Reading Cow Brand Soap's New Skincare Line "AKA" Through Its Ingredients: A Soap That Spares Good Skin Bacteria, Plus a Moisture-Focused Lotion and Milk

In a previous video, the speaker introduced research by Cow Brand Soap. It found that certain soap ingredients wash the skin while leaving behind the "good skin bacteria" among the skin's resident bacteria that keep it healthy, while selectively killing the "bad bacteria" that cause skin problems. In that video, the speaker predicted that a new product built on this research might come out. As it turned out, AKA was announced between filming and editing, so it couldn't be included in the video. The speaker believes AKA is a product developed in response to that research.

The brand was announced in a news release on September 18, and sales began on October 1 through the official online store and other channels. The speaker preordered and received the products on the release day. What struck the speaker as unusual was the amount of promotion. Cow Brand Soap Kyoshinsha has a reputation as a manufacturer that spends almost nothing on PR, and although the speaker has featured Cow Brand products many times, they have never once received a PR request. So they were surprised to see ads for AKA on X (formerly Twitter). Taking the research announcement, the investment in advertising, and the pricing discussed below together, the speaker sees this brand as "a new line they've put serious effort into."

As for the name and design of AKA, the speaker guesses that, of Cow Brand Soap's flagship products, the "Red Box" and "Blue Box," the Red Box is the motif. Since the products are billed as the "first release," the speaker expects a second one to follow.

The brand concept is "ecosystem-inspired skincare from Cow Brand Soap, focused on the skin's good bacteria." The line consists of three products, the Balancing Soap (facial soap), Balancing Lotion (toner), and Balancing Milk (emulsion), built around a three-step routine of "balance, replenish, protect." The speaker remarks that, apart from the focus on good skin bacteria, the pitch is very basic.

What surprised the speaker was the price. Cow Brand Soap is known for soap costing a few hundred yen a bar, and the company's Cow Brand skincare has generally been a series you can buy for under 1,000 yen. AKA, by contrast, is priced as follows:

• Balancing Soap (80 g): 1,540 yen (tax included)
• Balancing Lotion (150 ml): 3,080 yen (tax included)
• Balancing Milk (100 g): 3,080 yen (tax included)

The speaker says this is a fairly high price range compared with the brand's traditional budget image.

The speaker first stresses that the Balancing Soap is not an additive-free soap at all. What is generally called additive-free soap contains only "soap base," or at most soap base plus a small amount of a chelating agent such as EDTA. This product contains many moisturizing ingredients and additives.

According to the speaker, Cow Brand Soap was never a manufacturer strongly committed to being additive-free. The same goes for Cow Brand and the Red and Blue Boxes; the company culture is to flexibly bring in chemical ingredients when needed. The speaker sees it as a brand that actively adopts advanced technology among soap makers. If you're choosing based on how additive-free a soap is, Miyoshi Soap or Shabondama Soap would suit you better, but Cow Brand Soap's design philosophy is to make use of soap's inherent strengths while also incorporating the latest research and new ingredients, the speaker explains.

Regarding the ingredient makeup, the speaker says it differs from ordinary soaps too and is closer to the luxury soaps sold as department-store cosmetics for several thousand yen a bar.

What the speaker considered most important in evaluating this soap was the contents of its base ingredient, "soap base." Soap ingredients can be labeled in several ways: lumped together as "soap base" or "potassium soap base," listed by fatty acid as "sodium [X] fatty acid," or listed by source fat, as in "sodium tallowate." Because "soap base" is labeled the same way regardless of which fats it's made from, it's a problem for anyone analyzing ingredients, since you can't tell what's in it, the speaker says. Cow Brand Soap has long used this labeling, whereas Miyoshi Soap lists fatty acid names, which makes things easier to understand.

This matters because of the research mentioned earlier. As the speaker explains it, the research found the following: lauric-acid-type soaps derived from coconut oil have strong antibacterial power and kill both good and bad bacteria indiscriminately, while tallow-based soaps leave the good bacteria relatively intact and selectively kill the bad bacteria. The speaker adds that palm-oil-based soap was actually the best at this, with tallow-based soap coming in around second. In other words, whether the soap base is mainly tallow determines whether the research findings are reflected in the product.

Although the label doesn't reveal this, the official website described a "skin-beautifying base." According to the site, this base washes the skin while leaving resident skin bacteria intact, leaving it smooth and healthy, and beautifies the skin by "washing as if cultivating good soil." As for raw materials, the site says it is mainly about 80% domestic beef tallow blended with about 20% coconut oil, and that domestic beef tallow is rich in the fatty acid oleic acid.

Based on this, the speaker infers that the soap base is probably 80% tallow and 20% coconut oil, designed to leave good bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis) and selectively kill bad bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). However, they add the caveat that "I can't say for certain that's the case." They also say that because the 20% coconut oil kills quite a lot of Staphylococcus epidermidis as well, they would have preferred palm oil if possible.

Anticipating a question viewers might have, the speaker takes up the question: "If Cow Brand Soap's soap base has that ability, why not just use the Red Box, which costs around 100 to 150 yen a bar?"

In the speaker's view, the Red Box is not a tallow-based soap. As they said in the previous video, they personally believe the Red Box merely has tallow added and that the soap base itself was probably coconut-oil-based, the reason being its high cleansing power. For that reason, the speaker thinks the Balancing Soap may be Cow Brand Soap's first product to adopt a soap base formulated to preserve good skin bacteria. However, they also can't rule out the possibility that it's the same base as the Red Box, saying, "I can't really say either way." If they were the same, the cheaper one would do, so the speaker's position is that they would like to believe there's a clear difference.

Apart from the base, the formulation is very different from the Red Box. It contains a lot of sorbitol, a sugar-based moisturizing ingredient. It also adds sodium methyl lauroyl taurate, a taurine-type cleansing ingredient that washes cleanly yet mildly, so it is designed to wash more gently than soap alone. The speaker says the perceived cleansing power differs from the Red Box "like night and day," and it should leave the skin feeling quite gently washed.

The soap contains fragrance, and the scent is close to the Red Box. The speaker expresses strong dissatisfaction with adding fragrance, but says they accept it, reasoning that since the product is called "AKA," many people will expect a Red Box–like scent, and the fragrance was probably added to preserve the Red Box image. Still, many soap lovers and people who prefer fundamental skincare like the good-bacteria approach probably want it unscented, so it's hard to say whether this decision will pay off or backfire.

Because the speaker's symptoms worsen when strongly scented items are nearby, they keep this soap in a Ziploc bag placed away from them. The scent was quite strong, enough that it could still be smelled a little even inside the Ziploc.

The main ingredients the speaker went through in order are as follows.

• Ceramide NP: one type of human-identical ceramide.
• Sodium hyaluronate: a moisturizing ingredient.
• Jojoba seed oil, squalane, and milk fat derived from cow's milk: the speaker sees this as a deliberate combination of the three components that form the base of human sebum: esters, squalane, and fats.
• Lauryl betaine: an amphoteric surfactant that moderates cleansing power and reduces irritation to the skin.
• Glycosyl trehalose, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate: moisturizing ingredients.
• Pullulan: a polysaccharide that adds viscosity and also works as a moisturizing ingredient.
• Sodium methyl myristoyl taurate: a taurine-type cleansing ingredient of the kind that solidifies.
• Hydroxyethylcellulose, PEG-65M: moisturizing ingredients.
• Polyquaternium-7: an ingredient that leaves skin feeling moist after washing. Because it is a cationic polymer, it may feel slippery.
• Titanium dioxide: a powder for coloring the soap white. The speaker calls it "an ingredient that doesn't need to be there."
• Tetrasodium EDTA, etidronic acid: chelating agents. They capture minerals in tap water first, preventing a drop in lather. Without them, metallic soap tends to remain, which can leave white residue in the bathroom or on the skin.

Overall, the speaker judges that it has been made with great care as a soap, and that its quality would justify a price of 3,000 yen from other luxury brands. They would like to recommend it to anyone wanting to try a luxury soap. They couldn't test how it feels in use because of the scent, but they expect it to leave the skin moist and to have somewhat high cleansing power for a soap.

Buying the soap came with a bonus bag-shaped "antibacterial foaming net." If you put the soap inside and hang it in the bathroom, it drains well, and you can lather it up right in the net, which is convenient.

However, the speaker doesn't recommend storing a luxury soap in the net. Soaps containing lots of moisturizing ingredients like sorbitol absorb water easily and tend to melt or crumble in bathroom humidity. The speaker's recommendation is to keep it in a soap case with a lid, close the lid properly every time, and store it where it's unlikely to come into contact with water. That way it will last longer.

The toner's base is isopentyldiol, a low-irritation moisturizing ingredient, with glycerin second, followed by butylene glycol, making it a moisture-focused formulation.

What caught the speaker's attention was the inclusion of xylitol and inositol. These are said to have a positive effect on good skin bacteria, and the speaker notes that there is reportedly research showing that, as "prebiotics" with properties similar to the food good bacteria prefer, they selectively promote the growth and activity of Staphylococcus epidermidis. Other good-bacteria-focused skincare brands also use similar ingredients as a base, so this formulation makes sense.

On the other hand, the speaker cautions that xylitol is dangerous to dogs and can cause poisoning. Although small amounts are said to be fine, it's best to be careful about dogs licking it. As for cats, the speaker reports from their research that there doesn't seem to be any such evidence.

Other ingredients include ascorbyl glucoside, a vitamin C derivative, along with ceramide NP, sodium hyaluronate, jojoba seed oil, and squalane. The milk fat found in the soap is not included. The speaker guesses this reflects an intention not to put easily degraded fats into skincare products, since when fats break down there is a risk of producing free fatty acids that cause skin problems or of encouraging the growth of Cutibacterium acnes, the bacterium that causes acne.

It also contains many natural moisturizing factor (NMF) ingredients, such as Lipidure (polyquaternium-51), betaine, sodium PCA, serine, alanine, glycine, glutamic acid, lysine HCl, threonine, arginine, and proline.

The speaker sums up the toner's formulation as follows. It brings together inositol and xylitol to increase good bacteria, jojoba oil and squalane that resemble the main components of sebum, human-identical ceramide, and NMF ingredients, and is designed to enhance the skin's natural moisturizing function. Rather than going all-in on increasing good bacteria, it reads as intended to condition the skin from the foundation up in a basic way and boost its moisture retention. True to the name "Balancing," it gives the impression of a toner that builds the skin as it should be from scratch, the speaker says.

The emulsion's base is cetyl ethylhexanoate, a light ester-type moisturizing ingredient, combined with glycerin and isopentyldiol, as in the toner. It is centered on ester ingredients such as isostearyl isostearate, and the speaker says a notable feature is that it contains no easily degraded fats. They also mention that they thought Cow Brand Soap might include something like milk fat, but it wasn't there.

Other ingredients include diglycerin; emulsifiers such as polysorbate 60; phytosteryl oleate, an oleic-acid-based ester that softens and conditions the skin; ascorbyl glucoside; ceramide NP; sodium hyaluronate; jojoba seed oil; squalane; and Saxifraga sarmentosa extract, which enhances the skin's translucency. It also contains polyquaternium-61, a type of Lipidure, as well as glycosyl trehalose, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, and polyglycerin-3.

Whereas the toner centered on NMF ingredients, the speaker sees the emulsion as containing many "humectant"-type moisturizing ingredients that hold water on the skin's surface. It doesn't give the impression of containing high concentrations of ingredients that nurture good bacteria, like inositol. For that reason, the speaker thinks that in terms of the good-bacteria concept, the emulsion is a relatively basic moisturizing emulsion, and that the soap and toner are mainly the ones carrying the concept of nurturing good bacteria.

The containers are designed to look like milk bottles, which the speaker calls cute. They look like glass but are PET, so they can be thrown away normally.

The lotion has a screw cap that opens comfortably. It is scented, but rather than the Red Box scent itself, it comes across as a more refined version of a Red Box–like scent, with the luxurious feel you'd expect from a toner costing around 3,000 yen, the speaker says. However, considering that this brand is likely to appeal to people who favor Cow Brand Soap and additive-free skincare, it's hard to say whether fragrance needed to be added to the skincare.

In use, its moisturizing power was quite high, it absorbed extremely well, and it left no stickiness. It felt slightly thick at first, but once absorbed it left the skin feeling smooth and settled. Since it contains xylitol and inositol, the speaker thinks using it together with the soap may gradually strengthen the skin's foundation.

The milk comes in a pump bottle and looks like cow's milk. Because it has an ester base with many moisturizing ingredients, its moisturizing power is very high. It may not suit people who dislike stickiness, but it can be recommended to those who want a moisturizing emulsion. This one is also clearly fragranced.

The speaker's overall assessment is as follows. The soap uses a "skin-beautifying base" believed to contain about 80% tallow-derived soap, is built on the idea of leaving good bacteria while selectively removing bad bacteria, and is also extremely well made as a soap. The toner contains ingredients aimed at good bacteria, such as inositol, but overall it is basic skincare that conditions the skin's foundation. The milk is a highly moisturizing emulsion suited to dry skin.

What the speaker found difficult was whether the line suits people with acne-prone skin. People with skin problems are likely to have an imbalance in their resident bacteria, and if someone with acne-prone skin, where Cutibacterium acnes is proliferating heavily, switches to AKA, the soap may be fine, but the toner and emulsion are designed with moisture in mind. Although easily degraded fats are avoided, the overall focus is heavily on moisturizing, so some people may feel "this isn't what I was looking for."

On price as well, the toner and emulsion exceed 3,000 yen. The speaker thinks that at this price range, many people would expect more outstanding skincare effects. For care this basic, some people would probably choose other products, such as quasi-drugs or products containing more active beauty ingredients. So, as a personal impression, the speaker finds the skincare side somewhat lacking and says it would have been more interesting with a bit more ingenuity. On the other hand, a soap of this quality for 1,540 yen is rare, and they would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to try a soap that washes while leaving good skin bacteria intact.

Finally, prefacing it as "my own wild speculation," the speaker predicts where the line may go next. The Red Box, which appears to be the motif, is a moisturizing soap containing squalane and similar ingredients, while the Blue Box is a refreshing type without squalane. It's natural for AKA, born from the Red Box, to be moisture-oriented skincare, and the speaker believes the first release was made as a basic line that balances the skin, true to the name "Balancing."

On that basis, the speaker thinks there's a good chance that refreshing skincare for oily skin bearing the "Blue" name will come out in the future. Since Cow Brand Soap is associated with the Red Box and Blue Box, the aim may be to balance the line's textures through that contrast, which is the speaker's current guess.