years of beauty industry experience, we began conversations with my friend’s family business. We shared different ideas and were introduced to the topical application of probiotics: a new approach to skincare.
We were fascinated by the magical function of probiotics; it works only when there is “balance”. We thought it was perfectly aligned with the nuanced balance we have been seeking as a bridge between intō’s philosophy and end products.
This was the beginning of our journey to creating an uncompromised ”philosophy first” product development practice, starting with a probiotic skincare line.
intō wet proiotic lip moisturizer
5 | PROBIOTICS IN JAPAN
As probiotics are becoming popular in the United States with talk of gut health supplements and kombucha, there are still many uncertainties. While many people in the States regard fungi, viruses, and bacteria as “germs”, in Japan, probiotics (especially lactic acid bacteria) and prebiotics are very common topics and part of the daily conversations of diet, health, and wellness for decades. The importance of balanced bacteria in our microbiome is a very familiar concept found in Japanese ancient diet too and intō aims to bring that awareness to the US market.
Traditional "Koji" rice: ancient wisdom of fermented diet
6 | JAPAN INSPIRED LUXURY
The ideas of beauty and consciousness around balance “調和” are often quiet, yet profound in the meaning behind it. In Japanese tradition, luxury is always around this idea of quiet statement, not lavish ornamentation. The new age luxury isn’t for external validation, but for internal peace and fulfillment. intō seeks to define this idea of luxury and we are starting that with a luxury probiotic skincare line.
7 | OUR FUTURE
The journey has just begun with the probiotic skincare line and we have many more ideas to embody with our mission to promote balance. We are an intersection between science, wellness, technology and philosophy and It would be delightful to connect and develop ideas around balance with you!
A slide from concept research PDF