For centuries, humility has been considered a virtue in Japanese culture, and many Japanese are self-deprecating when they talk about their age. Negative comments such as “I’m already x years old” are common.

Our PR activities focused on the difference between such individuals, and those who put a more positive spin on their age with statements like “I’m only x years old.” We conducted a survey and found that the average skin age of respondents who prefixed their age with “only” was 7.1 years lower than those who responded “already.”

Eighties teen pop star Iyo Matsumoto, famous for the lyric, “I’m only 16,” was cast as spokesperson for the “Only” group. She changed the line to “I’m only 50” for a new version, which has featured in TV commercials and been released as a single. The content was featured in events at shopping malls and in-store displays around Japan.

We conducted a survey in which participants stated their age using either of two patterns: the negative “I’m already x years old,” and the rather more positive “I’m only x years old,” before undergoing tests to determine their actual skin-age. Though simple in concept, this was the first such investigation into the relationship between positive self-image and youthful appearance.

Participants in the “only” group were found to have an average skin-age 7.1 years lower than the “already” group. These findings were presented in a short video.

1980s pop idol Iyo Matsumoto, known for the lyric “I’m only 16,” became spokesperson for the “only” group, reflecting her current age with a new song--“I’m only 50”—and appearing in an integrated marketing campaign that included TV commercials and in-store promotions.

This project garnered widespread media exposure around Japan, and was featured in 19 TV programs, over 2500 tweets, and 446 Web sites, incuding Yahoo! Japan News and Grape, Japan’s most popular viral news site. The positive public response for our survey’s unprecedented findings encouraged women across the country to think positively about their age. In the product’s first month of release, sales exceeded the initial target by 130%.

The most impressive aspect of this campaign is the change it prompted in how Japanese women perceive themselves. Follow-up surveys online indicated that the proportion of 50-something women who saw themselves as “only 50” increased from 25.8% to 52.3% after the launch of this campaign. One rival cosmetics firms was even moved by Lululun’s impressive sales to release a similar product, but Lululun remains the top earner among cosmetic face masks in Japan.