matsuda trade, a purveyor of beauty products, has launched "Jōsekkken," a soap focused on the purifying properties of salt, under its own brand ☆Gokigen☆. It has been available on the company's e-commerce site "Zenken | Honpo" (zenkenhonpo) since March 2, 2022.

Zenken | Honpo offers products such as massage oils, with concepts like "A constitution where the five senses flow," "Good fortune becomes your ally," and "Live life with joy and smiles."
The lineup includes products that specify areas for massage and offer anti-aging and fatigue-recovery benefits, attracting attention from all genders.

In response to recent circumstances, the need to incorporate personal purification into daily routines, in addition to standard disinfection and sanitization for infection prevention, has been growing. It was in this context that the salt-focused soap was developed.

In Japan, salt has been used as a purification method since ancient times, stemming from the Shinto belief that "death is impurity." Even today, purification salt is sometimes distributed at funerals. This is not to consider the deceased impure, but rather to ward off any lingering negative energy, and attendees sprinkle it on themselves at the entrance upon returning home. Salt is also familiar in our lives, used by sumo wrestlers when entering the ring and placed as mori-jio (piles of salt) in homes. Furthermore, salt is rich in minerals, offering beauty benefits and antiseptic properties, making this soap a話題 (topic of conversation) for achieving both purification and beauty.

To use, lather the soap with lukewarm water using the included foaming net or your preferred body towel, and wash your entire body. It is recommended to wash the areas behind the ears and the back of the neck particularly thoroughly, as these are said to be points where negative energy can easily enter.

In this era of COVID-19, where we confront the unseen, let's embrace "purification" not only for daily infection prevention but also as a beauty ritual to maintain both physical and mental well-being.