In the early 2000s, a shift in Japanese beauty standards was taking place, with natural style makeup and black hair becoming increasingly popular. One publication that helped increase the momentum of this trend was the Japanese fashion magazine Popteen.

Popteen featured a special section titled "GALの時代が変わる！！秋は『清楚な女のコ』宣言！！" (The age of GALs is changing!! Fall is the declaration of "a clean woman"!!), where they promoted a clean, natural style of beauty. This style, known as mote-kei, focused on being loved by everyone and conforming to what others wanted to see, which was the complete opposite of what Gyaru culture stood for.

In a special feature, the magazine introduced four brands - LOWRYS FARM, NICE CLAUP, earth music & ecology, and E hyphen world gallery - that embody this new aesthetic, with a focus on natural colors, basic items, and "natural but well-applied" makeup.

Popteen also featured special sections such as "100 consecutive shots of black hair" and "Natural sweet & half face makeup lesson" that reinforced this move away from traditional Gyaru fashion. The magazine's focus on conforming to societal expectations and appealing to men and parents has played a significant role in the decline of Gyaru culture.

Representatives of this new style include Matsumoto Ai, also known as "Maapipi," Maeda Nozomi and Shida Tomomi, who have emerged as icons of the "clean gals" style. They are often seen as the face of mote-kei, which has the goal of being loved by everyone and as such conforming to what others want to see, which is the complete opposite of what Gyaru culture stands for.

As a result of Popteen's promotion of this new beauty standard, Gyaru fashion and culture began to decline. The natural style makeup and black hair trend that the magazine helped popularize, ultimately challenged the rebellious spirit of Gyaru culture and helped to shift the focus from self-expression to conformity.

With the rise of this new style, which is more favorable to the male partners and the parents of young women readers, Gyaru culture has taken a back seat. It is clear that Popteen and this new style have had a significant impact on the decline of Gyaru culture by promoting a new beauty standard that focused on natural style makeup and black hair. The magazine helped increase the momentum of this trend, which challenged the rebellious spirit of Gyaru culture and ultimately led to its decline. The focus on conforming to what others wanted to see, as opposed to self-expression, was the complete opposite of what Gyaru culture stood for.