To many, nail art may be something close to a barometer that measures the person’s state of mind. There’s mysterious magic about it that makes you feel happy in an instant. And this mysterious magic underwent various transformations during the Heisei era. Let’s talk about it!
It was in 1923 that the modern polish was created. Surprisingly, its origin was a quick-drying lacquer for automobile painting invented in the United States.
In the 1960s, domestic cosmetics manufacturers began to sell nail polishes in pinks and reds similar to those of today. After that, it came to Japan in earnest in the 1970s, a little later.
In the 1970s, nail colors were not limited to pinks and reds, but also came in a variety of colors such as brown and white. Around this time, products with glitter and pearls were also released. When you think of glitter and pearls, the image of the latter half of the 90s comes to mind, but surprisingly, they have been around since the 70s.
In 1985, around the time the word “nail” became more stable in Japan, the Japan Nailist Association was established, certification exams began, and private qualifications became available. Nail salons also opened, but at that time nail salons still had a flashy image for the common people, and it was a time when people didn’t really like them.
The 1988 Seoul Olympics were held, and Florence Joyner made a spectacular appearance. It wasn’t just her record in sprints that caught her attention, but her bright colors and artistic embellishment nail art on her long nails. From there, the recognition of nails gradually increased in Japan, and their popularity began to rise.
In the 1990s, nail art became popular among celebrities and young people, and the popularity of nail art in Japan boomed all at once. Uno Kanda is also very important in nail history in the 90s: Former Petit Seven model Uno Kanda frequently introduced nail salons, which have a strong impression of adults, in teen magazines, further strengthening their appeal to teens.
Until then, the number of nail salons–which had been an extraordinary existence–gradually increased, and “nail art” became a big boom. Until now, nail art was only painted in a single color, but now nail art has become even more creative, such as adding rhinestones, drawing illustrations with a brush or air spray, and so on.
In the latter half of the 1990s, a technique called sculpture was also created, and a technique was created to eliminate the complexity of natural nails such as short nails and natural nail shapes. Until then, it was mainly “fake nails” such as nail tips to hide the complexity of natural nails. With the advent of sculpture nails, it has become possible to artificially create nails that look as if they were originally beautiful. It can be said that this is one of the reasons why interest in nails has deepened.
In addition, Eriko Kurosaki was in high demand in magazines for her delicate art, and the number of people aspiring to become a “manicurist” suddenly increased. Also, the fact that Japanese people won the world nail competition, led by Eriko Kurosaki, was a big tailwind.
Until then, nail art was also designed on nail tips, but since 2000, nail art had been based on the nail sculpture technique. In addition to reinforcing your own nails, you could freely change the length and shape of your nails, which is one of the reasons why sculpture nails have become so popular.
In the 2000s–gel nails–which had already been born overseas in the early 1980s, were finally introduced in Japan. “Gel” was originally a gel material native to South Africa that hardened when exposed to ultraviolet light. When gel came to Japan in the 2000s, it became a big hit because of its quality and ease of handling.
As a result, more and more companies began to produce products in Japan, which had initially been imported from overseas, and Japanese products gradually began to permeate salons. Compared to the early days, the cost of procuring products has fallen, and it has become possible to offer treatment menus at low unit prices, so gel nails using various Japanese brand products became really popular. By the way, soft gels landed in Japan in 2002; Before that, gel nails in Japan were hard gel. And gel nails have evolved further, and recently, “Paragel”, which does not damage the nails, is becoming mainstream.
Since Ayumi Hamasaki’s debut in 1998, she has been sticking to self-producing and has actively adopted nail art as her own expression. She teamed up with nail artist Kanako Miura, and her diverse expressions surprised many people, and her coined term “nail art” became more widely known.